A U L 2011 2012 HRM 300 Introduction

A. U. L 2011/2012 HRM 300

Introduction What is Human Resources Management? n What is a Human Resources Manager? n

terminology Human resource management (HRM): is the utilization of individuals to achieve organi zational objectives. Consequently, managers at every level must concern themselves with HRM. Basically, all managers get things done through the efforts of others; this requires effective HRM. Individuals dealing with human resource matters face a multitude of challenges, ranging from a constantly changing workforce to ever present government regulations, a technological revolution, and the effects of 9/11 and natural disasters such as flooding, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Furthermore, global competition has forced both large and small organizations to be more conscious of costs and pro ductivity. Because of the critical nature of human resource issues, these matters must receive major attention from upper management.

terminology A human resources manager is responsible for managing and overseeing the personnel department within a company, organization or agency. This includes posting advertisements or approving advertisements for new employees, screening resumes and applications, setting interview appointments and being involved in the hiring process. In most agencies the human resources manager is also key in providing employee supervision and evaluations, retraining employees, offering mediation services for struggling employees as well as firing employees that are not meeting standards.

History of HRM Workfoce management has become increasingly complex. The heritage and growth of the human resource management profession is closely linked to people's attitudes about work, the evolution of employment related laws and sociological trends. The HR field today recognizes the dynamic relationship between strategy, people, technology and the processes that drive organizations. Although this dynamic relationship appears obvious now, the evolution of the profession has often been slow. One could argue that the HR field dates back to the first working arrangements between master craftspeople and their apprentices. Before the industrial Revolution, working arrangements involved close relationships between mentors and apprentices dedicated to learning a particular trade. Apprentices were often required to live in the shop or home of the master craftsperson. If an apprentice was injured or sick, the master's family was responsible for restoring the young worker's health and welfare. Master and apprentice shared in good times and bad, in profit and in loss. The usefulness of this age old relationship came to an abrupt end with the advent of the Industrial Age. In one powerful stroke, the notion of work moved from guilds and home shops to steam driven factories. The introduction of the assembly line brought a need for low skilled employees capable of performing repetitive tasks. Management philosophy at the turn of the century was epitomized by Henry Ford, who often wondered why workers brought their heads to work when all he really needed was their hands and feet.

History of HRM They say that communication is the oldest existential phenomenon on earth. Well, if that's the case then human resource management would get the second place in the sibling hierarchy. In spite of being added as a subject in management courses fairly late, HRM has been a concept that was utilized ever since human beings started following an organized way of life. So shall we start digging up the history of human resource management? Some of human resource management's vital principles were used in prehistoric times. Like, mechanisms being developed for selecting tribal leaders. Knowledge was recorded and passed on to the next generation about safety, health, hunting, and gathering. 1000 B. C. to 2000 B. C. saw the development of more advanced HR functions. The Chinese are known to be the first to use employee screening techniques, way back in 1115 B. C. And turns out it was not Donald Trump who started "the apprentice" system. They were the Greek and Babylonian civilizations, ages before the medieval times. HRM has seen a lot of nick naming in its age. Since it was recognized as a separate and important function, it has been called "personnel relations" then it evolved to "industrial relations", then "employee relations" and then, finally, to "human resources". I strongly believe, that human resources is the most apt name for it. It, quintessentially, proves the importance of the human beings working in the organization. With the Industrial Revolution, came the conversion of the US economy from agriculture based to industry based. This led them to require an extremely well organized structure. Further, this led them to recruit a lot of people. More so, the industrial revolution brought in maddening amounts of immigration. Again, to create employment for all the immigrants, recruitment and management of the recruited individuals gained vitality. As such, there was a blaring need for Human Resource Management.

