1. Introduction
Organizational effectiveness depends on having the right people in the right jobs at the right time to meet rapidly changing organizational requirements. The right people can be obtained by playing the role of the Human Resources (HR) function. Below is an outline and an explanation of how to evaluate the HR functions of an organization using HR activities in an architectural firm as an example. Human resource management (HRM), as defined by Bratton, J. & Gold, J. (2003), is
“A strategic approach to managing employment relationships that emphasizes that harnessing the capabilities of people is critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage, which is achieved through a distinctive set of integrated employment policies, programs, and practices.”
Based on this definition, we can see that human resource management should not simply handle recruiting, pay, and firing, but should also maximize the use of an organization’s human resources at a more strategic level. To describe what HRM does in the organization, Ulrich, D. and Brocklebank, W. (2005) have described some of the roles of HRM, such as employee advocate, human capital builder, functional expert, strategic partner, and business leader. human resources etc
An important aspect of an organization’s business approach and direction towards achieving high levels of competence and competitiveness would depend heavily on its human resource management practices to effectively contribute to profitability, quality and other online objectives. with the mission and vision of the company.
Personnel management, training, compensation and performance are basically important tools in HR practices that shape the role of the organization in meeting the needs of its stakeholders. Stakeholders of an organization consisting primarily of shareholders who will want to leverage their investments, customers whose wishes and desires for high-quality products or services are satisfied, employees who want their jobs in the organization to be interesting with reasonable compensation and a reward system and, finally, the community that would like the company to contribute and participate in activities and projects related to environmental issues. The common rules and procedures of human resource management must be respected by the organization that forms basic guidelines on its practices. Teamwork should be created and maintained between the lower levels of staff and management to assist in various angles deemed necessary to eliminate communication gaps and foster a better relationship between workers. Management must emphasize a good corporate culture to develop employees and create a positive and supportive work environment.
Performance appraisal (PA) is one of the important components in the rational and systemic process of human resource management. The information obtained through performance appraisal provides the foundation for recruiting and selecting new employees, training and developing existing staff, and motivating and maintaining a quality workforce by rewarding their performance appropriately and appropriately. Without a reliable performance appraisal system, a human resource management system falls apart, resulting in the complete waste of a company’s valuable human assets.
There are two main purposes of performance appraisal: evaluative and developmental. The evaluative purpose is intended to inform people about their performance position. The performance data collected is often used to reward high performance and punish low performance. The purpose of development is intended to identify problems in the employees performing the assigned task. The performance data collected is used to provide necessary training or professional development.
2. Affirmative action has helped many members of minority groups create equal opportunity in education and employment. Who could oppose helping these minorities, who suffered years of discrimination, get the equal opportunities they deserve? The problem is that affirmative action promotes racial preferences and quotas that provoke mixed emotions. Those who once supported affirmative action now call for “reverse discrimination.” If we want more support for affirmative action, we need to get rid of preferential treatment.
The backbone of affirmative action began with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment. The amendment abolished slavery and any involuntary work, it shows that there was a call for equal opportunities for all South Africans.
A comprehensive HR strategy plays a vital role in achieving an organization’s overall strategic objectives and visibly illustrates that the HR function fully understands and supports the direction in which the organization is moving. A comprehensive human resources strategy will also support other specific strategic objectives undertaken by the marketing, finance, operations, and technology departments.
In essence, a human resources strategy should aim to capture “the human element” of what an organization hopes to achieve in the medium and long term, ensuring that:
where you have the right people in place
where you have the right combination of skills
o Employees display the correct attitudes and behaviors, and
where employees develop in the right way.
If, as is often the case, the organization’s strategies and plans have been developed without any input from human resources, the rationale for the HR strategy. “happy people.
A human resources strategy will add value to the organization if:
o More clearly articulate some of the common themes behind the achievement of other plans and strategies, which have not been fully identified before; and
o Identifies the fundamental underlying issues that must be addressed by any organization or business if its people are to be motivated, engaged and operate effectively.
The first of these areas will involve careful consideration of existing or developing plans and strategies to identify and draw attention to common themes and implications, not previously made explicit.
The second area should be about identifying which of these plans and strategies are so critical that there must be clear plans to address them before the organization can achieve any of its objectives. These are likely to include:
or workforce planning issues
or succession planning
or workforce skills plans
or employment equity plans
o black economic empowerment initiatives
or problems of motivation and fair treatment
o pay levels designed to recruit, retain and motivate people
o Coordinating pay and classification approaches across the organization to create alignment and potential unequal pay claims
o A ranking and remuneration system that is considered fair and that offers an appropriate reward for contributions made
o Broader employment issues impacting recruitment, retention, motivation, etc. of the staff.
o A coherent performance management framework designed to meet the needs of all parts of the organization, including its people.
o career development frameworks that look at development within the organization to equip employees with “employability” so that they can cope with increasingly frequent changes in employer and employment patterns
o Policies and frameworks to ensure that people’s development issues are systematically addressed: competency frameworks, self-managed learning, etc.
The HR strategy will need to demonstrate that careful planning for people-related issues will make it substantially easier for the organization to achieve its broader strategic and operational objectives.
In addition, the HR strategy can add value by ensuring that, in all its other plans, the organization considers and plans for changes in the broader environment, which are likely to have a major impact on the organization, such as:
o Changes in the general labor market – demographic or remuneration levels
or cultural changes that will impact future employment patterns
or changes in the employee relations climate
or changes in the legal framework around employment
o HR and employment practices being developed in other organizations, such as new flexible working practices.
Finding the right opportunity to make a case for developing an HR strategy is critical to ensuring that there will be support for the initiative and that the organization will recognize its initial value.
Giving a strong practical bias to the proposed strategy can help gain buy-in for the idea, such as focusing on good management practices. It is also important to incorporate “early or quick wins” into any new strategy.
Other opportunities may present the ideal time to foster the development of an HR strategy:-
Or a major new internal initiative might present the right opportunity to jumpstart an accompanying HR strategy, such as a restructuring exercise, corporate acquisition, joint venture, or merger exercise.
or a new externally generated initiative could similarly create the right climate for a new HR strategy, eg black economic empowerment initiatives.
o In some cases, even negative news can provide “right timing”—for example, a recent industry action or employee dissatisfaction expressed through a weather survey.