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ASSIGNMENT ON

MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCE

Submitted by:

Date

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Table of content:

Contents page

Executive Summary: iii

Task- 1

1.1 Guest’s model of HRM: 4

1.2 Dissimilarities between Story’s definition on HRM, personnel and industrial

relations:

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1.3 Developing a strategic method to HRM and effect of line managers and workers: 6

Task- 2

2.1 Flexibility model in exercise: 7

2.2 Types of flexibility for organizations: 7

2.3 Flexible practices from employer and worker perspective: 8

2.4 Impact of fluctuations in labor market on flexible working practice: 8

Task- 3

3.1 Discrimination in workplace: 9

3.2 Application of equal opportunity legislation for business: 10

3.3 Dissimilarities between management of equal opportunity and diversity: 10

Task- 4

4.1 Comparing approaches of performance management: 11

4.2 Assessment of employee welfare management: 11

4.3 Application of health and safety legislation on HR: 12

4.4 Effect of topical issue on HR practices: 12

References: 13

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Executive Summary:

HR management is the most vital and critical part of a firm which involves the activities of

managing staffs, development and improvement of skills and fulfilling structural

requirements and mission. To achieve the firm’s objective, HR managers need to control and

develop an effective employee management system. The activities and responsibilities of HR

managers are the arrangement of effective and successful recruitment and training, managing

and developing performance and controland guidance of workplace behavior. The workers

are provided with numerous facilities like flexibility, security, motivational reward and

discrimination free workplace. A firm must consider applying appropriate HR strategies for

its employees in order to create a value of the firm which will attract the future talents and

skilled workers from the labor market. There are some discriminatory factors like age,

gender, belief which need to be fixed in the HR development process. The demographic

stages of labor market are the drivers of HR policy modification and development. all the

related people in a firm possess a responsibility to contribute in the successful HR strategy

implementation and result. The managers of other sectors need the support and guidance from

the HR management to perform HR tasks in their own operations.

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Task- 1 Different perspective of Human resource management

1.1Guest’s model of HRM:

An appropriate HR strategic model was first introduced by David Guest (1997) which is

considered a better model than any other HR models exist. He introduced several approaches

which state a manager should apply some basic approaches as to gain a desired output. The

application is a sequential approach of six stages-

Strategies to human resource.

Practices of human resource.

HR outcome.

Unilever is a huge and one of the largest consumer goods manufacturing companies in the

world. The objective and mission of Unilever is to gain a sustainable growth, make the

environmental impact half and make their profit double. The Guest’s HR model is useful tool

for Unilever in setting successful HR policies-

Unilever forms HR strategies following their core organizational policy and mission.

More settled workforce in supply chain, discrimination-free environment, increased job

duration, equality in service and maintained policy on child labor.

Workers get enthusiasm and become more objective-oriented and get satisfied in activities.

The performance of personnel is improved and become more corporate value and goal

oriented.

Employee co-ordination, commitment and job place motivation results in positive economic

impact, more revenue, increasing market and customer share.

Behavioral outcome.

Result in performance.

Economic benefits.

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1.2Dissimilarities between Story’s definition on HRM, personnel and

industrial relations:

HRM Personnel Management Industrial Relationship

HR management is the most

vital and critical part of a

firm which involves the

activities of managing staffs,

development and

improvement of skills and

fulfilling structural

requirements and mission.

Personnel Management is

thus basically an

administrative record-

keeping function, at the

operational level. Personnel

Management attempts to

maintain fair terms and

conditions of employment,

while at the same time,

efficiently managing

personnel activities for

individual departments etc.

(Boxall, P.F,1992)

Relationship and co-ordination

among the management and the

employees.

The sustainable living plan

was initiated by Unilever

which entails the

stakeholders including

customers, suppliers and

advice from experts to bring

productivity and smooth

relationship with customers.

Unilever conducts various

types of training facilities,

seminars and appropriate

guideline for performance

improvement.

Unilever maintains a better

relation and communication

with the labor union and each

and every employee in order to

motivate them and make them

perform as the firm requires.

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1.3Developing a strategic method to HRM and effect of line managers and

workers:

HRM is an extensive set of activities that includes the process of recruitment, skill

development and management of personnel. To find a better and fast way to achieve the

firm’s core value and objectives, Unilever HR management tries to recruit and train

appropriate and competent staffs and to change structure and policies with the revolving

surrounding. As the internal and external factors are changing continuously, HR management

faces challenges accomplishing their HR responsibility. The given approaches can aid the

line managers and staffs in performing the HR tasks-

a. Create desire:The HR managers must try to create an aspiration and feeling of

importance in the mind of line managers. The desire for HR responsibility will make

the implementation a successful one.

b. Provide support: The HR executives should support the line managers in

understanding the importance and requirements of HR tasks as they can set vision and

utilization of HR knowledge.

c. Develop capacity:Line managers have to perform their operational tasks and they are

not motivated to extend their capacity. If their HR capacity is improved and

identified, line managers will be able to perform HR task effectively addition to their

operational responsibility.

d. HR responsibility: The line manager should understand the HR responsibility criteria

and the rules and strategies should be clarified and justified to the line managers to

enhance their HR knowledge.

e. Develop competency: The HR competency of the line managers can be developed by

training them. This will encourage them to perform HR tasks.

