Human Resources Management Assignment
Assignment 1: Need for Human Resources Management (10%) Introduction Now that you have worked your way through Module 1, it is time to demonstrate your knowledge of the concepts and best practices introduced and discussed in the modules and the textbook by applying them to your own personal work experiences. You will be asked to use an employer you have worked for. You will need to use the same employer and job in all assignments as the assignments build on each other. Given the content of the material, this must be a Canadian employer. Use the all the relevant course material in your answers. Do not use additional resources unless you are specifically asked to do so in the instructions. For the purpose of this assignment, do not use direct quotes. Take what you are learning in the textbook and reword them in your own words (i.e., paraphrase). This will help you learn the course material and it will demonstrate that you understand it. Points will be removed if you use direct quotes and if you use other sources if the material is found in the textbook or modules. Part A: Every Manager is an HR Manager (30 Marks) Based on what you have learned in this module, reflect on the following: · HRM and the key functions · The critical competencies of an HR professional (10 marks) Write a report approximately two pages in length—not more than 500 words—which should include your comments in response to the following: · Human resource is every manager’s business. Why is the management of human resources key to every management job in every organization, regardless of whether there is a human resources department in the organization? Make sure you define the role of a manager and identify the key concepts and functions. (20 marks) Submission Criteria · Your report must incorporate some of the key concepts and best practices introduced in this module. · Minimize the use of direct quotes by paraphrasing. Make sure you cite the source. · You must demonstrate evidence of critical thinking and analysis. · You must present a logical and persuasive argument. There should be an introduction, paragraphs, and a conclusion. · You must support your arguments with examples or illustrations from the textbook. Make sure you cite your sources. · You must follow APA format, citation, and referencing. · You must ensure your work is properly edited for grammar and spelling. Part B: Responding to the Changing Environment (40 marks) Human resources professionals play an important role in environmental scanning to enable organizations to formulate their overall strategic business plans. The purpose of this exercise is for you to apply the environmental influences on HRM practices you have learned about on a case. Using the Canadian organization you have worked for respond to the following: - Provide brief background information about your chosen organization, including the organization’s goals and values, business activity/activities, number of employees, and so on. You can research this section. Make sure you cite and reference the material (5 marks) - Explain an organization goal for the next year. Explain how this goal need change in staffing (e.g., numbers, skills, etc.)? Explain Part C: The Legal Environment (30 marks) Discuss the employment legislation in Canada by: 1. Discuss the different jurisdictions that exist in Canada and how does the HRM professional distinguishes between an organization is federally or provincially legislated. 2. Consider a provincially regulated employer (e.g., a coffee shop or gas station). Identify the employment laws that apply and explain the implications of these laws on HRM policies and practices that you encounter. Use Topic 4 and the actual legislation only, while writing the Part C. Your written answer should not be more than two pages, which is approximately 500 words. Topic 1 What is Human Resources Management? Successful organizations bring together different kinds of people to achieve a common purpose—without people organizations would not exist. The term “human resources” implies that people are as important to the success of any business as other resources are, such as money, materials, machinery, and information. Human resources management is about more than just hiring, paying, and training people, it is about the management of people in an organization. Definition Human resources management (HRM) is defined in your textbook as “the management of people in organizations to drive successful organizational performance and achievement of the organization’s strategic goals” Note that “people in organizations” in the definition above is also intended to cover contract workers, people from other organizations who are working on projects, or any similar working relationship. Whatever business you are in, and irrespective of its size, employers make many decisions that affect the organization and its employees. Let’s look at the situation of a new entrepreneur and some of the HRM decisions to be considered. Jennifer Brown After many years of formal employment, Jennifer Brown is keen to go out on her own and achieve her long-term goal of being an entrepreneur. After much exploration, she has decided to capitalize on her knowledge of the medical field by establishing a business offering a medical transcription service to hospitals and general practitioners. She is sure she can get more business than she can take care of herself, but to do so, she will have to employ other people to help her. This leaves her with a number of questions: · How many people will I need? · Will I have enough work to employ people full-time or should I hire people on a part-time or contract basis? · What should their skill set be? · What benefits are they entitled to? · How can I ensure the right people have been employed? · When I get the right people, how do I ensure I keep them? · What