History of HRM Early human resource management, in general, followed a social welfare approach. It aimed at helping immigrants in the process of adjusting to their jobs and to an "American" life. The main aim behind these programs was to assist immigrants in learning English and acquiring housing and medical care. Also, these techniques used to promote supervisory training to ensure an increase in productivity. With the advent of "labor unions" in the 1790's, the power in the hands of the employees multiplied considerably and increased at a rapid pace by the 1800 s and furthermore in the 1900 s. This led to the HR department being more capable of politics and diplomacy. The two feats that were quintessential to the importance of HR were; the fact that it was the HR department that got the management and the labor unions to come on common grounds. They basically worked on getting the management to see things from the labor perspective and grant them medical and educational benefits. The other would be Frederick W. Taylor's (1856 1915) Scientific Management. This book had tremendous impact on attaining better productivity from low level production workers. B. F. Goodrich Company were the pioneers in designing a corporate employee department to address the concerns of the employees in 1900. National Cash Register followed suit in 1902 by forming a separate department to handle employee grievances, record keeping, wage management and other employee related functions. Personnel Managers started seeing more sunshine since the Wagner's Act (aka National Labor Relations Act) in 1935. There was a shift in focus from worker's efficiency to efficiency through work satisfaction, thanks to the Hawthorne studies around the 1930 s to 1940 s.

Between the 1960 s and 1970 s, the HRM movement gained further momentum due to the passing of several acts like the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Now, the HR department was the apple of the corporates' eyes because, the corporates placed a lot of importance on human resource management to avoid plausible law suit. So by the end of the 1970 s, HRM had taken over the world! Almost all big and medium scale industries had a department to manage their recruitment, employee relations, record keeping, salaries and wages, etc. Towards the 1980 s, the importance of HR continued to intumesce for several reasons like increase in skilled labor, training, regulation compliance, dismissal, etc. The HR managers were the ones who did the hiring and the firing. In today's date, HR has the same importance as the other departments, in some corporates, it has more. With the constant increase in education, technology and frequent fluctuations in economic status and structures, I believe, HR is the oldest, most mature and yet, the most efficient of all management styles.

n The objectives of job design There are clearly many alternative designs for any given job. For this reason, an understanding of what the job design is supposed to achieve is particularly important. As before, the five performance objectives give us a guide to what is relevant in job design decisions.

n 1. Quality: n The ability of staff to produce high quality products and services can be affected by job design. This includes avoiding errors in the short term, but also includes designing jobs which encourage staff to improve the job itself in such a way as to make errors less likely. 2. Speed: Sometimes speed of response is the dominant objective to be achieved in job design. For example, the way in which the jobs of emergency service personnel are organised (the range of tasks for which they are trained, the sequence of activities in their approved procedures, the autonomy which they have to decide on appropriate action, and so on) will go a long way to determine their ability to respond promptly to emergencies and perhaps save lives.

n 3. Dependability: Dependable supply of goods and services is usually influenced, in some way, by job design. For example, in the postal services’ working arrangements, multi skilling, accurate use of sorting equipment through good staff machine interface design, and the ‘design’ of postal staff’s clothing, can all aid dependable delivery of letters and parcels. n 4. Flexibility: Job design can affect the ability of the operation to change the nature of its activities. New product or service flexibility, mix flexibility, volume flexibility and delivery flexibility are all dependent to some extent on job design. (See Chapter 2 for a full description of these different types of flexibility). For example, staff who have been trained in several tasks (multi skilling) may find it easier to cope with a wide variety of models and new product or service introductions.

n n n 5. Cost: All the elements of job design described above will have an effect on the productivity, and therefore the cost, of the job. Productivity in this context means the ratio of output to labour input: for example, the number of customers served per hour or the number of products made per worker. In addition, job design will influence two other particularly important objectives. 6. Health and safety: Whatever else a job design achieves, it must not endanger the well being of the person who does the job, other staff of the operation, the customers who might be present in the operation, or those who use any products made by the operation. 7. Quality of working life: The design of any job should take into account its effect on job security, intrinsic interest, variety, opportunities for development, stress level and attitude of the person performing the job.

n Division of labour: Although it is historically the earliest influence on job design, division of labour is arguably still the most important. If it were not all of us would do everything. The fact that we specialise is a tacit recognition of the advantages to be gained from division of labour. The main issue is the extent to which jobs are divided up. Although there are still some highly divided and very repetitive jobs, there has been a general trend in many jobs for division of labour to be reversed somewhat. But not totally eliminated, that is the important point, there is still some degree of specialisation in almost every job. The important objective is to balance the flexibility and increased job satisfaction which less divided jobs give most of us, against the degree of efficiency and learning which often goes with some degree of division of labour.

n Scientific management: As far as scientific managements influence on job design goes, method study and work measurement are its twin legacies. Both are still practiced, though neither are as popular as once they were. Method study has some advantages in its systematic approach to questioning why jobs are design in a particular way. Indeed, the conventional method study approach is very close to some more modern approaches such as business process reengineering. The main criticisms of method study (and indeed business process reengineering) centre around its limited objectives. It pays little attention to even the most obvious aspects of motivation. But the principles of method study are still valid for most jobs. For example, compare the way an experienced cook moves around the kitchen, automatically sequencing tasks so as to save effort or time or both. Compare that with the less experienced cook who does not have the innate ability to perform his or her tasks in an efficient or effective manner.

