HR (Human Resource) management is an often-underestimated task in
work-environments. However, it is adequate and conscientious HR management
that will establish and retain a qualified, well-cooperating workforce and
therefore, ultimately, an increase of organizational growth, efficiency, and
profitability.
The most important tasks of the Human Resource department are to make sure
that the people working in an organization 1) feel happy, 2) are in the
right job, and 3) get the opportunity to upgrade their skills when
necessary.
Of course it is also HRĘs task to coordinate the recruitment of new
employees for vacant positions. This brings up the interesting point of
internal recruiting versus external recruiting. Both have their advantages
and disadvantages. Yet, it is the HR department, together with the
particular department management, to determine which way to go in certain
cases. HereĘs the dilemma in a nutshell:
A) When you hire people from the inside you have the advantage that
they are already familiar with the culture and the work climate, but you
also have the disadvantage of having to retrain the ones that are now
performing in new positions, and having to fill the positions that fell open
when employees got promoted.
B) Hiring externally, on the other hand, has the advantage of bringing
in fresh ideas, saving costs by hiring the person with the right skills, but
it may have the disadvantage of having to guide this newly hired person
through the organization, which can be a time consuming process. And you
never know what you get with new people, right?
So, as you can tell, everything has at least two sides, and, again, it is HR
Ęs call, together with departmental management, to figure out what is the
best decision at a certain time and in a given situation.
Another valuable point to consider is that the HR department should be more
involved in strategic decisions of an organization, which still does not
happen as much as it should. But think of it: if the HR department knows
what the long term plans of top management are, it can adjust its hiring
requirements to those plans and save a lot of the hassle that the retraining
and laying off of employees will bring about.
And then the motivation-issue: HereĘs where we contemplate on how to retain
the best workers and keep them satisfied. There are various ways in which
managers, with support of the HR department, can generate improved
performance from workers.
An interesting concept is the "flexibility issue" in which various work
routines are discussed. TodayĘs workplaces are trying all kinds of methods
to keep good workers facilitated. These ways vary from job-sharing (two
people filling a 40-hour workweek), and flextime (different people starting
and ending their workday at different times, with two specific core-chunks
in which everyone is present), to telecommuting (working from outside the
workplace), and more.
The basic message here is that different people perform better under
different circumstances, and that they also get motivated in different ways:
What works for one may not work for another. Managers, in conjunction with
HR, should therefore tailor the way they reward employees to these employees
Ę particular preferences, otherwise a reward can have a reverse effect on a
workerĘs performance.
In light of the motivation issue, several theories come to mind, of which I
will discuss two here:
* MaslowĘs hierarchy of need, for instance, which teaches us that,
depending on the need-level of a worker, certain rewards will or will not
work for him or her. A worker who is at the basic level will probably care
more for an extra dollar per hour than an expensive company present, while a
worker who is already settled with regards to basic needs, security, safety,
and social contacts, may care more for a prestigious title or a wonderful
award complete with the entire ceremony that goes along with it.
* HerzbergĘs motivation-hygiene theory teaches us that there are
different issues at stake when we talk about job satisfaction than when we
talk about job dissatisfaction. That means so much as that you can decrease
a workerĘs job dissatisfaction and still not have achieved an increase in
his or her job satisfaction. It is important for managers, together with the
HR specialists, to take note of that. In a nutshell, Herzberg claims that
dissatisfaction will decrease when a worker enjoys good pay and security;
good working conditions; good interpersonal relationships; good company
policies; and good supervisors. Satisfaction, on the other hand, will
increase when a worker enjoys the feeling of achievement; recognition;
fulfilling work; a feeling of responsibility; and advancement and growth.
The simple message embedded in all of the above is that people need to be
kept satisfied in order to perform well in a workplace. Managers should try
to treat all workers correctly and never make the mistake of playing workers
against each other, while, at the same time, they should also be aware that
the ways in which workers get motivated vary richly. A good rapport between
departmental management and HR is therefore recommended, although,
unfortunately, it is not implemented too often yet.
Dr. Joan Marques,
Burbank, CA, 07/26/04
About the Author:
Joan Marques emigrated from Suriname, South America, to California, U.S., in
1998. She holds a doctorate in Organizational Leadership, a Master's in
Business Administration, and is currently a university instructor in
Business and Management in Burbank, California. You may visit her web sites
at http://www.joanmarques.com <http://www.joanmarques.com/> and
http://www.spiritcounts.com <http://www.spiritcounts.com/>
It is better to live in serene poverty than in hectic affluence. Everything
has a price. The price for nurturing your soul is turning away from
excessive stress, destruction of self-respect, and the constant strive in
lifestyle with the Joneses. But itĘs worth it.
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