legislation will I need to know? Irrespective of the nature of your business and its size, you will be facing similar questions and thus will need an understanding of human resources management. The question of who undertakes these activities in any given organization depends on the size and complexity of that organization. Many large and complex organizations have dedicated HR professionals who offer advice and expertise, but according to Truss & Gratton, “the direct handling of people is, and always has been, an integral part of every […] manager’s responsibility, from president down to the lowest-level supervisor.” (Dessler, Munro, & Cole, 2011, p. 2). A word on focus Sometimes the terms “manager” and “supervisor” may be used interchangeably. The emphasis is on a person who actually manages or supervises people, and not just one who merely manages or oversees a function. HRM Activities, Roles, and Responsibilities Larger organizations tend to have dedicated HR departments as the task of managing human resources and ensuring compliance with the relevant legislation—employment standards legislation, labour relations legislation, human rights legislation, Workers’ Compensation Board rules and regulations—becomes more complex with increasing numbers of employees. Once a HR department has been created, that unit has overall responsibility for HRM programs and activities. The primary role of the HR department is to ensure that the organization’s human resources are utilized effectively and managed in compliance with company policies and procedures, government legislation, and, in unionized settings, the collective agreement(s). Specific HRM activities include the following: · Planning · Recruitment staffing · Organizational, work, and job design · Training and development · Performance review · Communications · Compensation and benefits · Human resources information systems · Labour relations five responsibilities of HRM (Dessler et al., 2011, p. 10): · Serving as consultant and strategic change agent · Offering advice and support to employees · Formulating policies and procedures · Providing services to attract and retain employees · Monitoring to ensure legal compliance Other critical competencies for HR professionals: · credible activist · culture and change steward · talent manager and organizational designer · strategy architect · operational executor · business ally Milkovich and Boudreau (1994, pp. 9–11) also identify three primary roles for the HR professional: · Providing service to operating managers—human resources specialists use their education and knowledge to provide advice to all levels of management. · Advocate—by promoting fair and equitable treatment of employees, the HR professional helps to build and maintain a positive workplace, thus ensuring retention of valuable staff members. · Business partner—Increasingly, the HR professional is being seen as an important part of the management team, contributing to formulating strategic direction and formulating HR programs that are linked with the organization’s business direction. Table 1.1 on page 8 of the text outlines the transformation occurring in many human resources departments in Canada. It shows the transition from having a transactional or operational focus to having a strategic focus. Milkovich and Boudreau (1994, pp. 9–11) define the roles and skills of the HR professional as follows: Service Advocate Partner Roles Focus on satisfying managers and employee concerns. Provide managers with programs and techniques to help them manage people better Champion fair treatment and equity. Alert managers to employee concerns. Examine human resource issues from the organizational perspective and ensure that human resource decisions fit organizational needs and aims. Skills Human resource techniques. Program design and implementation. Interpersonal ability to build close relations. Ability to analyze employee concerns and understand labour relations. Knowledge of organizational aims and objectives. Ability to work with managers and leaders. Every Manager is a Human Resources Manager In a very real sense, managing people in organizations is a central concern of every single manager in every single organization. This is because people management provides the crucial link between individual performance, attitudes and behaviour, and the overall goals, culture, and values of the organization. A manager’s job consists of planning, organizing, directing, and controlling the resources of the organization in order to achieve its objectives. These resources include technology, facilities, equipment, materials, supplies, information, money, and people. For a number of reasons, including the following, people are increasingly being seen as an organization’s number one resource: · Wages, benefits, and training are coming to form the single largest operating expense in many organizations, particularly in the service sector. · Shortages of skilled labour mean that organizations are recruiting in a highly competitive environment. · Loyalty to the company is no longer a given and companies have to work harder to retain skilled employees. These trends, among others, have increased the importance of good human relations within the workplace. Managing any institution involves: · Finding the right person to do the job · Retaining talented, and skilled workers · Designing work to get the best performance · Defining the vision and communicating it clearly · Coping with uncontrollable environmental changes · Operating within budgetary constraints · Facing criticism and complaints When we think about organizations and begin to identify the problems they encounter, the issues we commonly hear have a similar theme. Managers often describe “people issues” as an important block to effective performance: · “The staff in our department has poor communication skills