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The following are the top 11-15 most popular expert advice articles on human resources management (HRM):

Top 5 HRM Articles | Top 6-10 HRM Articles | Top 11-15 HRM Articles

Human Resources Management (HRM) Advice 11

Motivation in the Work Place

MOTIVATION:
The word motivation is derived from the word motive which means any idea or emotions that prompts a person into action.
Motivation can also be defined as the urge or drive to take action to satisfy wants. The motivators are the actions or implements that will actually motivate employees to perform in a desired way.
In the employment context the major concentration for management is the problem of getting the employees to work in such a way that the organization achieves its goals.

Importance of Motivation
-It improves efficiency with which the job is done.
-It leads to higher productivity and better quality work
-It creates confidence in employees
-It leads to lower supervisory costs
-It reduces labor turnover, absenteeism, complaints and grievances from the employees.

Motivation Theories:
There are various ways of looking at motivation. The early motivation theories can be grouped under 3 headings

1.Satisfaction Themes (Herzberg)
These theories are based on the assumption that a satisfied worker will work harder. Satisfaction may reduce labor turnover and absenteeism but will not necessarily increase individual productivity.

2.Incentive Theories:
These theories are based on the assumption that individuals will work harder in order to obtain a desired reward. This is a positive reinforcement although most studies are concentrated on money as a motivator.
Incentive theories can work if the individual perceives the increased reward to be worth the extra effort.
The performance can be measured and clearly attributed to that individual.
The individual wants that kind of reward.
The increased performance will not become the new minimum standard.

3.Intrinsic Theory
These theories are based on the belief that higher order needs are one more prevalent in modern man than he is given credit for. People will work hard in response to factor the work itself e.g. participation, responsibility and so on i.e. effective performance is its own reward.

The satisfaction Theory (Herzberg): (2-factor Theory):

Herzberg identified elements which cause job dissatisfaction and classified them as hygiene factors. Those which can cause job satisfaction he classified them as motivator factors.
He called them hygiene factors because they are essentially preventive i.e. they prevent or minimize dissatisfaction, but do not give satisfaction.
The hygiene factors are:

-Company policy and administration
-Salary
-Quality of supervision
-Interpersonal relations
-Working conditions
-Job security

The hygiene factors relate to conditions of work rather than to the work itself. They answer the question why work here?
The motivator factors actually create job satisfaction and are effective in motivating an individual to superior performance and effort. They answer the question why work harder?
These factors are:

-Status
-Advancement
-Gaining recognition
-Being given responsibility
-Challenging work
-Achievement
-Growth in the job

Expectancy Theory (V.H. VROOM):
This states that an individual’s behavior is affected by:
1.What the person wants to happen.

2.That person’s estimate of the probabilities of various events occurring including the desired outcome.

3.The strength of the persons belief that a certain outcome will satisfy his needs.
In other words the theory states that the strength of an individual’s motivation to do something will depend on the extent to which he expects the results of his efforts to contribute towards his personal needs, either to reward him or punish him.

The expectancy theory states that people will decide how much they are going to put into their work according to:
The value that they place on the outcome, whether positive value of reward or the negative value of punishment. This is called valence.

The strength of their expectation that behaving in a certain way will in fact bring out the desired outcome. This is called expectancy.

Author: Tony Africa

Human Resources Management (HRM) Advice 12

What are some tips for having an effective human resource management plan?

What are some tips for having an effective human resource management plan? First of all, it has to address the facts that business fortunes rise and fall periodically, employees and talent needs change and evolve, workforces age and retire in perhaps unplanned ways that do not match business needs. Also the market value of talent changes over time, sometimes becoming more valuable or less valuable.

Business focus:
Be a best business place to work, not just a best place to work. Create a human resource management strategy to live with throughout the business cycle. Test some alternative solutions assuming growth and shrinkage of the number of customers and their profitability. Reward people who have helped the organisation to succeed.

Emphasize key skills:
Mentor staff with the crucial business skills so that they grow and learn. While everyone is important, some people have skills which a business needs than do others. This means investing in the talent that is closest to the business' core competencies - capabilities which are vital in making the business a winning one. Inform everyone what the talent priorities are and build a reward solution that fits. Invest on the area where most of business value comes from - people with expertise that add most to the business.

Communicate:
Educate employees about the rules of staffing growth and reduction early in their career. During the staffing build up over the last 5 years, companies implied that jobs were more secure than they really are. Thus, when the business tide turned, workforces recalled these implied promises and interpreted them as job guarantees. It is extremely important to have people understand the actual deal the company can provide. Be clear that staffing levels would change. However, also make employees comprehend what they can do to improve their value to make it less likely that they will be picked for lay offs and salary reductions.

