Roles Of Human Resource Manager 5 Report Examples

Important Role of Human Resource Management

in Executing Unitel’s New Corporate Strategy

Abstract

This paper will provide the importance of the role of Human Resource Management in executing the new corporate strategy of Unitel, which is ‘Vision 2020’. This paper will show the issues raised about the latest corporate strategy of the company such as the perception of the employees about ‘Vision 2020’ and the effects that it has on the employee-employer relationship. The paper will also present possible solutions for the imminent problems forming in each department of the company. In addition, the report will present the benefits of the four human resource practices, which will help in the implementation of the new corporate strategy.

Abstract 2

Introduction 4

Key Issues to the Introduction of a New Strategy 7
Overcoming Issues in the Introduction of the New Corporate Strategy 7
Recommendations 10
Conclusion 11

References 12

Introduction
In a company, the continuous ability to foresee things, which may affect the functionality and profitability of a company, is very important. Ensuring the productivity of a company means developing strategies, which will help make it viable not only for the owners but also for the company as a whole. However, there are instances in a company when a strategy is not embraced and understood fully by the employees. A company may have a very good strategy for maintaining their productivity but if their employees do not support their plan, then there is a chance that a clash of ideas, complaints and even explanations would occur.
In the case of Unitel, one of the largest telecommunications company in the Asia Pacific region, their new strategy to gain more customers is their ‘Vision 2020’. This strategy puts the customers or clients at the center of the company. With it, customers are always considered every time the employees provide their services and products. Vision 2020 instills in the employees’ mind the value of ‘customers first’. It is but natural that companies promote their products and services through an excellent delivery of products. Managers should realize that pursuing customer service is a serious and a tactical plan (Hayes 2008; V. T., 2014; Atienza 2002; Rogers 2001; Gibson 2007). The top management, as well as the employees, should understand these three basic truths: that customer satisfaction is the ultimate goal; that customer satisfaction is an investment; and that everyone must be involved in customer satisfaction (Hayes 2008). He also added that all personnel has the ability to influence customer satisfaction; hence, top management should ensure that they communicate properly with their subordinates. This ensures that they will always be reminded that their goal is to satisfy customers (Hayes 2008).
Unitel was able to launch this Vision 2020 initiative, and most of the managers embraced it but there were also some disputes among the departments. Most of them were from the rank and file and other supervisors who saw the internal problems in the company. As the Human Resource Manager, I have traced the problem on how employees accepted the new strategic plan for the company. I am tasked to make employees understand and cooperate with the implementation of the new policies and strategic plans of the company.
Roles of Human Resource Manager
Companies consist of people; thus, they must also be directed and guided by a group of people in order to help them understand any problem and concern regarding their job. The right person to attend to the needs and queries of the employees is the Human Resource Management department, which headed by the Human Resource Manager. HR managers have to perform various roles to ensure that their duties and responsibilities are well-executed. The HR manager, for example, acts as recruiter, placement specialist, training and development specialist, employee welfare expert, employee benefits’ specialist, compensation and job analysis specialist, labor relation expert, and human resource information system specialist aside from being a counselor (Durai 2010). Since the scope of work of an HR manager is quite broad, under them are the line managers and staff advisors who help them perform specific tasks in the company. The responsibilities of line managers to guarantee the effectiveness of the HR management department are the following: (1) placing the right person on the job; (2) orienting new employees; (3) training employees for new jobs and policies; (4) improving the job performance of each employee; (5) gaining creative cooperation and developing smooth working relationships; (6) interpreting the policies and procedures of the company; (7) controlling labor costs; (8) developing the abilities of each person; (9) creating and maintaining the department morale; and (10) protecting the employees’ health and physical condition (Durai 2010; Armstrong 2006; Aswathappa 2005; Randhawa 2007). On the other hand, staff advisors are advising and assisting the line managers in the accomplishment of the basic goals of the company (Durai 2010). The HR manager has the duty to orient new and old employees about new policies. In Unitel, some staff members complained that Vision 2020 would just cover up the problems within the company. In response, the management team assured the employees that the new strategy was really needed to enable the company to face other bigger challenges in the future. This is also in preparation for and anticipation of the continuously changing demands of the market.
Since an HR manager is tasked to maintain cooperation and good working relationships, it is their responsibility to determine how employees understand the new policies of the company. Through an interpretation and discussion of the new policies, employees may be able to grasp the reality of the newly implemented policy.
Another dimension of the HR manager’s scope of work involves the following: (1) work relations; (2) employment relations; and (3) industrial relation (Thomson and Thomson 2012). Work relations deal with the organization of work and the deployment of workers around production systems and technologies (Thomson and Thomson 2012). This role of the HR manager ensures that a person is suitable to the assigned job they were given and that they would be effective at the execution of the tasks under that job specification. For instance, a customer service representative should be able to provide answers to the queries of the consumer properly. This will lead to the consumer’s satisfaction, which is the end goal of the Vision 2020. On the other hand, employment relations deal with the promotions, selection, recruitment, reward systems, and the tenure that is given to a person in the company (Thomson and Thomson 2012). Lastly, industrial relations, which are concerned with the representational and participation systems in an organization, means that the HR manager is responsible for ensuring that all of the employees abide by the policies implemented by the company (Thomson and Thomson 2012).
Key Issues to the Introduction of a New Strategy
The key issues that surfaced in the introduction of the new strategy are the skepticism of the employees about the strategy, the discrimination towards the believers of the new strategy, the manipulation of the employees, and the undermining of employees as perceived by the union.
Overcoming Issues in the Introduction of the New Corporate Strategy
