Human Resource Management (Term Paper Sample)

Human Resource Management Korri Thomas Georgian College Human Resource Management (POLC4005) 200344131 March 29, 2019 Simon Bradford Human Resource Management Human resource managers are an indispensable requirement of any organization may it be for profit or non-profit. The strategic roles of personnel managers are thus imperative to both the success and sustainability of said organizations. In this respect, companies in Canada have promulgated policies that ensure that the human capital is well-maintained and retained since it is charged with the implementation of the organizational goals and objectives. “The HRP must align with the overall goals of the organization as well as both the long-term and short-term strategic plans set by the organization” (Dessler et al. 2015). This essay thus explicates some of the various strategic functions of human resource managers and the future of the employer-employee relations in Canada. Workplace Safety and Risk Management It is on record that establishing a work environment that is free from unnecessary risks or hazards is a strategic function of any personnel manager. Principally, the strategic development of a safe working environment includes both risk management and at the same time mitigating very potential losses derived from job related fatalities and/or injuries (Gutierrez-Gutierrez et al. 2018). In this respect, the employees’ compensation insurance is a very important area whereby strategic planning aids in lowering the expenses incurred by the organization when it comes to insurance coverage. Minimizing accidents by way of training workers on the proper usage of sophisticated machinery and equipment is among the functional roles that are linked to the establishment of a safe working environment (Gutierrez-Gutierrez et al. 2018). The human resource manager thus plays an important role in putting in place strategic measures that have the capacity to create a working environment that is safe and free from all foreseeable hazards that may cause injuries and/or fatalities to the workers. The compensation costs for injured employees within the working environment are mostly very high hence the need for the human resource manager to make sure that they try to implement policies that will help prevent the occurrence of such costs. The welfare of the employees is in the hands of the human resource managers hence the need for them to ensure that the working environment is safe and free from all hazards. Workers become motivated and inspired to work freely when they are sure that they are safe and free from any foreseeable harm. The human resource managers are thus vital employees as they have a cardinal strategic role of ensuring that they put in place sound and practical policies regarding workplace safety and risk management. Compensation and Benefits Furthermore, it is important to underscore the fact that the structure of the compensation and benefit packages as put forward by the employer acts as a great determinant when it comes to both the reputation and image of the business. In addition to this, it is also imperative to note the fact that the decisions that are made by human resource managers regarding employee benefits and pay scales can have an impact on the workers’ satisfaction and also the ability of the company to recruit the best talents from the job market (Chelladurai & Kerwin, 2018). Labour market conditions, job evaluation, budget constraints and labour shortages are among the few factors that are often considered by personnel managers when it comes to the formulation of strategic plans being implemented or considered for employee pay and benefit packages. A strategy should always involve the weighing of the choices that an employer has between satisfying the human capital and pleasing the stakeholders of the company. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 makes it mandatory for the human resource managers of large companies, particularly those that have over 50 workers who may have to make a decision between providing group health coverage and paying a shared responsibility fee to the Internal Revenue Service arrive at the right decision. It is thus the responsibility of the human resource managers in consultation with the other stakeholders to make sure that they put in place or rather formulate policies that govern the element of compensation and benefits of the workers. With competitive and fair compensation, firms are often able to hire and retain the best talent available from the labour market hence reducing or even eliminating the high rates of employee turnover that remain very costly to most employers. Employee Training and Development Moreover, employee training and development is a very important human resource function of every single company. Training and development is one of the best ways of preparing workers for future higher-level positions within the organization. Promotion and succession planning from within policies and performance evaluation are factored into the role of the human resource manager. Training and development inspires workers and at the same time it helps in the improvement of the employee retention and by subsequently reducing the incidences of employee turnover. “Just as important as the financial capital that is required for an organization to operate, the knowledge, education, training, skills, and expertise of a firm’s workers represents its increasingly valuable human capital. More and more organizations are awakening to the importance of human capital as the next competitive advantage” (Dessler et al. 2015). It is thus proper human resource managers to ensure that they put implement the best policies that will ensure that employees have their skills sharpened and at the same time are trained on matters of leadership so that they can be able to take over from their leaders, foremen and supervisors who are ending their tenure with their employer (Gutierrez-Gutierrez et al. 2018). This is a strategic function since when employees are properly trained on how to best undertake the various functions within the organization, and then are able to deliver by stepping into the role on their contractual obligations by being effective to the maximum. When workers are sure that equal opportunities to be promoted are available then they will end up maximizing their performance and at the same time they do not consider terminating their employment contract with the current employer since they are not only motivated but also satisfied with the manner in which they are being treated (Gutierrez-Gutierrez et al. 2018) by their employer. Promotion from within offers the advantages of experience and an employee who is already familiar with and has the training to perform and navigate through the intricacies of the position. It will also prevent resentment if the organization brings in an outsider which may cause those workers who are qualified to do the job to consider taking their expertise and training to another company. It is thus crucial for personnel managers to ensure that they put in place the best employee training and development policies since this is a strategic HR role that must be performed for the benefit of both the workers and the organization. Recruitment and Selection The recruitment and selection of employees is both part of employee relations and at the same time it also remains as an independent discipline by all standards. As such, the strategic role of human resource managers is to blend the components of employee relations into the recruitment and selection strategy of the employer. As such, the integration of the employee recognition programs into promotion-from-within policies is an efficacious form of the employee motivation that blends employee relations, recruitment and selection areas of human capital. Such policies, owing to their impact on the overall well-being of the organization, are supposed to be both objective and practical (Chelladurai & Kerwin, 2018). All of the potential candidates must be subjected to level recruitment and selection criteria without any variances. This is among the best strategies that any organization can implement so as to be able to hire and retain the best employees and at the same time be able to strengthen its brand and reputation. . “Intense global competition and the need for more responsiveness to environmental changes put a premium on employee engagement: the emotional and intellectual involvement of employees in their work, and the intensity, focus, and involvement they bring to their jobs and organizations” (Dessler et al. 2015). Companies that have defective recruitment and selection policies often tend to attract negative criticism hence damaging their brands as they are seen as discriminative and hence not respecting the principle of according all of the workers and potential recruits and equal opportunity of getting hired (Gutierrez-Gutierrez et al. 2018). It is thus important to underscore the fact that the recruitment and selection process that is anchored on the various policies is a determining factor of the ability of the company to be able to hire and retain the best workers hence the need for the human resource manager to ensure that they discharge this strategic role in the best way possible and without any improprieties that may be costly to the company in the future. Employee relations Maintaining healthy employee relations is a strategic function of human resource managers in any company. This is based on the understanding that when there is proper interpersonal relationship between the employer and the employees, then it becomes very simple for the other management functions such as planning, coordination, controlling and even staffing to be successfully accomplished in the best way possible (Gutierrez-Gutierrez et al. 2018). This is in keeping with the understanding that the workers are the ones who are mandated with the...