Discuss the following:
Effective HR Departments- Opinion on article and cited work
Having been an office manager and a make shift human resource manager the best practice I picked up was to address the employee first not start with the problem. The employees behavior can be environmental, personal or due to medical issues. Running a successful human resource department isn't just hiring the right people for the job with skills that match a need. You must ensure that they are of good character which is hard to judge by a first and second interview. Understanding those we employ and treating them as an individual has been a useful tool for me. Getting to know your employee makes it easier to communicate when an issue does occur.
Human Resources are no longer black and white. With the new Generation Y taking over the workforce, questions are asked and rules are challenged. Years ago, it was common sense; these are the rules, follow them or stand in the unemployment line. Our policies, like laws, are written and then rewritten based on experiences and trial and error. Different generations give us the opportunity to see our companies as a melting pot. A little of this a little of that, an idea here and an idea there becomes how companies successfully manage their employees. Business like Walmart have suggestions boxes because they want to please their employees so the employees stay loyal and feel an important part of their organization. Asking how your employees feel will help you gauge if what you are providing to them is enough to keep them from leaving as soon as you've trained them in a valuable skill. Why waste company money and resource just to lose them.
I think another important thing an HR department can do to be effective is not to generalize every situation, but to react individually. Between the demands of meeting a deadline or a forecasted projection, we forget that our people that work for us are people. Chapter 2 had some good information that touched leadership and how providing aspects such as "direction, encouragement, and authority" help bring out desired behaviors. "The experience and operating style of a leader will influence which HRM programs are communicated, implemented, and effective." (Ivancevich,2013, p.46). As a parent, my children learn what they live. The same applies in the workplace. If we approach our employees with a positive attitude and show we are compassionate and approachable we teach them to interact the same with coworkers and customers.
We have learned that our workplace can hold a vary of ages and a single approach will not reach all of our employees. Learning styles are also important when interacting with employees. Auditory and visual learners think, learn and process separately. It's not to say that they both won't end up at the level expected but how they get there is by, sometimes, different avenues of learning. We can't expect Bob and Larry to be taught the same way in an auditory setting and write Bob up because he's struggling without a hands on approach. To be effective you must have an innovated mind for possibility and a good ability to communicate.
Ivancevich, J.M, & Konopaske, R. (2013). Human Resource Management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.