TASK 3:1

            Human Resource Strategies

Human resource management plays a central role in ensuring consistent provision of services in organization. This is achieved by effectively and efficiently managing the workforce which is the heartbeat of the organization. However, to achieve this, the human resource managers need to identify and apply various strategies. One of the most crucial strategies is the recruitment and selection strategy. This is the strategy through which the organization uses to identify the best talent in the market in terms of human resource and attract them to the company. Recruitment usually involves the identification of the best talent and skills in the market while selection involves identifying a single individual from the pool who best fits the vacant position. This may be achieved through direct head hunting, offering incentives or targeted recruitment.

Organizational developments form the next set of strategies which are crucial to the functioning of an organization as it ensures coordination, development and unity in the existing workforce. It involves activities such as team building activities, training of employees, talent and change management. This ensures that the workforce grows and become better as the organization grows. Another crucial strategy is the remuneration and reward strategy which aims at keeping the workers satisfied so as to ensure optimum production from them. This strategy is made up of four key categories which are; remuneration, rewards and benefits, motivation and engagement and retention. These strategies are all focused on the monetary aspect of employment as a way of retaining and ensuring optimum production from the employees.

The final strategy that we will be looking at is the people development strategy which aims at developing the skills of the employee so that they are more effective and productive. This involves learning and development which maybe through induction, job training, workshops or coaching and mentoring. It also involves performance management which is made up performance appraisal programs such as awards and managing underperformance and discipline.   Implementation of the above stated strategies will have lasting benefits to any organization since they are focused on ensuring the employees are producing at their best and working in the best environment which only translates to positive results.

TASK 3.2

Application of HR Strategies

Implementation or application of strategies is usually not an easy process as it involves the identification and acknowledgement of the organization’s culture, mission, vision and values of the organization as well as rules governing the industry (Stuart, 2013). The recruitment and selection strategy which plays a crucial part in the organization in that it is actually the determinant of the future of the organization is usually highly influenced by such factors. For instance the targeted recruitment program may be limited to specific institution or professional body because that has been the culture. Another strategy that is usually affected is the remuneration and reward strategy because in any organization there exist a culture that is usually followed in the promotion of employees which is a form of reward. The organizational and people development programs are also subject to the mission and vision of the organization.

The application of the strategies involves three distinct processes which are important for the effective of the strategies. The first step involves the sensitizing and guiding employees through the entire process of strategic change. This may involve training or workshops especially when the strategy is revolutionary. The second tasks involve the updating and advancement of the systems and involving the workers in the strategy implementation process which includes developing of solutions to issues that the strategies may have identified among other issues. Finally the third process involves adjustment of relationship between different business processes and accomplishing the aim of the strategy. Once the strategy is implemented the organization should implement various programs of identifying the success of the strategies. This involves gauging the HR in terms of business results, coordination between the HR department and the top executives so as to get their feedback and opinions, coordination with other departments to identify their progress and outsourcing a research company to rate the progress.

TASK 4.1

Contemporary Issues in HR Management

Human resource management is a department that is always in transformation as it must adjust to the changes of every other department. However this flexibility does not mean that the department does not have issues and challenges. One of the key challenges has been technological advancements. The ever changing technology has kept the human resource department ever on their toes. This is due to changes that ought to maintain employee satisfaction as well as maintaining a healthy financial position for the organization. This has led to the adoption of new strategies at some point while in other cases it has led to the restructuring of the strategic plans.

Globalization has also been another issue in the HR industry. The working force has become more diverse that ever with skilled personnel from all corners of the world flooding the work market which has lead to new trend in HR management. There is more diversity in the work force which implies that the HR management is taking the cultures into consideration in the recruitment process. There is also increased emphasis on training due to the different educational and professional background of the diverse working class (Bradley, 2014).  The diversity in the working place can also be classified in terms of generations. The working place has four generations each of which has a different view of the issues and challenges of the work place. This has led to the HR restructuring the duties of the generation so as to avoid conflict and ensure maximum benefits from the workforce. The older generation which is the traditionalist generation has been charged with the duty of training new workers due to their vast experience and expertise in their jobs.

Ethics has also become a thorn in the flesh in the recent years, scandal day after day leading to a high turnover of the working force (Sims, 2007). This posed a challenge to the HR management as there is need to introduce disciplinary measures that do not necessarily involve firing as well as finding a way of improving the ethics of the employees. In the same aspect of law, the legislations have also had impact on the HR management. The recovery act specifically has had a massive impact on the health care insurance expenses of some companies which have led to some opting to change their HR strategy (Mayhew, 2014).

TASK 3.2

Contemporary Issues Analysis

Multigenerational challenges in the workplace are one of the main issues. This is due to the fact that four generations are in the work force (Mayhew, 2014). An article published in the USA stated that over 60% of employers are experiencing intergenerational conflict. Though this might be a benefit due to a wide variety of approaches and skills to choose from it is a major challenge when working together. While the older generation have lots of experience and follow the set procedures the ‘baby boomers’ are known for thinking ‘outside the box’ and usually use creativity to come up with the end products which in most cases involves skipping some of the procedures.

Another issue is the technological advancements in the workplace which seems to be changing each day. There a lot of changes taking place in the workplace such as working from home, telecommunicating, remote reporting and the physical attachment between employees is fading away really fast. A factor that most employees and employers may not be aware of is that the flexible working schedules and programs are not for all employees (Mayhew, 2014). The lack of knowledge of this issue has led to under production and employee conflicts as the trend takes root. The issue has also been a challenge due to the frequent needs to change the system so as to keep at par with the competitors. However this should not be a reason to overlook the benefits of technology.

                                    CONCLUSION

Human Resource management is an important aspect in management of organizations since there is no entity that operates without any human input. The importance of the department is emphasized by the fact humans have feelings and a social aspect which must be considered in the programs of the organization. This gives rise to the need for human resource strategic plans which are aimed at ensuring that the human resource in an organization is not only well catered for but contributes positively to the development of the organization. The sector of human resource management has however not been left out by the various challenges and issues affecting the corporate world. The sector has also had its own fair share of issues which have changed the approach of the managers and the type of strategies being formulated and implemented.

  References

Bradley, J. C. (2014). Effects of Globalization on Human Resources Management. Chron.            Retrieved June 13, 2014 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-globalization-       -resources-management-61611.html

HR Strategies and Planning. (n.d.). – Australian Human Resources Institute. Retrieved June 13, 2014, from https://www.ahri.com.au/assist/hr-strategies-and-planning

Mayhew, R. (2014). Contemporary Issues Faced by Human Resource Managers Today. Chron.    Retrieved June 13, 2014 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/contemporary-issues-faced-         human-resource-managers-today-1875.html

Sims, R. R. (2007). Human resource management: contemporary issues, challenges, and opportunities. Charlotte, N.C.: Information Age Pub..

Stuart, R. (2013). Essentials of Human Resource Training and Development. HR Management     Strategies. Retrieved June 13, 2014 from http://www.hrps.org/blogpost/736528/HR-   Management-Strategies

 
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