Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
Similar to fileChapter 7 The human resource function.ppt
Similar to fileChapter 7 The human resource function.ppt (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
fileChapter 7 The human resource function.ppt
- 1. The Human Resource Function Kate Sang k.sang@hw.ac.uk Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 2. Learning outcomes • To understand the role of the human resource department • To be able to understand and describe the responsibilities of the HR function • To be able to describe the role of external and internal factors that affect the human resource function Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 3. Role of the Human Resource (HR) function • In pairs, spend 5 minutes outlining what you think the role of the HR function is within organisations Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 4. Role of the HR function • Strategic • Staff and organisational goals • Operational • Includes guidance and support to other managers • Decentralisation • Flexible workforce to meet dynamic external environment Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 5. Role of the HR function (Torrington) • Staffing objectives • Performance objectives • Change-management objectives • Administrative objectives Competitive advantage Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 6. Staffing objectives • Appropriate staffing • Contracts • Competing in the labour market Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 7. Staffing – recruitment and selection Recruitment 1.Assessment of the job (job analysis) 2.Assessment of the type of applicant required (person specification) 3.Attracting applicants 4.Assessment of applicants • Selection (number 4) • Assessment of the applications • Shortlisting • Assessment of the applicants • Could be interviews, Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 8. Performance objectives • Motivation • Discipline • Employee involvement Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 9. Change management objectives • Change is continuous • External factors • Cultural change Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 10. Administrative objectives • Underpins the other forms of change • Processes and systems • Pay • Accurate records are kept • Taxation etc Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 11. External influences on the HR function • Legislation • Demographics (including labour market) • The economy Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 12. Legislation • Employment legislation • Health and safety at work • Equality Frequently changes Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 13. Employment & Health and Safety (H&S) • Employment • 1970’s to 1990’s Conservative Govt – decline in employment rights • 2002 & 2008 Employment Acts: • Working parents • Vulnerable workers • Facilities time for union work • Minimum wage (21yrs + £6.31, 18 to 20 £5.03, under 18 £3.72, Apprentice £2.68) • H&S • Range of legislation 1960s onwards (see text book) • Protect workers • Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSE) • Health Act 2006 – smoking (2008 – mental health units) Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 14. Equality legislation (before 2010) • Equal Pay Act (1970) • Sex Discrimination Act (1975) • Race Relations Act (1976) • Disability Discrimination Act (1995) • Employment Equality (Age) Regulations (2006) • The Equality Act (Sexual orientation) Regulations (2007) • Employment Equality (Religion or belief) Regulations (2003) Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 15. Equality (after 2010) • The Equality Act (2010) • Unifies previous legislation • Protected characteristics • Age • Disability • Gender reassignment • Pregnancy and maternity • Race • Religion and belief • Sex • Sexual orientation http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/legal-and- policy/equality-act/what-is-the-equality-act/ Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 16. Demographics • More women entering the labour market • Default retirement • Increase in representation of BME • Increase in proportion of disabled people in employment Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 17. Organisational size and the HR function (Cassell et al., 2002; Guo et al., 2011) • Can small companies be managed in the same way as large companies? • In pairs, spend 5 minutes considering how organisational size might affect the HR function. Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 18. HR function in third sector (Guo et al., 2011) • Charities, not for profit • Larger organisations more likely to have formal HR which is strategically aligned • Regional offshoots similar • Smaller, newer orgs without HR team also more likely have strategic HR • Those with paid staff and technological expertise more likely to have HR Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 19. The HR function in SMEs (Cassell et al., 2002) • Neglected in the literature – a diverse field • Less likely to have access to the resources of large companies • Are adopting HRM (less strategic) Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 20. Key study: Cassell et al., 2002 • Survey (n=100) and face to face interviews (n=22) with SMEs • Survey • 20% have formal HR strategy • Commonly used practices – equal opportunities, appraisal, development/recruitment and selection. Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 21. Key study: Cassell et al., 2002 • Interviews. • HR function – no key person – or the MD • Doubling up of roles • Informal systems • Recruitment Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 22. Conclusions • HR – ensure competitive advantage by aligning staffing with strategic objectives • Manage change (external and internal forces) • Organisational size affects the presence and formality of HR practices and procedures Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
- 23. Reading • Cassell, C., Nadin, S., Gray, M., & Clegg, C. (2002). Exploring human resource management practices in small and medium sized enterprises. Personnel Review, 31(6), 671-692. • Guo, C., Brown, W. A., Ashcraft, R. F., Yoshioka, C. F., & Dong, H. K. D. (2011). Strategic human resources management in non-profit organizations. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 31(3), 248-269. • Torrington, D. (2008). HALL. L.; TAYLOR, S. Human resource management, 5. • http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/disability-statistics-and- research/disability-facts-and-figures.php#imp Enterprise and its Business Environment © Goodfellow
Editor's Notes
- The role of the HR function can be divided into strategic and operational Strategic – planning and managing the human resources of the organisation (i.e. its staff) to ensure that the organisational goals are met. i.e. aligning the human resources and the organisational goals. This could mean ensuring that the correct skills are evident within the workforce, diversity, career development Operational – supporting line managers, recruitment, selection, training, development, collective bargaining (trade unions). Decentralisation – this starts to raise the question of how much of the HR function has fallen to line managers. Torrington tell us that during the late 20th century organisations were keen to reduce their staff costs and one way to do this was to break down hierarchies – some functions were outsourced (e.g. we see catering and cleaning outsourced within the NHS). However, these cost cutting exercises have yielded short-erm benefits but had long-term problems, for example .shortages of skilled staff.
