Human Resource Management

Human resource (or personnel) management, in the sense of getting things done through people. It's an essential part of every manager's responsibilities, but many organizations find it advantageous to establish a specialist division to provide an expert service dedicated to ensuring that the human resource function is performed efficiently. "People are our most valuable asset" is a clich which no member of any senior management team would disagree with. Yet, the reality for many organizations is that their people remain

under valued under trained under utilized poorly motivated, and consequently perform well below their true capability

The rate of change facing organizations has never been greater and organizations must absorb and manage change at a much faster rate than in the past. In order to implement a successful business strategy to face this challenge, organizations, large or small, must ensure that they have the right people capable of delivering the strategy. The market place for talented, skilled people is competitive and expensive. Taking on new staff can be disruptive to existing employees. Also, it takes time to develop 'cultural awareness', product/ process/ organization knowledge and experience for new staff members. As organizations vary in size, aims, functions, complexity, construction, the physical nature of their product, and appeal as employers, so do the contributions of human resource management. But, in most the ultimate aim of the function is to: "ensure that at all times the business is correctly staffed by the right number of people with the skills relevant to the business needs", that is, neither overstaffed nor understaffed in total or in respect of any one discipline or work grade.

Functional overview and strategy for HRM

These issues motivate a well thought out human resource management strategy, with the precision and detail of say a marketing strategy. Failure in not having a carefully crafted human resources management strategy, can and probably will lead to failures in the business process itself. This set of resources are offered to promote thought, stimulate discussion, diagnose the organizational environment and develop a sound human resource management strategy for your organization. We begin by looking at the seven distinguishable function human resource management provide to secure the achievement of the objective defined above. Following on from this overview we look at defining a human resource strategy.

Finally, some questions are posed in the form of a HRM systems diagnostic checklist for you to consider, which may prove helpful for you to think about when planning your development programs for the human resources in your organization, if they are truly "your most valuable asset."

Self Assessment
A system to set your own performance goals
Most supervisors are interested in advancement and want to know, "How am I doing?" As one bright, young supervisor told me, "I need to know where I am, so I can plan how to get ahead." Although supervisors are first-level managers, they're no different from those who report to them in that they want to know if they're doing their jobs well, if they're performing to the satisfaction of those above them, and if their efforts are likely to lead to increased pay and responsibilities. They want to know if they're making any mistakes and if so how they should correct them. Ideally, they should be receiving periodic appraisals from their superiors. These annual evaluations, like the ones they should be doing on their own subordinates, should evaluate past performance, identify specific job achievements, and examine shortcomings and any potential problems they might cause. Then, together with their superiors, the supervisors should identify the developmental goals to be achieved during the coming year. At these ideal meetings, the managers should also have a chance to ask questions about their jobs and to request help from their bosses so that they are more effective. Unfortunately, this ideal is seldom realized.

A gloomy picture
In his survey of over 5,000 managers. Walter Mahler 1 found that;

almost half had never received performance reviews; 44 percent had never been told the requirements for higher-level jobs; and 31 percent had never been encouraged by their superiors to take specific actions to prepare themselves for advancement.

Formal performance reviews - particularly in older industries and in small companies - tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Even in larger organizations with well defined review procedures. The application of those procedures often is spotty and limited to specified levels of employees or to those in certain functions or locations. Even when they are conducted. Performance appraisals frequently are flawed by the human tendency of managers to equivocate; they fear that subordinates given a high rating may expect immediate rewards or go seek them elsewhere, and that employees given a low rating will become troublemakers. In such instances, formal performance evaluation reviews have negative

consequences, in that they don't just summarize past performance, they can well shape future performance (see self-fulfilling prophecy.) Given the scarcity of genuine performance reviews, what can employees interested in improving their performance do? This question is as relevant to supervisors as to the workers who report to them. The answer is to conduct a self-appraisal - a methodical and comprehensive analysis of past performance - then develops a plan for self-improvement.

Self-assessment
Such an analysis can be conducted by any employee at any level. All that are needed are an up-todate job description and a set of objectives for the coming year. If a job description doesn't exist nor needs revision, an individual can prepare one with advice and final approval from his or her supervisor. Similarly, the employee's prepared objectives for the year should be approved by the individual's superior. The documents used don't have to follow any particular form. However, they should be simple and clear. The most useful job descriptions tend to indicate the approximate percentage of time devoted to each function. Similarly, the most valuable job objectives are expressed in measurable terms, such as "reduce scrap 10 percent," "conduct two audits a month," or "develop one new marketing plan each quarter." Many books offer helpful suggestions on preparing job descriptions and setting objectives. Given this base for measuring performance, any employee at any level is in a position to conduct a self analysis. The specific nature and form of the appraisal can differ but the following elements are essential.