Work measurement is less widely used now. Time standards are still important of course. Any business still needs an estimate of how long jobs will take, if only for planning and control purposes. However, the use of time standards to underpin payment systems or control work rate is less common. Again though, it is still practiced in some operations. Supermarket check out staff for example, or call centre operators generally work against time standards. And where they do, the practice can still be contentious. The boxed example on NUMMI on pages 272 and 273 is an interesting example of how some of the basic principles of work study have been used by staff rather than on staff. The idea of thinking about staff from a physiological point of view, but in a systematic manner, goes back at least half a century. As such it was once regarded as a little ‘old fashioned’ in job design circles. However, health and safety legislation in many countries has prompted a renewal of interest in the subject. So, for example, on automobile assembly lines the car is normally positioned at a height convenient for the assembly line staff to do their job without excessive bending or lifting. This not only eases strain on the assembly staff themselves but also helps to promote smoother, faster and higher quality working.

The way in which controls and displays are designed is also treated by ergonomists. The figure below demonstrates what ergonomists call the ‘person work place loop’.

A much quoted but illustrative example of how the design of displays can affect the effectiveness with which the operator senses the information displayed by them is shown in the figure below. The seemingly obvious way of laying out a bank of dials would be toarrange them so that the zero mark is at the top. When switched on the dials are all likely to display different levels but often the ‘normal’ range is marked on the dial. However, detecting a dial which is displaying an ‘out of normal’ reading still takes some effort by the operator. Alternatively, the dials could be arranged so that their normal ranges are all pointing in the same way when the dials are switched on rather than off. Any deviation from the normal range then is very easily detected.

n Behavioural approaches to job design: The title ‘behavioural’ approaches in clumsy but reasonably descriptive. This approach is the first so far to take the feelings and motivation of individual members of staff into account. Now the ideas of job rotation, job enlargement and job enrichment are well established in job design practice. Nevertheless it is important to understand that this approach still keeps the responsibility for designing jobs with operations management (or personnel management, or human resource management, etc. ). It does not pass any responsibility or power to the people doing the jobs. In that sense it is not fundamentally different from earlier approaches to job design. Its motivation and objectives may be different but its practice is still very ‘top down’.

n Empowerment : The idea of empowerment, for the first time gives some responsibility for job design to the individuals who will perform the job. But, as the chapter discusses, the extent of autonomy can vary significantly. At its most limited autonomy can merely involve asking staff for their suggestions as to how jobs should be designed. At its maximum, only the broadest and most general of objectives are set by higher management and the whole nature of the job and its organisation is left to those who perform it. In between these two extremes there any number of levels. In that sense ‘empowerment’ can mean almost anything. What many companies discovered is that empowerment ‘did not relieve them of the task of job design’. It has been found to be very important to be clear in drawing the boundary between those aspects of the job which staff can directly control and those which management still reserve the right to define. So, for example, an operation might draw up a list of issues which it reserves the right to impose such as types of behaviour which are not acceptable (racist, sexist, etc. ), safety practices (compulsory wearing of protective headgear etc. ), timing (when the process must start and when shift changeovers occur, etc. ), and so on. However, it may also define a list of specific job issues which staff can decide for themselves, sequencing of activities, scheduling of activities, appropriate work methods, and so on.

n Team-working and job design: The significance of this influence on job design is that the ‘unit of analysis’ of job design changed. So, rather than automatically assume that job design involved defining the content of a job for each individual, a further variable was introduced – the team. A team is a group of individuals who, together, have a set of tasks to perform. From the point of view of the staff who form the team there may be a number of advantages in working on a team basis rather than an individual basis. The interest, motivation and fun which can be gained from working closely with colleagues can make any job more attractive. From the operations point of view several people working together can be not only more efficient and more flexible but also more creative in the way they seek solutions to continually improve their part of the operation.