Measure performance:
Build an accepted and valid way to judge performance before it is needed. It is important to have a credible and reliable performance management system in place when times are going well. In good times, it is easy to protect inadequate performers when staffing levels are high, but not when cutting is necessary. The best way to foster distrust, to say nothing about litigation, is to adopt a makeshift ranking system just before it is needed to reduce staff and try to use it to decide who goes and who remains.

Humanity counts:
Cut the workforce quickly and humanely. Spreading the pain around does not make much business sense. When there is a need to reduce staff, reduce it. Build a reputation for keeping people close to the meat of the business even when cutting is inevitable.

Get it over with:
Cut enough so that when it is over, it is really over. Do some staff planning and stick with it. Companies cannot continue to regain the trust of the workforce if they do not make the needed cuts and commence to regain business momentum. While it is very hard to predict the next possible economic fortunes of the business, the staff cutting must stop when management promises that it will.

Author: Thanaseelan

Human Resources Management (HRM) Advice 13

Dealing With The Dimensions Of Diversity

When employed in the corporate world I recall vividly going through some of the first diversity training workshops put on by the company. These were all focused around the women versus men working together topic and the relevant issues which arose from that.

As things progressed the voices of individuals from the other many dimensions of diversity started to be heard and; now it is clearly acknowledged that we need to pay attention to employees from all of the dimensions Of diversity in order to craft out effective diversity strategies which lead organizations developing and maintaining a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

So what are these dimensions Of Diversity of which we speak? Well, there are many and here are some to consider:- thinking styles, language, ethnicity, religion, perspectives, experiences, nationality, job level, race, culture, skills, gender, physical abilities, sexual orientation, age and sex. These dimensions Of diversity lead to us acting in a particular fashion and carrying out our day to day work activities in our own particular style.

Each individual whilst acting within their particular style according to their view of the world have the basic needs of being appreciated and acknowledged. Their ideas of how a company should design and develop and product or service and; sell that product or service into the marketplace need to be incorporated into the decision making process. This is especially important when we bear in mind that the organization's products and services are being sold into an ever increasing diverse marketplace.

With the makeup of the typical management structures of today's companies it is critical to have the structure and processes in place which ensure that effective career progression, recognition, acknowledgment and reward for all employees. The higher level management will need to go through relevant training and to fully embrace diversity with the lead of the human resources department.

The way this is implemented will of course differ from organization to organization but we may well see management spending time with individuals in order to understand the world from their point of view. This could take the form of one of meetings and/or social events. However I would advise a mentoring / mentee relationship which gives both parties a view into each others world.

It may be the case that a high level corporate manager comes from a middle class background, attended private schools and went straight through to a prestigious university and from there through various programs is managing as expected. And it must be said, is well equipped to do so. However, this individual may well have no real life experience of dealing with members of the community that are not like themselves so, when they are faced with dealing with individuals like this within the workplace they are left outside of their comfort zones.

In the same organization you may have some other well educated individuals from say the black and ethnic minority communities who is very talented however, the manager may not have life experience of dealing with this type of individual.

(The above is for illustration purposes only, we could use an example where the managers are strictly religious and have to deal with employees who are well capable and may be in a gay relationship this could cause the manager not to value that individual and in turn that individual's career may not be progressed as it otherwise would have and the company ends up not running in the most efficient way)

The way this individual's ideas, suggestions and opinions are processed due to the manager's bias may lead to inefficient development and marketing strategies. These will all in turn lead onto the company not operating in an as efficient a manner as it otherwise would be if all of the quality ideas and suggestions were taken on board.

This illustrated some of my thought processes behind devising an effective diversity strategy in bringing together the management team, human resources and individuals from the differing dimensions of diversity in order to improve company efficiency and overall employee satisfaction as well as enhancing the company's competitive advantage.

Author: Stephen Campbell

Human Resources Management (HRM) Advice 14

Human Resources Outsourcing -- What Is It, Who Does It Help, And Who Does It Hurt?

There exists a great deal of misunderstandings as to what the duties of a human resources department entail. Most people assume that HR deals with hiring, firing and employee complaints. Actually, human resources general involves far more than that.

Human resources can include payroll, accounting, health benefits processing, labor-management relations, union issues, pensions and many, many other details. For many years, HR departments remained a major component of businesses in the United States and, following the trend of other facets that comprise companies and corporations, HR departments have routinely been shut down and their duties outsourced to other companies that specialize in human resources management.

