Managing Human Resources Report Examples

Introduction

This paper discusses the case study on SuperSavers Ltd which discusses the key human resource issues for the company. The scenario has major human resource issues which puts us in the shoes of a human resource manager to improve the performance of the employees. This case study addresses the core issues in human resource management along with change management which makes it multi-disciplinary. The background and the solutions for the case are presented below.

Background of the case

The case revolves around human resource management issues at a local chain of super markets, Supersavers Ltd. As highlighted, the company has fierce competition in the industry and the nature of the work is highly dependent on employee’s interaction with direct customers, which puts the human resource management into a very important position, as employees for the super markets are the assets to company. The case also indirectly deals with change management, which comes under the role of a human resource manager to implement change in such a manner where the expectations and uncertainty of employees are addressed and taken care of, as adapting to new ways may be challenging. It is a challenging yet thrilling task for human resource managers.
The case presents some issues which we discuss as we explore the functions of human resource management and what HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT can do to resolve the issues in this case. The company has been facing challenges due to poor employee management, and the newly hired Chief Executive is highly unsatisfied with the current working method of the company. Therefore, the aim of this report is to explore the core problems in details, and offer solutions based on understanding of human resource management. The paper presents blended concepts from human resource management as well as change management as this case study requires application of both. The case presents the work practises, the chain of command and the expectations from employees in the daily work environment. The case presents a scenario where a new Chief Executive is hired and she identifies that the working environment needs some revision and she makes the employees realize the need for a change. This report is an in depth analysis of the need of change, the proposed change and the results which result from implementing the change and the possible problems which should be expected.

Role of Human Resource Management

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT is evolving, and it is moving from traditional administrative and transactional role to a more value adding strategy. It is expected to add values in employees to impact business in a positive way. The new roles include strategic direction and measurement to demonstrate values. Some commonly played roles by human resource managers are; collaboration, commitment building and building of capacity. We will discuss these aspects in detail under the section of recommendations in this report.

Key Human Resource Management Issues in the Case

The case study mentioned has some fundamental human resource management issues. The company is facing some key issues in the human resource management such as stiff chain of command which doesn’t allow employees to have much freedom, highly decentralized decision making board, employees are forcefully limited to their roles and are not encouraged to perform extra, no flexibility in payment and no update in the policies of employee management. Other key issues which the company is facing are lack of training and development, productivity, training and compliance and employee queries. All of these issues combined are not only hindering the employee performance, but also negatively affecting the business of the organization. The newly hired Chief Executive identified the issue and asked to rectify the flaws in human resource policies. To rectify the issues, it was first important to thoroughly understand the current human resource management system and the problems surrounding the current work practises. All the problems such as lack of training, lack of freedom to employees and that employees had no right to inquire about the questions are major issues of the organization.

Issues around Human Resource Changes

Whenever change is implemented, there are some basic issues which arise, and it is the job of the human resource manager to ensure that these changes do not have a negative impact on employee motivation which further results in loss of productivity and loss of the company. The first challenge which the company may face is resistance to change. As any change occur in a workplace, it may result in anxiety among the employees as they are used to the conventional practises and may find it difficult to adjust to changed working methods which may result in resistance, especially if it involves delegation of the authority. Technical changes are specifically seen by employees as a threat to their job security and they perceive it as being replaced by machinery. A human resource manager has to develop the strategy by keeping in mind that the employees should not be given a reason to resist and every measure to make them comfortable should be taken by making them realize their worth for the company. Secondly, the possible issue that may arise is the work force shortage. There is always shortage of skilled work force and the human resource manager may need to recruit more employees to smoothly run the function of the super store. A major challenge for human resource change is training. Training is important not only for the employee who is provided with training and support to keep up with the revised policies and technical innovations, but it also helps company by enhancing the productivity of the employees. It makes the employees feel that they are vital part of the company. However, the human resource manager can face challenge in identifying which specific area needs training and for convincing the employee to attend training as it requires additional time and effort from their day to day work. Other issues include managing information. It is very challenging for a human resource manager to manage piles of information to make the correct decisions.

Recommended changes

The running of the business needs some human resource policy changes in order to improve the functioning, and as ordered by the new Chief Executive, it is important to revise the human resource policy. Some changes are recommended as follows.

Build collaboration

Build commitment
Build capacity by training and development
Decentralize the decision making
Give more freedom to employees.
The first recommendation is to build collaboration. It is understandable from the study that the employees from top to bottom level have poor collaboration. The chain of command is rigid, and personnel only deal with the personnel above them and have no collaboration with other employees. For example, shop assistants will only take instructions from their supervisors and not from anyone else who may have something important to contribute. It is role of human resource manager to develop a work environment where employees may work together and offer them different roles within the organization. This change in the human resource practice will bring a positive change by engaging employees with each other and promoting a healthier work environment. It will help employees shift around to different business functions. Secondly, building commitment is also important. HR manager aim to increase employee commitment and this directly results in positive outcomes for the organizations. Building capacity is also important as it is highlighted in the case that employees are forcefully restricted to very limited job roles, they are not allowed to explore additionally, and they are set in limited functions. To build capacity, training and development plays a key role and it will give employees a sense that they are capable of more than what they are currently doing. The organization has a highly centralized decision making hierarchy, as mentioned in the case study. Employees are not asked for any opinion from their supervisors, which limit their creativity and productivity as they do not feel worthy enough of taking important decisions. All the decisions are only taken by the board of directors which needs to be revised and employee involvement needs to be encouraged. Employees need to have more said in the policy making. Lastly, employees are highly restricted in their activities which is limiting them and suffocating the productivity. They need more freedom in taking decisions and knowing what tasks to do and should not be dictated in every step by the supervisor as it limits their potential. Employees should be trusted for putting in fresh new ideas and practises.