n Flexible working: Three types of flexible working are described in the chapter, ¨ skills flexibility ¨ time flexibility ¨ location flexibility. In some ways this sequence of different types of flexibility is in order of difficulty. Skills flexibility involves individuals being able to do more than one job. This allows the operation to be more responsive as markets or other conditions change and also (arguably) makes jobs more interesting. It is not always easy to achieve skills flexibility, but at least most people are together in the operation at more or less the same time. Time flexibility, on the other hand, can present more difficulties because (by definition) not everyone will necessarily be together at the same time. Location flexibility can present even more problems, especially if individual members of staff rarely, if ever, meet up.

Questions?

Training Employees Importance of Training is crucial for organizational development and success. It is fruitful to both employers and employees of an organization. An employee will become more efficient and productive if he is trained well. Typical Reasons for Employee Training and Development Training and development can be initiated for a variety of reasons for an employee or group of employees, e. g. , : -When a performance appraisal indicates performance improvement is needed -To "benchmark" the status of improvement so far in a performance improvement effort As part of an overall professional development program As part of succession planning to help an employee be eligible for a planned change in role in the organization -To "pilot", or test, the operation of a new performance management system -To train about a specific topic

Training Employees Typical Topics of Employee Training 1 - Communications: The increasing diversity of today's workforce brings a wide variety of languages and customs. 2 - Computer skills: Computer skills are becoming a necessity for conducting administrative and office tasks. 3 - Customer service: Increased competition in today's global marketplace makes it critical that employees understand meet the needs of customers. 4 - Diversity: Diversity training usually includes explanation about how people have different perspectives and views, and includes techniques to value diversity 5 - Ethics: Today's society has increasing expectations about corporate social responsibility. Also, today's diverse workforce brings a wide variety of values and morals to the workplace. 6 - Human relations: The increased stresses of today's workplace can include misunderstandings and conflict. Training can people to get along in the workplace. 7 - Quality initiatives: Initiatives such as Total Quality Management, Quality Circles, benchmarking, etc. , require basic training about quality concepts, guidelines and standards for quality, etc. 8 - Safety: Safety training is critical where working with heavy equipment , hazardous chemicals, repetitive activities, etc. , but can also be useful with practical advice for avoiding assaults, etc. 9 - Sexual harassment: Sexual harassment training usually includes careful description of the organization's policies about sexual harassment, especially about what are inappropriate behaviors.

Training Employees General Benefits from Employee Training and Development There are numerous sources of online information about training and development. Several of these sites (they're listed later on in this library) suggest reasons for supervisors to conduct training among employees. These reasons include: 1 Increased job satisfaction and morale among employees 2 Increased employee motivation 3 Increased efficiencies in processes, resulting in financial gain 4 Increased capacity to adopt new technologies and methods 5 Increased innovation in strategies and products 6 Reduced employee turnover 7 Enhanced company image, e. g. , conducting ethics training (not a good reason for ethics training!) 8 Risk management, e. g. , training about sexual harassment, diversity training

Training Employees Ways/Methods of Training: Training is generally imparted in two ways: On the job training- On the job training methods are those which are given to the employees within the everyday working of a concern. It is a simple and cost effective training method. The inproficient as well as semi proficient employees can be well trained by using such training method. The employees are trained in actual working scenario. The motto of such training is “learning by doing. ” Instances of such on job training methods are job rotation, coaching, temporary promotions, etc. Off the job training- Off the job training methods are those in which training is provided away from the actual working condition. It is generally used in case of new employees. Instances of off the job training methods are workshops, seminars, conferences, etc. Such method is costly and is effective if and only if large number of employees have to be trained within a short time period. Off the job training is also called as vestibule training, i. e. , the employees are trained in a separate area( may be a hall, entrance, reception area, etc. known as a vestibule) where the actual working conditions are duplicated.

