do How the needs of an organization decide what human and capital resources are required t o be successful? In what way is the HR function important to the success of the everyday t asks in an organization? Discuss the competitive advantages that can accrue to an organization that genuinely is committed to workplace diversity? Please make certain that you indicate strategies for overcoming resistance to diversity programs. To be successful a business must recruit the correct talent to ensure that they achieve their goals. An organization has to know first, what i ts goals are; and secondly an organization m ust attract, develop, and maintain the correct talent to achieve their goals. The development of this talent is important because these employees will eventually lead the organization into the future. The HR function in this is to att ract the correct prospective people to apply to work at an organization. People must be sought out to fill specific positions; this means that for each position that needs to be filled a person specifically for t hat position should be sought out, instead of taking applicants and fielding through the few who apply. HR is also in charge of t raining and growing employees within an organization. For an organization to have diversity among its employees allows the organization to have a broad scope or view. This broad scope is a wide variety of ideas and d ifferent thoughts which allows the organization to grow in vast directions and expand u pon their original goals.
What are employee benefits? Explain how they are a major part of the compensation package. Review your current compensation package and determine if it is adequate and fair given the tasks you complete in your job.
Benefits are payment for work done, this includes money in form of a check and also any plan that the employee benefits from; such as a retirement or 401k plan. Also insurance such as medical or dental and others can be offered to employees. Paid vacation days and sick days are also considered to be part of a benefits package. The general level of the benefits offered to the employee depends upon the level in which the employee is among the organization; managers will have better benefits than those in which they are managing.
I do not have many benefits because I work for a nonprofit. I do get matched 401k up to 10%. I feel that this is a fair package because my job is considered entry level and I am also compensated very fairly for my work within the organization.
What are three internal and external job recruitment strategies? Identify when each would be appropriate and when each would inappropriate to use. In conjunction with your HR representative, you will develop the appropriate recruiting s trategy. Your HR representative will utilize automated web-based staffing management systems to identify and forward to you the applications, resumes and cover letters of qualified applicants. This will help determine if it is even necessary to do additional external advertising of the job opening. However, depending on the type of position, i t may be appropriate to advertise in print media and/or job boards. External recruiting would be t he print or online ad based job postings. Also job fairs or special promotions to display job openings would be external recruiting strategies. In ternal recruiting would be through r ecommendations from managers of employees currently working within the organization. T he appropriate times for these different strategies varies depending upon the job and situation. For internal promotions an employee who is aware of the job and has the necessary skill set to fulfill the position would be a prize for a internal recruitment for an H R department. Recruiting externally allows for a company to expand their work force and a lso recruit specific talent and diversity which can instantly pay off by broadening the scope of an organization. Both upper level managers and hourly employees can be recruited both ways, the organization has to decide if i t has an employee who is deserving and fi t ting for a p romotion to a new position or if an outside hire would better fill the need of the organization.
MGT 420 Managing Human Resources Readings
Read Ch. 10 & 11 in Management by Schermerhorn. Read McNamara, C. (1999). Human resources management (and talent management). Available at http://www.mapnp.org/library/hr_mgmnt/hr_mgmnt.htm Review Society for Human Resource Management. http://www.shrm.org/
Introduction
In today's knowledge economy, intellectual capital is more critical than it has ever been. Human resources (HR) play a pivotal role in attracting, developing, and retaining talent. As such, HR departments must work as effective business partners with line management and the executive team to ensure that individual and organizational capabilities are built and grown for competitive advantage. The transition in role may not be easy for traditional HR employees. One of the key issues, then, will be to attract the right people to the HR function itself. Business knowledge and the capacity to deal with continuous change will be baseline entrance requirements for today's HR practitioners. The Importance of Intellectual Capital
This shift toward a knowledge economy during the past 20 years has resulted in a change in the way we think about the value of a firm. Traditional assets such as property, equipment, and even technology began to take a back seat to the knowledge people carried around in their heads. The term intellectual capital became popular in business nomenclature. Business leaders began to talk up the value of their intellectual assets and there is little doubt that even Wall Street began to include these intangibles in factoring how well a firm was expected to perform. According to Ulrich (2004), intellectual capital is a firm's only appreciable asset (pp. 1516). As the need for intellectual capital increases, companies must find ways to ensure that it develops and growsa phenomenon known as the talent management process in many companies today. Talent management, which involves the attraction, development, and retention of a firm's intellectual capital, has become an important responsibility of the HR function. Ulrich (2004) outlines five tools firms can use to increase their intellectual capital competence:
1. Buy The firm goes outside to hire new talent.
2. Build The firm invests in employee learning and training. 3. Borrow The firm hires consultants and forms partnerships with suppliers, customers,
and vendors to share knowledge, create new knowledge, and bring in new ways to work.