Many years ago, there simply were no standards as to what was considered fair in the world of labor -- at least in the United States. Under Franklin D. Roosevelt, many labor related issues were stabilized and instituted by the New Deal program designed to get the United States out of the depression. Laws against child labor and exploitation were instituted.

The Federal Labor Relations Board was set up to oversee union-management issues. The work week was set at forty hours and a minimum wage was set at forty cents per hour. And, of course, all these things along with Social Security and the Securities Exchange Commission were vehemently opposed by some, but the New Deal went through to much popular appeal.

Granted, in recent years, much has been done to reverse all of this. While there are minimum wage laws in the United States and in all other Western European countries, corporations have circumvented this by exporting HR projects to lesser developed countries where labor is cheap.

Additionally, by setting up human resources outsourcing contracts with third world suppliers, corporations are also able to avoid paying for health care.

Human resources outsourcing is a way in which minimum wage can be circumvented under the guise of a company saving money. Well, it actually isnt a guise. Companies actually do save a considerable amount of money by outsourcing. However, this issue has raised a number of important concerns.

A legitimate and serious issue facing the middle class in the United States, HR outsourcing is routinely ignored in the media as if it did not exist. Quite to the contrary, in the United States, HR outsourcing usually means higher profits for business owners and lower wages for laborers, as people in human resources departments must now compete on an international wage scale, rather than a domestic one. However, on the other side of the debate, companies claim that outsourcing will not only decrease prices in the United States, but it will also provide better jobs for people in the developing world -- who rightly deserve them, as they can produce at the lowest cost.

Author: Mary Murtha

Human Resources Management (HRM) Advice 15

Becoming A Human Resource Professional

Human resource management is a major function in an organization. The staff involved in the activities in human resource management has an important role to play. Their responsibilities include recruiting and training employees, managing wages, implementing staff benefits, evaluating job performance, developing staff recreational activities and motivating workers to improve their work performance. In order to work in this area, you need to acquire the specialized skills and knowledge through training.

With globalization of businesses, management of human resource is becoming more complex and demanding. The movement of professionals across the globe is becoming more intense. Besides, in order to stay competitive in business, companies are implementing new and innovative ways of conducting their business and these include strategies such as merging, downsizing, restructuring, consolidating and sub-contracting of services. All these strategies contribute to various issues in human resource management which the professionals in this area need to resolve. For example, due to these strategies implemented by companies, the human resource staff may need to formulate compensation plans, retrenchment benefits, layoff procedures, or even counseling programs for layoff staff.

Currently, as a human resource professional, being familiar with the labor laws in your own country is not enough. Due to globalization businesses and the movement of staff from one country to another, you will also need to be familiar with the labor laws of other countries as well. When drafting policies, you need to be impartial and set nondiscriminatory rules to encourage equal employment opportunity. Undeniably, more factors and issues are involved in human resource management now than ever before.

Being involved in human resource work can be very challenging. There will be times when you find that you cannot please everybody. For example, a particular compensation plan may not be able to satisfy every staff. Some people may be happy with it while others may not be agreeable to it. Furthermore, while you seek to take care of the benefits and welfare of the employees, you also need to consider the objectives of the company at the same time. Sometimes, you may find yourself in the midst of conflicts between parties involving co-workers, supervisors, unions, etc. You need to handle delicate issues effectively and exercise tact and patience when you encounter trying situations. In handling matters of great sensitivity, you need to manage the situation well and resolve the problem.

In order to work in human resource management, you need to undergo training. A human resource management course will equipped you with the necessary skills to be a professional in this area. Typically, in such a course, you will be introduced to subjects like organizational behavior and structure, compensational packages and benefits, recruitment methods, motivation of employees and assistance to troubled employees.

Being a human resource professional, you are required to interact with many people. You need to interact with all levels of staff, union members, job applicants and insurance agents. Hence, if you wish to work in this area, you should feel comfortable dealing with people. It is best if you are an outgoing person and like working in a team. You should be good in communication skills.

Human resource management is an important area of work. Without people, there will be no business, government or any organization. A profession in human resource is both a challenging and interesting one. It is a specialized area of work. Taking a course will equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to work in this area. If you want to choose a career in human resource, you can consider taking a course now.

Author: HRM Consulting

Human Resources Management (HRM) Advice 16

Human Resources 101

Managing an organization on its way to success has its own challenges, like dealing with economic factors that may or may not stand as obstacles. Ordinarily, one will claim that this is a Human Resource affair. However, some successful organizations have employed more workable techniques to succeed. This is the human resources of today.