Training Employees(Ways/Methods of Training) Employee Orientation Employee orientation is part of a long term investment in a new employee. It is an initial process that provides easy access to basic information, programs and services, gives clarification and allows new employees to take an active role in their organization. Introduce new employees to their new environment Make new employees feel welcome and comfortable Retain a pool of new, capable employees Benefits: Establish clear standards that help reduce disputes and limit liability Promote consistent management Inform new employees of the company’s policies Demonstrate a commitment to equal treatment of personnel Provide protection from claims of discrimination and sexual harassment In some organizations an employee handbook is available to all employees. The content of the handbook covers the key topics covered in an orientation session for new employees. What should employee orientation programs include? An orientation program helps the employee understand their assigned duties, terms and conditions of employment as well as the organizational culture. It provides the following information: Welcome employee to company

Training Employees(Ways/Methods of Training) Welcome employee to company n Orientation to business: history , mission statement , goals and objectives , organizational structure, e. g. own job description and relationship of position to other positions , future plans n Company policies and procedures, for example: dress code , reporting procedures , smoking restrictions , expense claims n Legislation Safety procedures, Emergency procedures, operating telephone system, who to call for repairs n Explanation of benefit package group insurance, sick leave, holidays n Tour facility and work areas: introduce employees , identify amenities, e. g. washrooms, shower , explain emergency procedures identify safety equipment n Describe job responsibilities and performance expectations review job description , review product standards , discuss applicable legislation , provide manuals for operating equipment Finalize employment documentation

Training Employees(Ways/Methods of Training) Canada Apprenticeship is an agreement between a person (an apprentice) who wants to learn a skill and an employer who needs a skilled worker "earning while learning. " Apprenticeship is a proven industry based learning system that combines on the job experience with technical training to produce a certified journeyperson. Upon completion of the specified training period, apprentices receive a Certificate of Qualification. On average, 85% of the apprentice's two to five years of training is spent in the workplace; the rest is spent at a training institution. Apprenticeship Grants Apprenticeship grants are designed to make a career in the trades an attractive choice and encourage more apprentices to complete their training. Interprovincial Standards "Red Seal" Program The Red Seal Program was established to provide greater mobility across Canada for skilled workers. Through the program, apprentices who have completed their training and certified journeypersons, are able to obtain a "Red Seal" endorsement on their Certificates of Qualification and Apprenticeship by successfully completing an Interprovincial Standards Examination. Contacts for Apprenticeship Information Apprenticetrades. ca is a comprehensive inventory of information on apprenticeship training across Canada. The primary sources of information about apprenticeship are the provincial/territorial government Departments or Ministries responsible for education, training, or labour. This page contains links that will take you directly to the apprenticeship branches in each province/territory.

Mentoring and Coaching What is mentoring? Mentoring is a formal or informal process for more experienced workers to share their knowledge about a business or industry to achieve the business goals of the organization and personal goals of the individual. What is a mentor? A mentor is a close personal contact, who has an in depth knowledge of an industry or activity and can assist another person. What is a mentee? A mentee is a person who is mentored by a close personal contact, usually within their industry, to assist the mentee in achieving their objectives. Why should I consider mentoring for my business? Mentoring is an ideal way for a more experienced mentor to pass on: Skills Business practices , Knowledge about the business culture , Efficiencies already found by more experienced workers in work flow Explanations about the business history what worked what did not , Mentors relish the role of passing on their knowledge and learning. They take pleasure in nurturing less experienced employees and exchanging information and ideas. The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses recently surveyed its members and stated that mentoring is a great way to train and attract students into their business. Mentees appreciate "learning the ropes", value the investment made in them and thrive on the knowledge. When employees are learning in their jobs it makes it less likely that they will leave. Benefits of mentoring include: Increased stability Increased profitability , Decreased turnover , Higher motivation , Higher productivity because employees are more invested in the business , Job satisfaction increased , Ability to phase retirement for experienced employees