- Appropriate staffing – does the organisation have the right number of people, people with the appropriate skills Contracts – can some work be sub-contracted out? Recruitment and selection of appropriate staff Competing in the labour market – retaining the best, affordable workforce – includes the best packages (including pay) to attract and keep staff – harder in a tight labour market (therefore not just pay, but training and development packages)
- Motivation – underpinned by a belief that motivation leads to improved performance. This includes training and development of staff. Discipline – involvement in the discipline and monitoring of staff whose performance is falling behind the required levels or their conduct is unacceptable. This can also include providing the necessary support to help staff improve their performance where it has fallen, for example, through illness or personal issues or they lack the skills necessary. Employee involvement – this can include negotiations with trade union representatives. Engaging employees with decision making is argued to improve commitment and therefore performance. This also linked to what Torrington et al call ‘discretionary effort’ which means going above and beyond for the organisation, for example, working longer hours than their contracts require.
- A range of external factors can force change, for example, demographics, legislation, changing economics. However, there may also be a need to change the internal culture of an organisation. Therefore HR may need to ensure leaders are recruited who have the necessary skills to drive change (in the right direction). Also involving employees in this change as this is likely to facilitate acceptance of any changes.
- These are all necessary for the HR department to be seen as professional and maintain credibility within the organisation
- Economic changes may include the recession, periods of boom (e.g. construction industry when in boom there is plenty of work to go around and plenty of people to recruit, but lack of necessary skills). During crisis may need to make people redundant, change working hours.
- Legislation changes fairly frequently and is something with which the HR function must keep up to date.
- The text book has details of specific acts, but these have changed in recent times – particularly equality legislation Conservative government – made changes which limited the rights of individuals and trade unions – belief that employment rights inhibited the free market economy 2002 and 2008 employment acts – aimed to provide protection for vulnerable workers in relation to unfair dismissal, a minimum wage Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 – creation of the health and safety commission and the health and safety executive – 2008 HSE (2008 – mental health units – ban in England, exemption in Scotland)
- Strengthening disabled people’s protection from discrimination Protecting people from discrimination by association and perception Single Public Sector Equality Duty covering 8 protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: Age Disability Gender reassignment Pregnancy and maternity Race Religion and belief Sex Sexual orientation Positive Action in recruitment and promotion which gives greater scope to address deficits in the workforce Strengthening the powers of employment tribunals Strengthening the protection for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers Banning discrimination in private members’ clubs
- The labour market is changing with more women entering the workforce, abolition of the default retirement
- Much of the HR literature assumes a large organisation with an HR department.
- Highly varied – can see that size, age of organisation and prevalence of paid staff important.
- SMEs have fewer resources to fund training provision, Data suggests that smaller companies are adopting the principles and practices of HRM, but in less formalised ways than larger companies. However, this may not be at the strategic level (i.e. are smaller companies aligning their HRM policies with the organisational goals?). Can we really draw generalisations given that there is a huge variety of organisations under the umbrella of SME? Also the birth and death rate of new firms is rapid.
- Survey – little use of formal HR practices. Where used they are seen to contribute to organisational objectives.
- Often no dedicated HR person – if work was done to formalise HR often at the direction of the managing director – this role often given to someone else who already had a key task, for example the Managing Director’s personal assistant. Agreement that HR is important, but not necessarily as a separate area. Interview data suggests a reliance on informal HR practices e.g. informal appraisals. Often taking more creative and tolerant approaches to equality and diversity There did tend to be formal systems for recruitment.