The Traditional Role of Human Resources

Most people in an organization will identify the Human Resources Department to anything systematic, policy-related or administrative. Some automatically think that a Human Resources Program will proceed with psychology or endeavor to inculcate any of the three mentioned above.

This traditional method puts emphasis on leadership, cohesiveness and loyalty in an organization. It emphasized on collectivism.

There is nothing completely bad in such traditional view. However, it was criticized for focusing too much on the economic factors of an organization.

This had been confronted further by different aspects and needs. Thus, the field of human resources was also shaped as it adapted to the social or political environment.

Transitional Phase

Times are changing now. The traditional perception must be taken out of the picture. The modern trend now in Human Resources Management is to be more strategic, consultative and interactive.

Human Resources of the 21st Century

It is definitely a desirable change. However, this may not come easily to those who have gotten used to the ‘old school.'

The social climate of the organization is now addressed, rather than being limited to the economic factors. This time the behavior of the individual is given as much importance as the economic structures.

This time around, Human Resources Department pushes even more the firm into performance as each member now is driven by the attention given.

What Should One Expect in the Human Resources Department Now?

1. The department must show that it contributes to fulfilling all the goals of the whole organization. It is not anymore limited to the department.

2. It should provide also bases and dimensions to measure the success of the human resources initiative and the processes applied.

3. All the members of the organization are to be treated and recognized as clients.

4. Finally, it will not hurt to also change the perception of the people with regard to the role of the Human Resources Department.

It is undeniable. It is necessary to further educate people and provide support to this practice.

What Are the Current Initiatives to Fulfill the Goal?

• Human Resources Outsourcing

Normally, people approach the Human Resources Department to consult on matters to regulate relations among members. However, this consultation could also be utilized to break away from the old shell.

Providing services to the other departments of an organization will make the HR Department a more dynamic entity. It could help in determining some processes to realize the vision of a particular department.

• Human Resources Education

The academe can make a big difference in changing the perception.

Improving and developing the literature and the present theories will be helpful in addressing the concerns and the needs of any organization. This is in light of the constantly changing society that concerns the human resources experts and people.

Further studies in the Human Resources can help shape and improve the theories. However, pursuing a career in the Human Resources is expected to contribute to the developments in practice and implementation.

There are initiatives also to spread the knowledge within the organization, down to the most ordinary members. The best way to empower them is to give out Human Resources software that provides an orientation and comprehensive discussion of organizational policies.

• Human Resources and the Law

There are Human Resources laws provided nowadays. This fact is beneficial to most people in the workplace. It establishes the foundations that must be present in any firm or organization. It also sets limits the extent of what human resources will cover, so as not to deprive any person of any basic right or privilege.

There are even some who now implement a Human Resources Program that allows active participation of the employees. They are made part of decision making and the HR Department is tasked to come up with methods and venues to make this endeavor feasible.

Leadership is undeniably important in any organization. It grounds the responsibility and accountability on a single source. However, for any whole to work, its parts must be recognized. That is why the developments in the field of Human Resources are very much welcomed. Human Resources Management must focus on its real strength, on its real resources, the human resources.

Article may be freely distributed as long as content is not altered and Author's resource box and link remains intact and active.

Author: Mary Murtha

Human Resources Management (HRM) Advice 17

Human Resources Careers

Human Resources professionals are the lifelines of companies. They are the link between qualified job candidates and management. Along with handling such job functions as managing employee benefits, recruiting, interviewing and hiring personnel in accordance with company policy and need, they are also asked to consult with top executives and create strategic game plans for companies. It is a sign of the times, human resources professionals are asked to wear many hats and have moved from behind the curtain to playing a supportive role in a company's personnel decisions and policies.

The amount of training and education needed for a career in human resources is as varied as the many job descriptions and titles. Many employers seek college graduates when it comes to filling entry-level positions. Most graduates have majors in human resources, personnel administration, or industrial and labor relations. However, college graduates with technical, business, or liberal arts backgrounds have also been able to break into the field of human resources and are preferred by some companies.

Many colleges and universities either have programs leading to degrees in personnel, human resources and labor relations or they offer degree programs in personnel administration, human resources management, training and development or compensation and benefits. Those looking to become specialists should take courses in compensation, recruitment, training and development and performance appraisal. As in other fields knowledge and training are the keys to becoming marketable. Business courses such as principles of management, organizational structure, and industrial psychology should also be considered along with any course that will improve your general knowledge of computers.