Mentoring and Coaching Illustrative examples of how business uses mentoring Business A has projected growth in their business with a concurrent need for more employees. They are finding it harder and harder to find workers with the right skills. Strategies that Company A is using is passing on responsibilities to other employees, functioning with fewer employees, ignoring business opportunities, hiring temporary help and improving salaries and the work environment They have also adopted a tactic of hiring people with potential and training them into the jobs they need filling. This has all helped but projecting into the future Company A sees that fewer employees with the right skills is not a temporary condition. They also see that the need to increase training will only rise in the future. They have adopted informal training but need something else to fill in the gaps and find that mentoring is a great way to train as well as make both the participants benefits in the process. Company A is finding that employees are getting up to speed faster than ever before and discovering mentoring couldn't have happened at a better time. Is there a business case to be made for mentoring? The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) in its recent survey of businesses in the Availability of Labour and Training Survey identified that having sufficient labour of the right quality is an ongoing concern for business. As well, the survey identified that compared to three years ago; the business's training costs as measured by time and money per employee have increased 56. 5% on average in Canada. Further the survey indicates that almost half of businesses believe that the training needs will only increase in the next three years. Not only do new hires need training but all employees, from basic level skills training to technical skills training. For one third of businesses, new employees take almost a year to train. Who wants to lose an employee in this business environment? The business case for mentoring can best be made through the cost savings to businesses that know how to retain a good employee or keeping an employee who feels that they have contributed all they can in your setting. Why do employees leave companies? It is because they feel they are not learning, lack satisfaction with their jobs, are not recognized and valued for the experience they bring. Employees stay with businesses because they are recognized and valued. It is rarely the money. The types of costs you need to take into consideration are the turnover costs: Administrative function related to termination

Mentoring and Coaching Separation or severance pay , Any increase in employment compensation , Cost of the vacancy during which you do not have an employee and need to hire temporary help or increase the responsibilities of other employees. Replacement costs include: Advertising for new applicants , Interview and review time , Skills testing , The one area that is difficult to measure but just as tangible in cost are the: Increased workloads for others , Employee stress and anxiety , Morale decline , Productivity costs , Loss of customers , Loss of intellectual capital , Negative impact on customer loyalty What will mentoring cost me? Very little. Setting up a system can takes time and resources but by and large, these are minimal. Experienced employees very often appreciate volunteering to be a mentor. Being a mentor can become part of a person's job. Costs may include: Time to set up the mentoring which may take as little as half a day to up six months The time of the people I involve to help me set up mentoring Your mentor(s)' time of a minimum of two hours a month for one year Your Mentee(s)' time of a minimum of two hours a month for one year Your time to adjust the mentoring process as needed but evaluation minimum of two hours annually Can I hire someone outside my business to mentor? It depends on what you want the mentoring to achieve. Later in the module you will be able to assess what kind of mentor you need based on your expectations of outcomes from mentoring. What is the difference between a consultant and mentor? A mentor is someone who supports an individual on a personal basis to achieve his or her goals, often over a longer period of time of at least a year. This person understands the business the person is in. A consultant is someone who works for a shorter period of time on a specific issue or project to achieve a business outcome and charges for services rendered. x

Mentoring and Coaching n What are some ways to use mentoring in my business? It can be used to: Transfer business knowledge from experienced workers to more junior workers Decrease job turnover by increasing work satisfaction Build morale, pride and job satisfaction by integrating new employees quickly and giving current employees a stake in developing new talent Build the skill capacity of employees Facilitate the succession planning process Give a message to the business, community, and potential employees that my business endorses certain behaviours. For example attracting and retaining women into the organization, or valuing experienced employees To meet equal opportunity goals by effectively integrating disadvantaged groups

Training Needs Checklist Determine training needs of employees: ¨ review job descriptions ¨ identify training required by legislation, e. g. correct handling of chemicals ¨ consider training needs required because of change: ¨ consider technological changes ¨ invite employee input on training needs ¨ review common complaints and problems ¨ identify employee's strengths and areas needing improvement, for example: customer service cash handling safety prioritize training needs, e. g. evaluate existing skills of staff identify training objectives, e. g. description of skills to be learned determine evaluation methods, e. g. how skills will be tested determine resources available, e. g. professional seminars, private trainers, occupational standards, cost sharing programs

Training Needs Checklist determine method of delivery, considering: ¨ budget ¨ options available, for example: on the job demonstrations coaching practice sessions training seminars, e. g. in house, external staff or individual meetings learning activities, e. g. role playing, hands on experience finalize details of training sessions, for example: ¨ session content ¨ prospective participants: arrange for staff to cover for participants in training, e. g. re organize work date, time and location ¨ training tools, e. g. videos ¨ instructors inform prospective participants of details: ¨ communicate expectations, e. g. consider requiring participants to share knowledge with co workers after training ¨