MN7181-The Global Context for HRM-Blog 10

Definition to Global HRM

In relation to HRM, globalisation is presented as a force that even if not yet leading to convergence in HR practice is certainly leading to a challenge to national mindsets (Sparrow and Hiltrop, 1997).

The preliminary function of global Human Resource Management is that the organization carries a local appeal in the host country despite maintaining an international feel. This has increased the workforce diversity and cultural sensitivities have emerged like never before. All this led to the development of Global Human Resource Management.

(Video 1: HRM in global perspective)

The objectives of global HRM:

• Create a local appeal without compromising upon the global identity.
• Generating awareness of cross cultural sensitivities among managers globally and hiring of staff across geographic boundaries.
• Training upon cultures and sensitivities of the host country.

The Impact of Technology on Global HRM

Technical development is closely linked to the development of service center models. As a result, an increasing number of service center services can now be incorporated online to create an ethical approach for employee self-service or self-reliance. The behind-the-scenes operations of providing this service can be internally managed or can be outsourced to companies with the technological know-how to offer such services at low cost but with the ability to answer employee questions on behalf of the hiring organization(Ulrich, 2000).

(Figure 1: Global HRM)

Four important integration activities that the corporate HR center can make a unique

• Operational integration through standardized technology. - e-enablement of HR on a global scale. Portals can provide a common front to employees and help integrate the HR function around common processes. This is a form of information-based integration within the HR function.
• Intellectual integration through the creation of a shared knowledge base. -  By focusing on creating, sharing and exchanging knowledge both within and beyond the HR community, corporate HR functions can ensure that the intellectual capital of the function is rapidly codified and shared across constituent HR functions.
• Social integration through the creation of collective bonds of performance. This is where the function develops a clear sense of what it wants to achieve and how it wants to achieve this goal. The shift within global HR towards working through global networks is an example of new patterns of social integration.
• Emotional integration through a sense of shared identity and meaning. This concerns the mobilization of hearts and minds behind change processes. Examine the need for international HR professionals to act as guardians of national culture as they negotiate a new balance between the application of global rule-sets to HR processes and the need for local responsiveness to cultural imperatives.

References

• Sparrow, P. R. & Hiltrop, J. M. (1997) ‘Redefining the field of European human resource management: A battle between national mindsets and forces of business transition’, Human Resource Management, Vol. 36 (2), pp. 1-19.

• Ulrich, D. (2000) ‘From eBusiness to her’, Human Resource Planning, Vol. 20(3), pp. 12–21.

• Figure 1: Global HRM, (2017) 6 Trends That Changed HR Over the Past Decade, [Online] Available at: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/0817/pages/6-trends-that-changed-hr-over-the-past-decade.aspx [Accessed 26 September 2019].
• Video 1: HRM in global perspective. [Online] Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBBLWqt3qVI [Accessed 26 September 2019].

MN7181-What are Ethics?-Blog 09

Ethical Guidelines for HRM

The guidelines set out below relate to how employees are treated in general and to the major HRM activities of organization development, recruitment and selection, learning and development, performance management, reward management and employee relations. They also relate to employment practices concerning the work environment, employee well being, equal opportunities, managing diversity, handling disciplinary matters and grievances, job security and redundancy.

(Figure 1: Leading an ethical organization)

General guidelines

 ● Recognize that the strategic goals of the organization should embrace the rights and needs of employees as well as those of the business.
● Recognize that employees are entitled to be treated as full human beings with personal needs, hopes and anxieties.
● Do not treat employees simply as means to an end or mere factors of production.
● Relate to employees generally in ways that recognize their natural rights to be treated justly, equitably and with respect.

Ethical Dilemmas

Ethics will be enacted in situations of ambiguity where dilemmas and problems will be dealt with without the comfort of consensus or certitude (Clegg et al, 2007).
Morality concerns choice first of all it is the predicament human beings encounter when they must make a selection among-st various possibilities. (Bauman & Tester, 2001).

Resolving Ethical Dilemmas

The following check list will be helpful when dealing with dilemmas and be able to help solve them.

• What are the known facts about the situation and is it possible that there are facts or circumstances that have not come to light, and if so what can be done to uncover them?
• In disciplinary or conduct cases, to what extent does the conduct contravene the organization’s code of ethical conduct (if one exists) or any other relevant organizational policy guidelines and rules?
• In disciplinary cases, are there any mitigating circumstances?
• Have different versions or interpretations of the facts and circumstances been offered and, if so, what steps can be taken to obtain the true and full picture?
• Do the facts as established and confirmed justify the proposed action?
• Is the proposed action in line with both the letter and the spirit of the law?
• Are the proposed action and any investigations leading to it consistent with the principles of natural, procedural or distributive justice?
• Will the proposed action benefit the organization and if so how?
• Is there any risk of the proposed action doing harm to the organization’s reputation for fair dealing?  