The appraisal should be done on a regular basis

One approach would be;

to spend 15 minutes after work each Friday to: review and record the week's accomplishments and short falls, to devote an hour during the last weekend of the month to a similar analysis of the month's successes and failures, and To commit a weekend or holiday morning or afternoon at the end of the year to review results and to develop a plan for personal development during the upcoming year.

The review should cover all aspects of the job. All jobs can be broken down into three broad categories:

Technical (for example, sales, engineering, or accounting), Administrative (such as budgeting, compliance with company procedures, and submission of expense accounts), and

Communication (which includes keeping superiors informed, corresponding with customers and colleagues, and listening to employees' suggestions).

The individual appraising his or her performance should develop a checklist that reflects all areas of the job to ensure that all are adequately performed.

The results of each performance assessment should be written down

This will permit the individual to follow up, by working on those functions or activities that need improvement. This might mean more frequent reporting to one's superior, taking a brush-up course in some aspect of the job, or learning to submit expense reports more promptly. During this process of self-evaluation, it is highly desirable for the individual to involve his or her superior, asking the person. For example, to review the self-assessment. Sometimes bosses who are reluctant to conduct performance reviews are willing to comment on the self-reviews of their employees. This procedure for measuring one's performance provides a way for judging and improving progress throughout the year, as well as a means for improving performance from one year to the next. Although some skeptics might claim that self appraisal can't be objective since employees don't know their own deficiencies, I have found that 'most people are good judges of themselves.' 1. Walter Mahler (Principles-of Human Relations, John Wiley & Sons, 1955) This book is a simple guide to overcoming the problems that get in the way at work. It therefore covers the age-old problem of how to fit all the things we have to do into twenty four hours, how to handle those knotty problems that always crop up, how to work with and through people so that we can get more done when we need to and at the end of the day - how to switch off. It is not, however, a resource on management theory nor a work of psychology or sociology; while borrowing some ideas from all these fields it is essentially a resource based on everyday experience, written with a minimum of jargon and applying principles of common sense to everyday workplace problems.

This resource is designed for anybody who works in whatever field (and that can mean doing a job, running a voluntary organization, pursuing a hobby etc.). It will be particularly helpful to those people who have to organize a large part of their own work such as managers and supervisors in industry or commerce, people who run their own business or anybody who has to do more than a purely repetitive and mechanical job. Those new to the job market or those desiring to move up the job ladder will find this resource of great benefit. Each of the eight modules has the same structure. Every module;

takes a theme (listed in the contents) outlines the key issues gives examples of how those issues affect work Suggests ways of handling the issues, in some cases with examples of what happened when other people used the approach.

Each module is self-contained and can be read by itself, though they do of course relate to one another. Throughout the text you'll find symbols alerting you to key features, all of which are designed to help make your learning as effective - and enjoyable - as possible. The symbols used, and the features they alert you to be as follows:

Get your aim right Objectives

Indicates a list of objectives - key activities that you should be able to carry out when you have completed the module. You'll find a reminder at the end of each module to check back over this list.

Develop sound conceptual models written activities

Reminds you that we are about to ask you to carry out a written activity - either in the text itself or, if you prefer, in a separate notebook. We strongly recommend that you find someone to discuss your answers with - perhaps someone who is also using this book. We'll refer to this person as your adviser. In the workshop you should make full use of the experienced workshop presenter.

Get experience of making things happen to do activities

Indicates that we are asking you to do something. This may simply be to think about an issue or idea, or it may involve you in a practical activity, say, recording your progress at work over several days. The same symbol is also used against checklists, which you may wish to cut out or photocopy and refer to in future.

Become inspired Examples

Indicates an example - say, of some other persons work methods or of a real-life problem that someone has encountered. You may not find it easy to discuss your own effectiveness at first - but once you've broken the ice you'll find it well worthwhile. So try to find someone you already feel at ease with, and aim to keep your discussion as informal as possible. The activity on page 12 in the PDF book will be a good point at which to try out this approach for the first time.