4. Bounce The firm removes those employees who fail to change, learn, and adapt. 5. Bind The firm finds ways to keep those workers it finds most valuable. (p. 16)
Five Functional Areas of HRM
Almost any book on human resources contains information about the various functional areas in human resource management (HRM). Although the names may change, the ideas are the same. HR departments today, therefore, generally consist of the following functional areas:
Staffing Human resource development Compensation and benefits Safety and health Employee and labor relations
Each one of these areas will be covered at a micro level later to discover not only what the responsibility of each area is, but also how each area collaborates with the entire department and the organization to achieve organizational goals. HR as a Strategic Business Partner
Because intellectual capital and talent management have become critical for success today, the function of HR has begun to transform to meet new demands and challenges; however, the function has also come under attack. When employees are asked what role their HR department plays within their organizations, they often respond with a list of tactical responsibilities, such as looking after the payroll, managing employee benefits, and interviewing for entry-level positions. HR is often viewed as having a policing role in the organizationa role that ensures that company policy and procedures are being followed. Because of this perception, the relevance of HR has been questioned: Does HR really add value in this new era where human capital is so important that it is everyone's responsibility? In fact, some companies have gone so far as to outsource their HR function. The Four Roles of HR within the Modern Organization
The HR community has received the message and has been moving toward playing a strategic role within organizations. Ulrich is one of the leading thinkers in this field, and he has outlined a new agenda for HR, which is radically different from the traditional role. The article, "A New Mandate for Human Resources" (1998), outlines Ulrich's groundbreaking thinking on this topic. Fundamentally, HR has to be included when top executives strategize for their firms. Only then can HR really contribute to the bottom line., HR should be as critical to strategy formulation and execution as any other function: finance, marketing, IT, or operations. HR should be viewed as a business partner to line management rather than as a staff function that is removed from the day-to-day realities of the business. This new business partner role requires a completely different skill set for HR managers. Ulrich (1998)) identifies three other important roles for today's HR practitioners. They need to be the agents driving change within organizations helping to shape change and improve the company's capacity to change. Employees and outsiders see this very clearly with merger and acquisition activities, where HR has a critical to role play in the integration of the two organizational cultures. HR also needs to be the champion to enable employees so they can contribute and deliver results. Another role for HR today is to be an expert in how work is organized and executed. Just as an operations manager is responsible for the efficiencies of processes and workflow, so must HR tend to the efficiencies and effectiveness of people. HR and Building Organizational Capability
Because people do not work in a vacuum, the overall capabilities of the organization must also be considered. Even the most capable people will fail if they are put into a dysfunctional or toxic work environment. HR must ensure that talent is given every chance to deliver superior results. Ulrich and Smallwood (2004) present an intriguing model to frame individual and organizational capabilities in terms of both technical and social competence. The organization must deliver if it is to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. Ulrich and Smallwood provide a practical tool for conducting an organizational audit to highlight the most important capabilities for a given organization, and where possible gaps might exist. Diversity
The United States is known as a society rich in diversity. Although this diversity is often reflected in a company's customer base, it is not always seen in the same company's workers. Diversity and diversity management are hot topics in the business world.