(Video 1: Ethics in HRM)

The Ethical Role of HRM

In very general terms I would suggest that the experience of HRM is more likely to be viewed positively if its underlying principles are ethical (Legge, 1998).
HR professionals have a special responsibility for guarding and promoting core values in the organization on how people should be managed and treated. They need to take action to achieve fair dealing. This means treating people according to the principles of procedural, distributive, social and natural justice, and seeing that decisions or policies that affect them are transparent in the sense that they are known, understood, and clear and applied consistently.

The first is to ensure that HR policies and the actions taken to implement them meet acceptable ethical standards. HR can press for the production of a value statement that sets out how the organization intends to treat its employees. Value statements may be set out under such headings as care and consideration for people, belief that people should be treated justly and equitably and belief that the views of employees about matters that concern them should be listened to.
Second, HR practitioners can act as role models, leading by example and living and breathing good ethical behaviour.

 If HR does not act ethically, how can it expect employees to do so? (Parkes & Davis,2013)

The third approach, and the hardest, is to challenge unethical behaviour on the part of management. Such behaviour can take many forms, including management tolerance for exploitation and bullying; the lack of a whistle-blowing policy, which provides routes for reporting malpractice and performance management criteria that emphasize organizational gain over all else.

References

• Bauman & tester , 2001. Ethical practices in organizations.
• Clegg et al, 2007. Ethics and HRM.
• Legge, 1998. HRM in Practice.
• Perkes & davis, 2013. Ethical Organizations.
• Figure 1: Leading an ethical organization, (2016) HRM innovations, [Online] Available at: https://hrminnovations.com/leading-ethical-organization/ [Accessed 25 September 2019].
• Video 1: Ethics in HRM. [Online] Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISEaEt7rVWg [Accessed 25 September 2019].

MN7181-Organizational culture defined-Blog 08

(Figure 1: organizational culture)

Organizational culture or collective culture - structures of values, norms, beliefs, attitudes and assumptions that may not be expressed, but this is how people behave in organizations and integration with things.

This definition ensures that organizational culture revolves around the subject of events within the organization. It refers to abstractions, such as values and norms that define, discuss, or ignore a part of the business.

(Video 1: What is Organizational Culture?)

The following are some other definitions of organizational culture:

 ● A strong culture is a system of informal rules that spells out how people are to behave most of the time (Deal & Kennedy , 2000).

● The culture of an organization refers to the unique configuration of norms, values, beliefs and ways of behaving that characterize the manner in which groups and individuals combine to get things done (Eldridge & Crombie, 1974).

 ● Organizational culture offers a shared system of meanings that is the basis for communications and mutual understanding (Furnham & Gunter , 1993).

● Culture is a pattern of basic assumptions invented, discovered or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with the problems of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to these problems

 (Schein, 1990).

How organizational culture develops

The values and norms that are the basis of culture are formed in four ways.

• The leaders in the organization, especially those who have shaped it in the past. Indicates that people identify with visionary leaders how they behave and what they expect. They note what such leaders pay attention to and treat them as role models.

• Culture is formed around critical incidents important events from which lessons are learnt about desirable or undesirable behaviour.

• Culture develops from the need to maintain effective working relationships among organization members that establishes values and expectations.

           

• Culture is influenced by the organization’s environment, which may tend to be dynamic or unchanging. Culture evolves over time as a result of shared experiences.

The diversity of culture

The evolutionary process described above may result in a culture that characterizes the whole organization. But there may be different cultures within organizations. There may be some common organizational values or norms, but in some respects these will vary between different work environments.

Leadership and Culture

Organizations largely function by means of managers and supervisors who exercise leadership in order to get their teams into action and ensure that they achieve the results expected of them. Leadership had a direct impact on organizational climate.

Power

Organizations exist to get things done; in the process of doing this, people or groups exercise power. Directly or indirectly, the use of power in influencing behaviour is a pervading feature of organizations,

Politics

Political behaviour is an inevitable feature of organizational life. The goal of organizational politicians is to have their own way of influencing people to accept their point of view without going through the usual channels or relying on their authority. Some people sincerely believe that the best way to achieve something is to use political means, especially when they are frustrated by normal decision-making processes.