Set your course for success Personal action agenda

Suggests a personal agenda for action - a set of resolutions to put what you have learned into practice. This is a reminder that the book is about practical, attainable changes in working habits. One way of recording your agenda is as an 'action plan'- a list of targets with a date for the attainment of each. Here are some typical entries from one such plan:

Reduce overtime costs by 40 per cent by year end. Eliminate stock discrepancies by improving the system of stock control by Christmas break Improve the understanding of their job among my four supervisors by preparing job descriptions with them by Friday Get flow of copy to the composing room on agreed schedules by end of this month

Develop your control loop achieving objectives

If you decide that you have not achieved what you set out to do:

Discuss the objectives with someone - preferably your adviser/ workshop presenter. Have you interpreted these correctly? Have you set out to do too much too soon? work through the relevant section of text again, taking particular note of the practical steps we recommend Above all, persist: if the objective is one you value the effort you put into achieving, it will be well worthwhile.

In addition, each module ends with:

A short 'signpost' list of related material in other chapters. A list of possible sources of help that you might use in your own workplace.

Module 1 | you and your job

Module 1 Objectives After completing this module you will be able to: 1 Identify areas of your job in which you could develop further 2 Use your job description effectively 3 Outline the key result areas in your job 4 Review your own performance regularly

Synopsis How often are you very busy, so busy you don't have time to stop and think? And don't you sometimes feel that you are not achieving all that you want, that the activity you are engaged in is in fact taking up all your time, perhaps even to the extent that it fails to lead to the results you want. This can happen at home, at work - anywhere where you are trying to achieve things, though for most of us it is at work that it probably matters most. You may feel frustrated because you aren't achieving what you want to achieve without knowing why; you may know why but still not know what to do about it. The key theme throughout the book / workshop is how to make the inputs in your job that will achieve the outputs you require. This module starts the discussion about improving effective working by looking at the two key elements in the process, namely:

you and your job

Related to this module in the PDF there are a number of activities and checklists designed to achieve the above goals. These include, inter alia:

compiling a dynamic resume / CV based on where you want to go, your strengths and your weaknesses dynamics of a good job description (job purpose, key results areas, measures of success, key results areas, checking progress, review period) review your own performance (self appraisal) getting help in your organization compiling an action agenda tailored to your aspirations

Module 2 | Time management

Module 2 Objectives After completing this module you will be able to: 1 Review how you use your time at present 2 Organize your use of time more effectively 3 Identify ways in which you can avoid wasting time 4 Achieve your time plans. Synopsis: The right task at the right time The time we have available for work is limited. It should therefore be one of our top priorities to plan how much time to invest in any one job or task. We don't expect to be simply given extra cash, staff or premises every time we need more of them to do our jobs. We expect to put energy, time and planning into acquiring them. Yet we are often

slipshod with our time - we don't plan it with care, and when we have it we don't always use it well. There is no simple answer to the question 'how can we use time efficiently?' to plan every minute of every day we would have to be machines. On the other hand, it is possible to budget time just as we budget other resources. In this module, we identify three distinct stages in this process:

Looking at the way you use your time at present Planning your time Using the planned time effectively

Module 3 | Handling problems

Module 3 Objectives After completing this module you will be able to: 1 Know and appreciate the difference between a routine problem and an unexpected problem 2 Predict routine problems in your work 3 Cope with unexpected problems 4 Handle problems effectively.

Synopsis: When the going gets tough... However well we plan, problems do occur. They must be resolved; otherwise they may grow out of proportion and affect everything else, making our time planning ineffective, diverting us from our objectives and causing stress. In this module you'll be looking at ways of dealing effectively with problems in general. We will not be looking at ways of tackling specific problems but we will aim to develop some basic guidelines or tactics for you to apply so that you improve your problem solving skills.

Module 4 | your work environment

Module 5 Objectives After completing this module you will be able to: 1 Identify the factors in your working environment, which can affect efficient working 2 Suggest beneficial changes that could be made in your own environment 3 Get such changes made Synopsis: Your work environment affects your efficiency

Almost everyone who works -even people who work at home - reserves a space which is their working area, whether it is a workshop, an office, a room or just a table. Indeed those who don't very quickly discover that they are attempting the impossible! Whether it is a small work area or a large industrial site, the place and space in which we work has a great impact on how effective we are. In this chapter we'll look at ways in which we can ensure our workplace helps, and doesn't hinder effective working. To start with, the type of work may itself impose certain constraints and conditions - for example the layout of equipment, side products of processes and so on. These may be controlled by health and safety regulations and by a variety of other national or local authority laws and company rules. There may also be influences that we can't identify because we don't fully understand them; new materials or processes are often developed faster than our understanding of their side effects. For example, we learned to use asbestos years before we understood its hazard to health. In thinking about our working environment there are two issues to tackle:

what things have an impact on us how much control do we have

Module 5 | Working with people

Module 5 Objectives After completing this module you will be able to: 1 Explain what makes a teamwork 2 Explain what makes a teamwork 3 Identify which of your communication skills you would like to improve. Synopsis: Getting things done with and through colleagues Other people can be one of our biggest aids to effective working. Yet many things that involve people are also among the most frustrating. How many meetings end up making you angry? How often do you get frustrated in your work because of things other people do or don't do? We deal with people in a variety of settings;

as individuals, perhaps boss and staff, supplier and customer in a small group, such as a team, the people in the same office in a large group, for example a department In a very large impersonal group, such as an organization or large company.

This module looks, not just at the numbers of people we are involved with at a time but also at how we are involved with them. We contact people in three different ways in the course of our work:

Informal contacts, for example asking a colleague to comment on a report you've written before it's circulated, chatting with people in the canteen; these contacts may not affect your work directly. Line management, for example delegating a task to someone; this is a more formal process though there is also direct contact between the two people involved. Task groups, a team of three or four people set up to complete a task; these may be short or long term.

These groups are all within an organization but the same principles apply to contacts made by people working on their own. Topics and activities in this module include inter alia:

Getting on with your boss The art of delegating Teams, effective and otherwise Handling meetings effectively Key communication skills

Module 6 | Handling your resources

Module 6 Objectives After completing this module you will be able to: 1 Explain the importance of storing things systematically 2 Organize the things you use at work 3 Find things when you need them. Synopsis: A place for everything and everything in its place Can you find things when you want them? Most of us know someone whose tools are all over the place or whose desk is covered by heaps of paper yet we would be horrified if the books in a library were in heaps on the floor rather than arranged in order on the shelves. That's because we expect to be able to find what we want in a library while a heap of tools or pile of papers represents a personal and private area where we feel we can find anything when we need it. The fact of the matter is, of course, that a library is a good example of how we should all keep our tools, materials and information, not only so that we can find them when we need them but to allow us to work efficiently in the meantime. The principles used in running a library, namely the systematic storage of information, with ways of finding it when it's needed, apply just as much to the things we use in our own work. This applies to:

a toolbox a desktop a small information system run by ourselves for our own needs a storage area for materials or components

In fact just about anything where you have more than one item to handle!

We want such a system set up so that:

we can find things when we want them we can find things quickly others can find things if we are off sick we know we've got the things we need we know they are being kept safely We can forget about them when we don't want them!

To ensure that a system achieves these aims:

the items must be put into the system the must be stored in an organized way there must be a method for finding things again when we want them again

Module 7 - Handling change

Module 7 Objectives After completing this module you will be able to: 1 Indentify the changes that are happening which affect the way we work 2 Consider the key changes in your own work 3 Make some planned changes yourself Synopsis: Coping with change We're beginning to get used to the idea that change is a regular feature of life in the last part of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. Some of us have already experienced a lot of change, others only a little, but it's certainly happening. The most dramatic change has been the introduction of computer technology, which now affects most industries, even if it does not yet affect your own job directly. It is not the only change that's occurring however. Others include:

Technological changes: other technological changes include automation and the development of new materials and processes- the building industry, for example, has been affected dramatically by the use of plastics. The global economy: we are part of a world economy now and what happens elsewhere affects us whether we like it or not. For example, oil prices have affected all countries, exchange rates affect our international competitiveness, EEC agreements have affected the fishing industry, and competition from countries with lower labor costs means that they can produce certain goods more cheaply than us (textiles for example). The economy: we have become familiar with ups and downs in the economy in fact they have always happened. At present, along with many industrial countries, we are in the middle of a steady long-term growth in employment and we are also seeing the decline of older industries like shipbuilding and the development of new ones.

Business organization: there has been a steady growth in the size of companies as the successful ones grow and amalgamate with others, and as large companies operate more and more on an international scale. Business methods: new ways of doing things have also developed with industry using new systems and methods which often encourage flexibility, involvement and responsibility for their own work from the workforce. Expectations and values: we ourselves have changed too in that we have higher expectations than in the past. We expect a higher living standard; we expect to be involved more in decisions affecting our work and so on.

Most of these are long-term changes whose impact is also long-term. Their implications for our work and jobs are however clear: This module looks at how we can respond positively to the changes that are happening around us and those changes we can confidently predict. Delegates completing this module will be able to handle change with more confidence.