Benefits & Problems of implementing suggested changes

The suggested changes will bring a number of benefits for the organization. First of all, freedom and decentralization will encourage a positive work attitude amongst the employees which is very important for their work performance. Employees will not feel that their opinions do not matter, and will have a say in the policies. Building collaboration will bring a flow in the work practices where employees will know what is going around and this will encourage them to work more productively. It will also mean that a team work would be promoted instead of people working alone only under the supervisors. The entire work force will form a team and follow and guide each other to work better against the competition. Training and development can be tactfully used to make the employees understand that they are competing against a number of organizations and they are together as a team. It will benefit the firm in measurable ways by increasing sales, profits, employee productivity and sense of belongingness. However, the change is not implemented easily. A number of problems arise while the process of changes and implementation of new recommendations take place. For example, the implementation may not be successful. There is a vast difference between planning and implementing. Planning is the easier part, while the manager may realize a number of problems arise while implementing the plan. First of all, the employees may not be able to adjust to the new work practises when given a more interactive and open environment. He or she may not be able to work well in a team as they are used to work in a certain manner. They may not be able to utilize their freedom in a positive way as they have never been asked to freely make choices before and may have a limited vision. Employees may not be able to collaborate effectively. At times, employees are reluctant to attend the workshops of training and development organized for them. They may perceive it to be a weakness. The problems are inevitable every time some changes occur in a workplace. It is a healthy sign to be aware of the problems in order to be ready to tackle them. In this case, the top management may be a key issue as they may not agree to decentralization of decision making and giving employee’s freedom of making their own choices. They may feel they are losing power due to the changing work environment. They may cling to the status quo. To counter this human resource manager has to ensure that they look at the positive outcomes which are mentioned above.
A major problem which is faced is making people take the change seriously. They may perceive it as being a trial or temporary thing and adopt a wait and see attitude which means they neither embrace the change neither do they resist it. It is a challenge to inspire them to change and willingly participate in the change process and become champions in that process to win over the competition. Changes generate anxiety which may result in not being able to adopt change as effectively as needed. Individuals who embrace change function better in teams when anxiety is at a low level. It is a challenge to minimize this anxiety and this problem should be addressed by human resource managers by giving them an exact plan of actions with its purpose. Lastly, the problem of confusion over priorities results after the implementation of changes.

Evaluating impact of the recommended changes

As change takes place at any organization, the next step is to monitor and evaluate the results of that change. The evaluation involves relating change to the objectives of the organization. It is important for managers to know how to evaluate the plans, or else it gets difficult for them to determine how well they have managed the process. Evaluating also helps those in understanding where further improvements are needed are how to plan that stage. If the change has not been successful then the managers can always learn from their mistakes.
The business results which will improve are the sales, turnout, and increased market share. As employees adopt to change, the organization will grow stronger. As the organization grows stronger, it will attract more customer base and grab a good reputation. The employees who are happier and motivated generate more positive results compared to the employees who are treated as robots and are not encouraged to give their opinion. Therefore, the case presented needs change management within the umbrella of human resource management, and the management under these two concepts can bring about tremendous positive changes for the organization. To conclude, the change plan above has critically analysed the background of the organization, highlighted the key issues and offered solutions based on professional insights of human resource and change management. A manager has to ensure that the changes are implemented successfully and that the managers are ready to tackle the expected issues which may arise in the process, and keep the focus on the bigger end results which will make the practise of change even important.

References

Carnegie, D., 2010. Challenges of Employee Engagement During Times of Change. [Online] Available at: http://blog.dalecarnegie.com/leadership/challenges-of-employee-engagement-during-times-of-change/ [Accessed 05 January 2015].
Dessler, G., 2000. Human Resource Management. New Jersey : Prentice Hall .
Elearn Limited, 2007. Chane Management. s.l.:Oxford.
Mathis, R. L. & Jackso, J. H., 2003. Human resource management. Mason: Thomson/South-western.
Mondy, R. W., Noe, R. M. & Gowan, M., 2005. Human resource management.. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Pugh, D. S. & Mayle, D., 2009. Change management. Los Angeles: Sage.
Svetlik, I., 2008. Human resource management in the knowledge based organisations. s.l., s.n., pp. 1-21.
Additional Bibliography
Bradley, J. C., n.d. Challenges Faced by Human Resource Managers Because of Technical Changes. [Online] Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/challenges-faced-human-resource-managers-because-technical-changes-61058.html [Accessed 05 January 2015].