Emotional intelligence

 The capacity for recognizing our own feelings and that of others, for motivating ourselves, for managing emotions well in ourselves as well as others (Goleman, 1995) He suggested that its four components are:

 1 Self -management

 2 Self-awareness

 3 Social awareness

 4 Social skills

References

• Deal, T. & Kennedy, A., 2000. Organizational culture. 
• Eldridge & Crombie, 1974. Organizationa and culture.
• Furnham & Gunter, 1993. Culture in Organizations.
• Goleman, 1995. Leadership and organizational culture.
• Schein, 1990. Oganizational culture.
• Figure 1: organizational culture, (2014) Why Leaders Should Care About Organizational Culture, [Online] Available at : https://patimes.org/leaders-care-organizational-culture/ [Accessed 25 September 2019].
• Video 1: What is Organizational Culture?. [Online] Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cBN8xH-5Qw [Accessed 25 September 2019].

MN7181-The best strategies for employee engagement-Blog 07

Leaders often say that the greatest asset in their organization is the people, but in reality they are the only employees who do their job well (Glocal thinking,2019).

(Figure 1: Employee engagement)

Strategies we need to improve employee engagement.

• Think “Bottom Up”, not “Top Down”

You're not building a home that starts and works on the roof, is it? The same is true for businesses.

Have a group meeting - not necessarily formal, maybe including lunch. Be aware of common problems and ask your team to improve the problem.

The more you ask the group for its comments, the stronger, more confident and respectful they will be, the more they will worry.

•         Show them you listen

If a clear problem has been identified, then action must be taken. More importantly, it needs to be addressed in a spectacular way, especially if you have discussed it with them. In addition to being listed in one's opinion, helping to change is another way to increase engagement. Use your internal note boards to show what you have done in response to what your employees have said.

•          Share good practice and ideas between teams

There is nothing better than seeing your ideas and praising the process, so make sure your staff has the right staff to share and showcase their best work. Learning with friends, during meetings, or through your talent development platform is a great way to improve and build or future employee relationships.

•          Have an employee voice

The one-year satisfaction survey is not enough to just estimate how well your company is doing. You need to optimize channels for each employee to get in trouble and provide feedback. So think about using your forum where your team can face problems and get feedback from their members and managers.

•          Understand individual learning styles and preferences

If you understand how your employees are learning, for example, you will find a lot about whether they prefer to work in a team or not, for example, how they work and work on projects.

•          Employ effective group learning strategies

Traditional workplace training is part of the work life and is a great way to help everyone engage in new ideas and techniques. However, there is the risk that they can become somewhat stale, manager-lead exercises. Here’s where the instructor should put aside their managerial hat, and act instead as a facilitator for action, rather than directing it. Let the whole team be involved. Challenge employees to step out of their comfort zone, for example, with a quiet employee who acts as a subgroup leader.

Working with employers in a variety of activities, over an extended period, in a manner that builds trust through participation in projects of mutual interests and leads to mutually successful outcomes (Wilson, 2019)

(Video 1: Employee Engagement - Who's Sinking Your Boat?)

Reference

• Glocalthinking. 2019. Career planning. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.glocalthinking.com/en/engagement-management. [Accessed 25 September 2019].

• Wilson, R., 2019. Jobs for the future. 5 Levels Of Employer Engagement, 1, 01.

• Figure 1: infodiagram, (2018) Presenting HR and Employee Engagement topics, [Online] Available at : https://blog.infodiagram.com/2018/10/employee-engagement-factors.html [Accessed 25 September 2019]. 
• Video 1: Employee Engagement - Who's Sinking Your Boat?. [Online] Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4nwoZ02AJM [Accessed 25 September 2019].

MN7181-Performance Management and Appraisal-Blog 06

Performance management is a system designed to demonstrate how to achieve organizational goals through review and feedback, to improve performance unlike the performance appraisal or annual evaluation process, is an ongoing assessment of employees in a manner geared to match their goals to the organizational goals (Rimon, 2017).

(Video 1: Performance Appraisal vs. Performance Management)

Elements of Performance Management

• Agreement
• Feedback
• Positive reinforcement
• Dialogue

                                       (Figure 1: The performance management cycle )

Organizations that choose to use the performance management process do so because the annual review process does not meet their assessment requirements. The continuous communication loop of performance management allows organizations to meet their organization's goals and staff development and feedback needs

Benefits of Performance Management

Performance management has many benefits in that it does not have a traditional annual audit (Luecke,2006).

• Better results, because the human beings in the organization are of the highest quality and work together for the key goals.