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Task- 2 Developing flexibility within workplace.

2.1 Flexibility model in exercise:

Atkinson’s model of core and peripheral workforce:The core and peripheral workforces

need to be in balance in an organizational setting. This balance might fluctuate if the use of

peripheral workers in top management level. To maintain a perfect core-periphery workforce

ratio, make appropriate staff selection at all organizational level is a crucial and significant

role of HR managers.

Core workforce:these workers are highly competent provide high level of performance,

carry high responsibility and enjoy a more secured job. The most perfect approach for core

workforces can be explained by the flexibility function. In tough changing situations core

workers face greater challenges and responsibilities.

Peripheral workforce: These workers perform continuous and small types of operations

which is less significant than the core responsibility. According to Atkinson the context of

peripheral workforce is much more complex than previously thought.

2.2 Types of flexibility for organizations:

Flexibility is the capacity of a firm to adapt to environmental changes and structural pressures

by adjusting the composition, pattern, cost and receptiveness of personnel. By the definition

of Atkinson (1984) there exist four kinds of flexibility that can help Unilever to build a

balanced workforce.

a. External numerical flexibility:it is the change in number of labor inflow from the

external source. It includes the actions and strategies like employing temporary

workers, contractual agreement with employees, easing the employment safety

legislation to discharge permanent staffs as firm require.

b. Functional flexibility:This explains the movement of workforces from one task to

other tasks within the organizational setting. It includes the worker training and

outsourcing of tasks.

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c. Financial flexibility: Financial flexibility defines the difference in salary level

depending on the position and performance but not fixed as a whole. The

compensation is determined by performance evaluation.

d. Temporal flexibility: This flexibility pattern entails adaptation of working schedule,

hour shift, and overtime opportunity of presently working employees.

Locational flexibility: Locational flexibility means the working of staffs outside of

typical workplace.

2.3 Flexible practices from employer and worker perspective:

There are some flexibility patterns that are useful and presented by organizations to build

satisfaction and security at workplace for the employers and employees-

Job sharing: Two workers share a job and split the time among themselves to

complete the work at shared compensation rate.

Part-time: Staffs work normally less than the permanent workers and spend less than

the full time.

Zero hour contract: Work schedule, duties are not predetermined by the managers.

This is an agreement between the employers and staffs where both the parties are free

to offer admit or reject a project.

Tele-workers: Workers complete their tasks operating from their home through tele-

communication.

Home-workers: Employees work their tasks away from the usual workplace but

don’t attend at the working zone.

2.4 Impact of fluctuations in labor market on flexible working practice:

In present times a more frequent change can be observed in labor market largely because of

the changes in economic and market condition. Management tend to hire employees in the

most effective manner and select the most appropriate candidates. The flexibility patterns for

workplace changes due to the fluctuations in labor market.

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Labor marketDemography:The demographic stages affect and determine the labor market

conditions. The supply and demand ratio needs to be adjusted with the transition in

demographic stages. Women’s more involvement in the workplaces changing the

contribution ratio and organization’s HR policies. Drop in birthrates reduces the fresh labor

supply to the market. Moreover an increase in life expectancy increases the availability of old

workers even working after retirements. For such demographic transitions the flexibility

patterns in practice are always restructured and adjusted with the market demand and

condition.

Task- 3 Effect of equal opportunities in workplace

3.1 Discrimination in workplace:

International Labor Organization defines ‘discrimination’ as the imbalanced treatment. There

is some basic characteristics discrimination that can happen at workplaces like age, gender,

background, racial differences among the workers.

Systemic Discrimination

This is a long-term based and extensive discrimination. It takes place for a specific group due

to their common characteristic like race, sex, color. It’s a vital part of workplace practice,

policy or corporate culture.

Direct Discrimination

Direct discrimination means when manager considers an individual less favorably because of

his/her difference in age, color, race or sex. In this way an individual is solely separated from

other working people. If a person with adequate caliber is rejected due to his/her different

characteristic will be considered as discrimination and illegal.

Indirect Discrimination

This is a kind of discrimination where rules, provisions are applicable for all but which in fact

affect a particular group adversely and unethical for them to comply with the law. For

instance, unnecessary obligation of age or gender might discriminate women or fresh

candidates.

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3.2 Application of equal opportunity legislation for business:

To meet the expected and predetermined organizational goal more or less all the

organizations try to build a workplace with equal opportunities for all the staffs and with no

discriminatory behavior and policies. Employees get motivation and their performance is

increased which will in turn reach the job standard. The following tasks can be very helpful

to maintain equal opportunity:

Introduce and maintain EEO policy and regulations to handle harassment and make

all the employees understand the context.