Salary rates for human resource professionals are not constant since they are based on occupation, experience, training and education, location, size of the company and whether or not you belong to a union. In 2002 the median annual salary for human resources mangers was $64,710. The middle 50 percent of human resource professionals earned between $47,420 and $88,100 while the lowest 10 percent earned less than $36,280 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $114,300.

With a constant flow of qualified college graduates and seasoned professionals navigating the job market there is indeed a level of competitiveness when it comes to careers in the field of human resources. On the bright side, the overall employment of human resources professionals, training and labor mangers and specialist is expected to grow between 21 and 35 percent, which is faster than average, through 2012. In fact certain specialists such as employment, recruitment and placement specialist may be in higher demand due to many companies increasing efforts to recruit and retain qualified employees.

Author: Matt Williams

Human Resources Management (HRM) Advice 18

The Changing Face of Human Resource Management Systems

Most businesses that run HRMS already understand how crucial it can be for streamlining human resource department functions. In the days before HRMS, managing human resources on a large scale was a daunting task marked by inefficiency and a paper trail that made file cabinet manufacturers an extremely happy lot. International businesses often had no central HR administration as the sharing of information, employee records, banking and payroll were only incorporated during first quarter tax assessment of the company as whole. Even some U.S. businesses with multiple offices or locations ran completely separate HR departments, with reconciliation of company expenditures related to personnel never coming to fruition. Fortunately, HRMS have made all of these problems a thing of the past.

Over the last fifteen years, HRMS have made their mark on the corporate landscape. Stiff, unyielding in nature and low on functionality, the first HRMS applications were resource consuming monstrosities that required an advanced degree in computer science to implement and operate. Company personnel would have to request HRMS data from administrators hired specifically to run the system. Instead of empowering HR departments, the earliest HRMS were more of a detriment to them. Thankfully, the technology behind HRMS improved rapidly, giving way to the indispensable tools we are accustomed to today. HRMS have evolved to contain multiple, highly specialized tools for a variety of HR tasks. The ability to manage several aspects of human resources, from time and attendance to payroll and labor distribution from one application has proven to be a valuable commodity in the business world.

One of the best developments in HRMS over the last several years has been modular packaging. At one time, HRMS were only available as a singular software entity, not a suite or series of applications. Small businesses were relegated to using the same HRMS that large businesses used, with pricing and functionality that certainly favored the latter. Today, most HRMS offer scalable modules, allowing businesses to only purchase and implement the applications they need. This reduces not only the cost of the HRMS, but keeps system resources from having to deal with larger applications that run despite only a portion of their functions being utilized.

HRMS have become a standard application in the business community, and as more companies large and small discover the inherent value of the software, the competition among developers is likely to increase. HRMS are already some of the most functional and practical of all business software solutions, but as most developers will tell you, the best is yet to come.

Author: Random Writers

Human Resources Management (HRM) Advice 19

Trends In Human Resources

The role of the Human Resources Department has changed dramatically over the past 30 years and will become increasingly more strategic in nature in the future, said a leading light of the HR community in the recent 2006 Annual Conference and Exposition of HR practitioners in Washington, DC.

Rita Craig, president of the Craig Group and a long-time professional HR consultant, said the role of HR has changed from a primarily administrative position to one that is more strategic. Times certainly have change from those days when the HR department was called the "smile and file" department since in that era, the primary qualifications for HR were simply a friendly disposition and an ability to file.

She said that the emerging trends in HR call for HR professionals to take the lead in planning for the future and becoming strategic business partners in their organizations. She identified several other trends in the industry, as follows: (1) a shrinking talent pool, (2) An increase in outsourcing, (3) A more intense focus on work/life balance; (4) Changing workplace demographics, (5) Greater need for talent management, (6) Ethics requirements, and (6) Globalization.

But the key appears to be strategic planning. With the changing landscape of Human Resources management in the years to come, strategic planning will be the key for HR to meet those needs and to succeed. The key to HR planning for the future begins with one simple question that HR professionals have to ask themselves, says Craig: "If we are successful in the years to come, what will our customers and competitors be saying about us?" With the answers to this question, HR practitioners can formulate a clear, shared vision and a sense of direction for the organization.

As a possible starting point in providing answers to the key question, Craig suggested the following: Focus resources on key goals and strategic measures, create and sustain long-term performance, and create a living document that can change when necessary.

In closing, Craig warned against "powerful and pervasive barriers" that prevent HR professionals from being effective in their roles. She pinpointed these as resistance to change, failure to implement plans, the wounds of past strategic planning failures, and failure to anticipate the impact on people, process and organizational structure.

Author: Kadence Buchanan

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