It is inevitable for issues to surface whenever change is implemented in a company. This should be addressed properly by the administration or the higher-ups. They should not wait for small misunderstandings to explode, making them difficult to extinguish. Some solutions on overcoming these kinds of issues are participation, communication, support, and rewards (Luenberg and Ornstein 2008). Participation by the employees on the creation of new strategies for the company is needed. This ensures that the employees will not be surprised with the new policy (Lunenberg and Ornstein 2008). Communication from bottom to top and top to bottom are also vital in the dissemination of information about new corporate strategy (Lunenberg and Ornstein 2008). In addition, support from the staff is necessary in gauging the effectiveness of the new strategy to be employed (Lunenberg and Ornstein 2008). As well, rewards are a good motivation for employees to follow and accept the new policy, making them feel that they are going to get something out of the new corporate strategy (Lunenberg and Ornstein 2008).
If an organization fails to involve the whole organization in planning for and implementing the changes, it will be the HR department and manager who will be affected (Hall 2008). In this regard, the human resource department should actively participate in involving the personnel in the change process, rather than just being an instrument for the company. Their remediation for issues surfaced from the changes, which were the responsibility of the HR management. First, the teaching-learning process is a way for the HR manager to let the personnel know that a new corporate strategy will be implemented and that changes will be expected (Hall 2008). Second, HR manager should show the employees that they can be trusted, are committed, and can be relied pm (Hall 2008). Employees should be ensured that when they voice out their concerns or complaints, there will be no adverse effect on their jobs. This way, they will be heard without a fear of termination or suspension. Third, an open communication among the staff, superiors and CEO’s should be established (Hall 2008). A chain of communication where these three can easily relate a concern with each other is one of the best practices a company can have, especially if there is an imminent change in the company.
Communication, as an important aspect of solving issues for changes in a company, is a key to unlocking the misunderstandings and cynicisms brewing in an organization. Misunderstandings result from the employees’ resistance to change (Jackson, Schuler and Werner 2012). In this regard, HR management should be visible during the process of implementing a new policy or corporate strategy so that the employees’ concerns will be properly addressed. This way, misunderstandings will be corrected immediately. On the other hand, cynicism is always present whenever a change is happening in an organization. A negative feeling toward a new corporate strategy was manifested by the employees of Unitel. There is no ‘program’ for remediating this kind of attitude; however, preventing it is the best way to combat it (Jackson, et al. 2012). In this regard, The HR manager should be able to foresee that employees will have negative opinions about the new policy, which the HR Manager should be able to address properly.
The Participative Approach is another approach to disentangling the problems, which arise during the implementation of a new corporate strategy (Saiyadain 2009). This approach is composed of two-way communication, trust and confidence, and sharing the outcome of change (Saiyadain 2009 ). Two-way communication is allowing an employee or any participating body to ask a question, which is answered by someone in authority. Giving explanations immediately to frequently asked questions will reduce the conflicts between the management and the staff. Trust and confidence will be seen through an open-door policy, continuous consultation, and keeping the employees informed. These are especially important since the change will bring out a feeling of surprise that may lead to not trusting the management. Sharing the outcome of change is also an important aspect of the participative approach. It is the core of this approach since the management, specifically the HR department, will be able to let employees feel that they are really a part of this enormous change in the company.
Other HR managers forget the minute details in implementing a new corporate strategy. Establishing clear directions and objectives and employing simple, phased programming are ways to lessen problems for the execution of new policies (Greener 2010). It may sound simple but giving clear directions and objectives to the employees about the new corporate strategy is needed so that the staff will also have a clear concept of the new policy. A simple phased programming is necessary so as not to distress the employees of the major changes that the company wants to implement. This lets them gradually feel that the change will give them a chance to acclimate themselves, particularly with the new strategy.
It is not only the employees who have to support the new corporate policy or strategy but also the top management. They may be the ones to think of this new strategy, but they should also be visible in every way. Support of the top management also counts in overcoming the employees’ resistance change (Daft 2009). If the top management frequently reinforces the new corporate strategy, then this will lead to a more tolerable complaint from the staff.
The initiators of the change in a company should invite and promote participation (Mello 2015). This will lead to employees becoming more committed to any course of action
Recommendations
The report has collated issues that emerged from the ‘Vision 2020’ new corporation strategy of Unitel. The HR department, led by the HR manager, is a very crucial part of initiating change in the company. The skills an HR manager should posses to be an integral part of strategic change in the company are: (1) business competence, which is knowing the company’s business and knowing its economic financial capabilities; (2) professional-technical knowledge such as staffing, development, rewards, organizational design, and communication; (3) management of the change processes, which includes the diagnosis of problems, the implementation of organizational changes, and the evaluation of results; and (4) integration competence, which is the ability to combine the three competencies to increase the company’s value (Nel 2009).
Since Human Resource Management is a change agent in a company, it brings distinct value by integrating, clarifying, and implementing business and HR imperatives so that some sense of stability or certainty exists as the change occurs (Mone and London 2009). This helps everyone develop a sense of the future condition with a degree of credibility.
HR management is responsible to oversee how employees fare in the company whether there is new policy implemented or not. The first thing that HR management should always show is empathy and support to employees (Cummings and Worley 2009). This is a way to let employees know that they understand the transition that they are going through and they are always there to support them in any step of the way.
Conclusion
HR management is a transformational agent in a company who are responsible in making new policies or corporate strategies in a company which will enhance the company’s profitability and value. They make sure that every employee should be committed in attaining company’s goal in the implementation of the new strategy. Constant communication both bottom to top and top to bottom should be employed in a company to avoid misunderstandings and resistance to new policies.
References
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