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HUMAN RESOURCE PROFESSIONALS.
Term Paper ID:23325
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Essay Subject:
Examines areas causing change in roles: globalization, cost reduction, competition, service sector, downsizing, demographics.... More...
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8 Pages / 1800 Words
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Paper Abstract:
Examines areas causing change in roles: globalization, cost reduction, competition, service sector, downsizing, demographics.
Paper Introduction:
Introduction
As the business environment in which most companies operate has changed, the role of the human resource function has changed, as well. Where once human resource professionals served as personnel specialists who worked largely outside the realm of strategic management, they are now an integral part of the strategic focus of a company. Human resource professionals now take a proactive role in helping companies attract and retain the highest quality workers who are able to meet the needs of the organization not only in the immediate future, but over the long term. This research explores seven areas in which there has been a change in the role of the human resource professional, and considers what new roles human resources plays in these areas.
Globalization
Globalization means t
Text of the Paper:
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The human resource department is now working closelywith training organizations in order to develop programs which help retainstaff, and which help staff members work better together given that theymay come from highly diverse backgrounds. 33). 72). (1994, November-December).Communication, commitment and corporate culture. In other words,diversity programs can give companies a competitive edge in the marketplace(Rynes & Rosen, 1994, p. Is HR a weak link in the global chain?HRMagazine, pp. When this is the case, the humanresource department can help determine the appropriate training thatexisting employees might need, and it can also help create an environmentwhere the changes are looked upon positively rather than in a negativelight (Allender, 1994, p. In addition to the legal issues, the human resources department canalso take a role in determining which employees to lay off and which toretain. As withsimple downsizing, re-engineering often has layoffs associated with it, butit can also require that existing employees learn new skills in order tohelp the company realize its goals. Employees who find companies which fosterdiversity are more likely to remain in those organizations than incompanies which do not recognize the importance that diversity plays in thework place. Forexample, some human resources departments have worked within theirorganizations to create flex-time, which allows workers to come in at timeswhich better suit their personal situation. One way to solve this problem is through the use of diversitytrainers, who come to the job site and communicate both what diversity isand how it affects the employees directly. 27. 67). Human resourceprofessionals now take a proactive role in helping companies attract andretain the highest quality workers who are able to meet the needs of theorganization not only in the immediate future, but over the long-term.This research explores seven areas in which there has been a change in therole of the human resource professional, and considers what new roles humanresources plays in these areas. Do you have the right approach todiversity? Is reengineering compatible withtotal quality management? 67-68. 41-42. While technical skills can be important in bothcases, interpersonal skills can also be a critical part of the serviceworker's abilities. This can be done throughtraditional human resource responsibilities such as salary surveys andbenefits programs, but can also involve creating a work environment whichanswers some of the different needs that today's workers have. Regardless of the process used, the human resourcedepartment is an integral voice in making these determinations (Heller,1995, p. Does 'lean' necessarily equal 'mean'?Personnel Management, pp. Personnel Journal, pp. Just as many companies now have operations on a global scale,so they are subject to competitors who may be based elsewhere in the world. P. While the business community as a whole recognizes that diversity is away of life in the workplace, there is no clear-cut agreement as to how tocommunicate that reality, or the ramifications of that reality, to theworkforce. Flynn, G. Changing Demographics According to analysts, 47.5 percent of the work force will be women bythe year 2 , and 29 percent of the net additions to the work force willbe non-whites (Flynn, 1995, p. Nonetheless, diversity training is an important new role for thehuman resource department. Wibberley, M. HRMagazine, pp. Industrial Management,pp. In other instances, companieshave created work environments where child care is provided on-site, orwhere employees are able to work from home on occasion (telecommute) sothat they are not burdened with traffic and are able to spend more timewith their families. Competition Competition is another area in which the human resource departmentplays a direct role, although here the role is responding to increasedcompetition. Industrial Engineering, pp. While themost obvious way that costs can be cut with regard to human resources isthrough downsizing, there are other, less severe, strategies which can beused and which may ultimately prove a better long-term solution. 577-6 8. This means that managers andexecutives will be under increasing pressure to establish diversityprograms which recognize that the American work force is no longer ahomogeneous group of white males, but rather a diverse combination ofgender and ethnicities. In either case, downsizingeffectively means reducing the workforce, and thus reducing the labor costsassociated with the workforce. Instead, the humanresource department is now responsible for anticipating and meeting thedynamic needs of organizations which are seeking to compete on a globallevel. As labor becomes more mobile, able to move from one country toanother to find better employment conditions, and as companies are able tomove operations from one nation to another, there is increased pressure oncompanies to provide highly competitive work environments, which focus notjust on wages and salary, but also on benefits, training and long-termcareer development. Human capital flight.International Monetary Fund Staff Papers, pp. 68-75. This difference means that companies may have toinvest in communication seminars which focus on how individuals can betterrelate to customers and to fellow workers rather than on honing technicalskills (Higginson & Waxler, 1994, p. Because of this, it is up to the human resource department to findways to attract and retain high quality workers. There are several areas involved in downsizing where the humanresource department plays a key role. In this way, for example, a companymight implement a total quality management (TQM) system designed toeliminate the costs associated with rework when production runs haveerrors. This means that there are employees based in manydifferent countries, even though they all work for the same organization.This can be a particularly challenging situation for the human resourcesdepartment since it is up to the department