EEOC Laws
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) designed laws to stifle discrimination. Business professionals should be able to demonstrate their knowledge of these laws and how they evolved, including:
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended in 1972 Age Discrimination Employment Act of 1967 Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 Immigration Control Acts Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 Civil Rights Act of 1991
Staffing
Determining the number of employees necessary to operate a business is a main function of the HRM department. The HRM department must first evaluate what the business does and the type of knowledge, skills, and abilities that are necessary to complete business tasks, via a job analysis. A thorough job analysis leads to a job description. After employment needs have been determined, a recruitment plan must be established and qualified candidates can be selected. Careful consideration of each step will assure a successful HRM department that has the appropriate employees aligned with a well-defined job, which results in success for the company. A basic component of HRM is planning. HRM departments must plan for future employment needs. They must analyze whom they have on staff, who will be leaving, and how many employees they need to hire. Forecasting software is available to assist HRM departments perform these functions. It is essential to be prepared, which is why HRM departments must take a proactive role to help identify strategic plans in the business. Training, Development, and Performance Appraisals
Training and development are vital functions of the HRM department. Many companies recognize the need to properly train and develop their employees to ensure that innovative, creative employees contribute to the good of the company. Many leaders view training and
development as an asset rather than as a liability. Training and development is also important to the performance appraisal process within a company. Companies usually administer yearly performance appraisals for each employee. If a manager realizes an employee is not as successful as he or she could be, it may be time for additional training. Furthermore, a manager should use the performance appraisal as an opportunity to develop each employee. Training occurs in a variety of ways: on-the-job training, workshops, distance learning, and teleconferencing are just a few. Simulations require employees to take training on their own time and then pass an assessment at the end. Training delivery has become very innovative in the recent years. Training and development often mean the same thing. Development is not necessarily different, but it is often more interpersonal and individualized. Development helps the employee establish career plans and goals for his or her own future. It goes beyond what needs to be accomplished for the present; careers can be created through appropriate development opportunities. Companies can help nurture, grow, and develop an employee and the employee's career by having professional development programs for mentoring and coaching. Performance appraisals (PAs) are a necessary part of an employee's life. PAs, or evaluations, are usually administered by a person's direct supervisor, but the process is often overseen by the HRM department. The HRM department notifies a manager when an employee's PA is due, and usually monitors the PA to ensure it is completed in accordance with legal requirements. Just as with hiring, assuring that the PA is completed in a fair and accurate manner without any prejudice is important to avoid legal ramifications. As long as the employee has a thorough job description that explains and describes exactly what is required of him or her, completing a PA is fairly easy. The PA allows an organization to evaluate employee performance, but it may also evaluate highly valued qualities of behavior such as a positive attitude and association with customers. Thus, an effective PA is also an employee development tool by which employees are evaluated, counseled, mentored, and, if possible, offered promotions based on success. Compensation and Benefits
Compensation is the total of all rewards an employer provides to an employee for his or her work. Many think of compensation as solely a paycheck, but there is much more to it than that. The compensation package includes direct and indirect financial incentives as well as all nonfinancial incentives the company may offer. Benefits are a very important indirect financial incentive. When evaluating a job, it is necessary to consider the entire compensation package and not just the wages. Some innovative companies offer a cafeteria-style approach to benefit selection: The company makes a variety of benefits available, and the employees select which ones they want. This
allows for customization based on need. Of course, not all companies do this; company size may determine how much and what can be given to an employee in compensation. Benefits often vary based on the size of a business. For example, small companies may offer things that do not cost much, such as a flexible work schedule, the ability to work from home, access to company property, or more vacation and personal days (Mazzullo, 2001). Safety and Health
Safety and health are two issues that face contemporary companies. Assuring the workplace is a safe and healthy place is an employer's obligation. With the changing dynamics of the workplace comes added stress. Although stress can come from many areas and sometimes not even the work environment, its presence can become evident within the work environment. A stressed employee can cause safety issues. As HRM continues to invest in human capital, they can train employees on workplace safety and offer incentives to help employees manage stress and other ailments. Labor Unions
Unions have impacted the U.S. labor force. Historically, they helped establish safe work environments and the 40-hour workweek. Many of the issues for which unions first fought are now law:
Anti-Injunction Act of 1932 National Labor Relations Act of 1935 The Labor Management Relations act of 1947 Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 Homeland Security Act of 2002
Collective bargaining consists of management working with union representatives to establish guidelines for operations. A collective bargaining process is grueling for all parties as they meet to discuss the future. Negotiations usually fall into three categories: mandatory bargaining issues, permissive bargaining issues, and prohibited bargaining issues. The negotiated agreement, which outlines the decisions that have been reached, is called the labor agreement or contract. Another function of HRM is internal relations, which involve moving employees into other roles within the company. Internal relations activities include promotions, transfers, demotions, resignations, discharges, layoffs, and retirements. Disciplinary action is also a responsibility of internal relations.
Outsourcing
Many companies are outsourcing a variety of job responsibilities. This trend is often a concern for HRM because there are no clear guidelines, laws, or compliance regulations with regard to outsourcing. Thus, it presents an area ripe for research. Because of technological advances and the practice of outsourcing, HRM departments must tread carefully to ensure their parent companies are acting in an ethical manner and abiding by established laws.
CONCLUSION: Newstrom and Davis (2002) state that job satisfaction, as a function of employee attitude, must be measured from moment to moment and not just over a given period of time. HR as a strategic partner needs to take an active role in ensuring that the selection, recruiting, training, and development of an organization's intellectual capital is conducted in a manner that supports the mission and vision of the organization. The globalization of businesses will require that HR managers remain aware of cultural differences and become equipped to deal with the resultant challenges in order to have an effective workforce.