• Managers are more successful because their subordinates are doing the right things correctly.

• Employees are offered more work, professional development and better pay because of their good work.

Problems with Performance Management

The performance management system is designed to benefit the organization, but like any system it may meet with resistance or be unconstructively applied. Many supervisors resist the change from a simple annual performance evaluation process or no process at all to the performance management system for many reasons.

A strong performance management system relies on a trusting relationship between employees and supervisors. When the employees doubt the credibility of the supervisors, they also will distrust the results of any performance management (Hanks, 2019).

Performance management systems are designed to benefit the organization, but like other systems they may have some problems too.

• Increased turnover
• Use of misleading information (if performed improperly, an employee’s performance appraisal             can be incorrect)
• Lowered self-esteem
• Wasted time and money
• Damaged relationships
• Decreased motivation to perform
• Employee burnout and job dissatisfaction
• Increased risk of litigation
• Unjustified demands on managers’ resources
• Varying and unfair standards and ratings
• Emerging biases
• Unclear ratings systems

Because of these incredibly negative effects that an improperly conducted performance management system can have on an organization, the system must be implemented thoughtfully and executed consistently.

Reference

• Rimon,G.(2017). ‘What is performance management?', Available at https://www.gameffective.com/hr-performance-management/ [Accessed 22 September 2019].

• Luecke, R., 2006. Performance Management: Measure and Improve the Effectiveness of Your Employees. 1st ed. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing.

• Hanks,G.(2019).' Common Examples of Performance Management Problems’, Available at https://smallbusiness.chron.com/common-examples-performance-management-problems-70031.html [Accessed 22 September 2019].

• Figure 1: Huprich, (2008) A Brief Introduction to Performance Management, [Online] Available at : http://ala-apa.org/newsletter/2008/06/15/a-brief-introduction-to-performance-management/ [Accessed 22 September 2019]. 

• Video 1: Performance Appraisal vs. Performance Management. [Online] Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtoznQQ3NO0 [Accessed 22 September 2019].

MN7181-Should we work part-time, temporary or permanent?-Blog 05

In today's society, there is a growing trend where people not interested in traditional full-time job. Now most employers are open to flexible work ideas.
Well, what options are available, what are their meanings and how do you know which option suits you best?

(Figure 1: Pros and Cons of Hiring a Full-time Employee vs. a Freelancer)

Part-time

Part time is that you usually work fewer days or fewer hours.
Pros:
• Less time at work allows you to spend more time with family and friends, especially if you have older children or family members.
• If considering a career change, working part-time in various roles allows you to dip you toe in the water to see which path is right for you.
• You can study or do vocational training and make money at the same time.
Cons:
• You will usually get a lower income. Can you lower your income and live comfortably?
• Part-time workers generally have less responsibilities, influence and power than full-time workers.

It is very difficult to move from a permanent job to a full-time company and you will need to convince your employer that you can still produce efficient work.
On the flip side, if you are having trouble finding a permanent position, part-time positioning gives you the role of full-time if you prove that you are essential to the business.

Temporary

Also known as ‘Contract' or ‘Freelance', this could mean working for as little as one day or for as long as a few years for an employer. The real difference is that you have a definite end date for your employment period.
It could be known as a "contracted" or “Freelance “to hire an employer for a day or less. The real difference is that you have a definite end date for your employment period.
When there is economic uncertainty, companies often take on temporary jobs rather than putting them on permanent contracts. This allows for much smaller, variable structures without the high cost of redundancy; at the same time, temporary contracts are not renewed.

Pros:
• If you are only employed for a little period of time, you can escape the office politics.
• It's an ideal way to earn some extra cash for a short period of time.
• You can test out different roles.

Cons:
• Irregular work.
• Temporary workers have very few rights and this can leave you in a difficult situation when it comes to sick leave and holiday pay.

Permanent

"Honest day's pay for an honest day's work." They're extremely loyal and enjoy being respected for that. Since they're conformists, they value most job titles and money (Rampton, 2017).

Employees are often on fixed contracts and as good as protection or employer because they are employees.

Pros:
• Security Financial security. You know a certain amount of money is paid to you each month, so you can budget effectively.
• Career opportunities are more accessible and you will set goals as part of your mission.
• Overall, you will have a greater sense of job satisfaction when you join your team and make long-term friendships with colleagues.

Cons:
• Work-life balance. Friends, family and other commitments may be affected by working long hours for an employer.
• Many people become frustrated by a lack of change and the same commute, the same four walls and the same colleagues every day can be a grind.
• Many people are frustrated by the lack of change and with the same movement.