to ensure that all employeesenjoy the benefits of working for the organization, and that employeesperforming similar tasks in different countries are fairly remunerated fortheir work. (1995, October). Any significant change tothe organizational structure or to the way in which the company doesbusiness has a significant effect on the morale of the workers, and mayactually cause productivity to fall if the workforce is not convinced ofthe wisdom behind the changes. Even when competitors are based in the same country, technologicalinnovations have made them more likely to attract formerly productiveworkers from a particular organization (Overman, 1994, p. 4-6. Heller, R. Glorioso, J. Rogers, B. Reducing Costs Cost reduction is a key aspect of competition in today's markets.Companies are seeking ways to "do more with less" and to improve theproductivity that each worker contributes to the organization. Much of the management philosophy that hasbeen developed was developed in the context of manufacturing organizations,where productivity can be measured by how many units are produced in agiven period of time, and what the failure rates of those units is.However, such measures are not available in the service sector; here,companies are interested in providing a high level of customer service andsatisfaction to their clients, but measuring productivity becomes much moredifficult since there are not necessarily quantitative methods for doing so(Higginson & Waxler, 1994, p. Instill other cases, the company may exercise greater discretion andconsolidate some departments (such as sales and marketing) and eliminateduplicate positions. Introduction As the business environment in which most companies operate haschanged, the role of the human resource function has changed, as well.Where once human resource professionals served as personnel specialists whoworked largely outside the realm of strategic management, they are now anintegral part of the strategic focus of a company. 41). 33-35. Higginson, T., & Waxler, R. (1994, October). Increase in Service Sector Activity Once of the most significant changes that human resources have facedin recent years is the shift away from manufacturing jobs and a shifttoward service organizations. (July 1993). References Allender, H. These so-called "soft" benefits can have asignificant effect on the ability of companies to retain employees and canhelp companies gain and maintain an edge over competitors who are not asproactive in this area, and who may not recognize the importance of meetingall of an employee's needs (Wibberley, 1993, p. Downsizing/Re-engineering As mentioned above, downsizing is one of the key ways in whichcompanies are able to reduce costs. 58 ). Conclusion The role of human resources is no longer one of monitoring situationsand providing legal advice to employees and employers. D. SecurityManagement, pp. (1994, September). 67-73. Selecting a diversity training.HRMagazine, p. 5). U., & Kim, S. Developing effective service workers is also different from developingmanufacturing workers. Haque, N. 34). In some cases, that meansrelocating nationals from one country to another, which can bring with itproblems of diversity and cultural differences. Suchimprovements in productivity can come about through technologicalinnovation, but also through changing the corporate culture and the way inwhich the company conducts business. Rynes, S., & Rosen, B. 68). 71). 32-35. This means that companies will not have to hire as manyworkers in the future in order to maintain an increase in production. Similarly, as word spreads that a particular organization hasa strong diversity program, it is likely to find it easier to attract andretain high quality workers with diverse backgrounds. The human resource department is in aunique position to work with the corporate communications department (inlarge organizations) or to disseminate information itself regarding boththe reorganization and the long-term benefit that the company realizes as aresult of the changes. 71. TQM and the team solution. (1994, October). The human resource department can also take a leading role in helpingthe company recover from downsizing activities. For example, there are legal issueswhich must be handled properly if the company is going to avoid problems inthe future; these can range from providing more than 6 days' notice if alarge number of employees at a single facility are involved, to handlinghow the paychecks and accrued salaries are disbursed (Heller, 1995, p. (1994, June). (1994, October). In some cases, the determination is made through cooperation witha labor union, which may have negotiated such criteria as part of itscontract. What makes diversityprograms work? Concentrate on keeping control.Management Today, p. The lack of empirical information available to human resourceprofessionals faced with developing a diversity program can be asignificant issue for many companies. 27). Globalization Globalization means that companies are no longer competing on a local,regional or even national basis; instead, companies now have operationsthroughout the world. It is also up to the human resources department to be aware of thevarious legal and environmental factors which vary from country to countryin order to attract and retain the highest quality workers regardless ofthe country in which the company operates. The human resource department would be involved in this process asit would help provide the training to workers and managers regarding howTQM works and how it can effectively be implemented in a particularorganization (Glorioso, 1994, p. (1995, September). In other cases, it meansthat the human resource department takes an active role in helping todevelop workers who might not otherwise possess the skills needed tosucceed in the company (Haque & Kim, 1995, p. Telecommuting and the virtualoffice are also challenges that the human resource department now faces.The result is that the human resource function in most companies is nolonger narrowly confined merely to finding and hiring employees; instead,the function now encompasses a broad range of activities designed toenhance the strategic focus of the company, and help ensure its long-termsurvival. 6). This refers to laying off workers whoare no longer needed, either due to declining business conditions, orbecause the company has entered a new strategic phase in which investmentsmade previously are beginning to pay off. In some organizations,diversity trainers are consultants while in other organizations, they areadded to the staff and diversity is dealt with on an ongoing basis (Rogers,1994, p. This is the underlying problem thatmanagers face when trying to develop a diversity program: there is littleempirical research which can help guide them in setting up a program thatwill be worth the time and expense that the company will put into theproject. In other cases, a simply seniority process may be used. Associated with downsizing is re-engineering, which can refer tochanging the workforce to reflect a shift in business strategy. 27). Much of the information available isanecdotal, with the result that human resource managers are left trying topull together the successful elements of a diversity program without strongresearch to support their decisions. Improving productivity is one of the key ways in which companies canreduce costs. Overman, S. (1995, September).
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