Equal compensation and opportunity of getting promoted.

Provide a comfortable and flexible environment.

Adjustment of facilities for those who don’t possess certain characteristic.

3.3 Dissimilarities between managementof equal opportunity and diversity:

Diversity exists when groups of people bring their own backgrounds and experiences to an

organization or workplace. Managing diversity involves using these resources and

experiences for the benefit of the organization.

When an organization hires people, they also hire diversified characteristic, background,

personality and other factors. Diversified personnel are considered as an asset and

organization utilize the diversity to get the best outputs of it.

Factors Managing Equal

Opportunities

Managing Diversities

Concentration processing output

Driver Peripheral Internal

Approach Structure Operational Strategic

Emphases on Group Discrimination Individual differences

Knowledge base Narrower base Wider base

Suitable for Integration Conventional Adaption

Task- 4 Methods to human resource practices.

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4.1 Comparing approaches of performance management:

Management of performance is an essential part of workplace through which management

team and supervisors can identify the performance level and determine how much

improvement is required to fulfill firm’s expectation. The measurement techniques are of

different patterns suitable for different organizational setting.

360-Degree Feedback:360-degree feedback means the assessment of individual performance

derived from all other related parties including peer group, managers, supervisors, colleagues

and self.

Management by Objective (MBO):This method is called as the objective based assessment

process. In this method managers and staffs are given specified and practical goals with a

preset deadline. The appraiser can detect the performance deviation and problems by

comparing it with the standard performance level.

Assessment Centers:In an assessment center managers and employees participate in a

performance based exercise and the activity is judged and assessed by expert observers.

Physiological Appraisal:The assessment technique identifies the skills, tolerance level,

rationality and other characteristics. Managers can identify which employee is best suited to a

position and responsibility.

4.2 Assessment of employee welfare management:

The procedure of improving the employee life, safety issues and benefits is widely

recognized as employee welfare management. The EWM activities involve safety, facilities

and motivational rewards which improve the job conditions. The causes of applying EWM at

workplace are-

Enhance value and image of the firm.

Enhance productivity.

Maintaining a healthy work environment.

Minimize employee turnover.

Build job satisfaction.

Good relation and liaison with labor unions.

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Managers have to identify and analyze the benefit-cost ratio and the actual outcome to decide

whether the EWM has positive impact on the performance.

Detect whether the system fulfilled the staff and organizational needs.

The effect on profit should be clarified with proper reasoning.

Cafeteria approach which provides varied facilities for diversified work group.

Feedback can be very helpful to identify the success and requirements of welfare

management.

4.3 Application of health and safety legislation on HR:

Health and safety legislation controls and sets the workplace health and safety standard

aiming at preventing accident, injuries and harassments taking place at the work environment.

It explains the responsibilities of supervisors, employers and staffs to successfully manage

workplace behavior. Actually the legislation indicates that an employer should be ready to

take any actions necessary to protect the safety and health of the staffs at work environment.

The law of health and safety in UK is recognized as “HASWA” is a formation that explains

ultimate structure to motivate, enforce and regulate the health, welfare and safety issues

within firm’s work environment.

4.4 Effect of topical issue on HR practices:

The topical and critical issues in HR arise during the process of enhancing productivity,

reducing discrimination and employing in a effective way. The most common topical issues

in HR are-

Safety and security of workers.

Appropriate employment.

Solving violations and conflict.

Enhanced productivity.

Training facilities.

Management of discrimination.

Benefit and services for the employees.

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References:

Atkinson, J. and Meager, N. (1986) Changing Working Patterns: How companies achieve

flexibility to meet new needs, Institute of Manpower Studies, National Economic

Development Office, London.

Boxall, P.F. (1992) Strategic Human Resource Management: Beginning of a new theoretical

sophistication? Human Resource Management Journal, 2(3): 60–79.

Delery, J.E. (1998) Issues of Fit in Strategic Human Resource Management: Implications for

research. Human Resource Management Review, 8: 289–309

Fowler, A (1987) when chief executives discover HRM, Personnel Management, January, p 3

Guest, D.E. (1999). Human Resource Management: The Workers’ Verdict, Human

ResourceManagement Journal, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 5-25

Guest, D.E. (2001) Human Resource Management: When research confronts theory.

International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12: 1092–1106.

Hayton, J.C. (2005), Promoting Corporate Entrepreneurship through Human Resource

Management Practices: A Review of Empirical Research, Human Resource

Management Review, 15(1), pp-21-41.

Kay, J. (1993) Foundations of Corporate Success: How Business Strategies Add Value. New

York: Oxford University Press

Legge, K. (1989). Human Resource Management: A Critical Analysis, in J. Storey (ed.)

EwPerspectives in Human Resource Management, Routledge, London

Storey,J (1995).Is HRM catching on?International journal of manpower.Vol,16.No.4