(Video 1: Do you know the difference between Full Time, Part Time & Casual employment?)

Reference

• Rampton,J.(2017). Different Motivations for Different Generations of Workers: Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z', Available at https://www.inc.com/john-rampton/different-motivations-for-different-generations-of-workers-boomers-gen-x-millennials-gen-z.html[Accessed 18 September 2019].

• Figure 1: Aileensoul, (2019) Hiring hacks Pros and Cons of Hiring a Full-time Employee vs. a Freelancer, [Online] Available at : https://www.aileensoul.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-hiring-a-full-time-employee-vs-a-freelancer [Accessed 18 September 2019]. 

• Video 1: Do you know the difference between Full Time, Part Time & Casual employment?. [Online] Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw5UdDEEszY [Accessed 18 September 2019].

MN7181-strike as a weapon of collective bargaining-Blog 04

Unions are important because they help set standards for education, talent level, salary, working conditions, and quality of life for workers. Union bargaining wages and benefits are higher than those of what non-union workers receive.

The unions negotiate good and fair contracts, give us a good picture of our work and give us many benefits (Knox, 2002).

Here are some of the jobs in the industry with most union workers.
• Utilities
• Transportation
• Telecommunications
• Construction
• Educational Services
• Motion Pictures and Sound Recording
• Manufacturing


And also unions are dangerous because they act as monopolies. If union members won't work, the law makes it very difficult for anyone else to come in and do their jobs. As a result, union workers have little competition - so they can demand higher wages and do less work (Lott, 2011).

(Figure 1: Union Strike)

An official strike is a work stop that is approved by the union and complies with the requirements of the strike law, as the majority of union members choose. Officials conducting official strikes are well protected from being fired by job. The official strike is usually carried out by workers in response to grievances. An official strike may also be called an official industrial event, a strike action or a strike (Kenton, 2018)

(Video 1: Top 10 Labor Strikes In US History)

It is difficult to say when the first labor strike occurred. The word "strike" was first used in the 1700s and surely comes from the idea of a businessman on strike. In 1786, a group of Philadelphia printers called for a raise and the company declined. They stopped working in protest and eventually received a raise. After that everyone in a city practicing the same profession agreed to set prices and wages at the same rate.
To strike today, you must have union. Workers form unions because single workers have no control over their employers, which can set low wages and long working hours as long as they comply with labor laws. When workers unite to form a union, they collectively have enough power to negotiate with their employer. The main weapon the union has against the employer is the threat of strike.
At its most basic level, a strike occurs when all the workers in the union stop coming to work. With no workers, the business shuts down. The employer stops making money, though it is still spending money on taxes, rent, electricity and maintenance. The longer the strike lasts, the more money the employer loses.
In order for a strike to take place, union leadership must call for strike action. They will not call a strike unless union members have voted. Each union has different rules governing what percentage of the union must approve the strike.
Of course, a strike doesn't happen every time a union member and the employer have a disagreement. For minor matters, the union can file a grievance (following a set procedure included in the contract between the union and the employer). When it is time to renegotiate a contract, both sides will usually sit down and try to come to an agreement. Unions try to exhaust all other measures before resorting to a strike for two reasons: union members usually lose money and it's the last thing that unions can do to get employers to agree to their terms.
That is a strike doesn't happen every time a union member and the employer have a disagreement. For minor matters, the union may file a grievance (after drawing up the procedures involved in the contract between the union and the employer). When it's time to negotiate a deal, the two parties will usually sit down and try to reach an agreement. Unions try to exhaust all other measures before resorting to a strike for two reasons: union members usually lose money and it's the last thing that unions can do to get employers to agree to their terms.

References

• Knox,R.(2002).'What is a Union', Available at https://www.unionplus.org/page/what-union[Accessed 13 September 2019].

• Kenton,W.(2018).'Official strike', Available at https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/official-strike.asp[Accessed 13 September 2019].

• Lott,J.(2011).'Why Union are harmful to workers', Available at https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/why-unions-are-harmful-to-workers[Accessed 13 September 2019].

• Figure 1: Lanka Information, (2017) Postal Trade Union strike to continue till solutions are provided, [Online] Available at : https://lankainformation.lk/news/latest-news/item/15948-postal-trade-union-strike-to-continue-till-solutions-are-provided [Accessed 13 September 2019]. 

• Video 1: Top 10 Labor Strikes In US History. [Online] Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgd7_K5pCCU [Accessed 13 September 2019].