Mohammad Mosaddek Hussain :
Managing human resources properly in an organization is the key factor to run the organization with a view to ensuring its stability, progress, desired profit and overall development. But in reality, HR management is a very complex and critical tasks for the management that needs various tools and techniques to maintain all the operational process in line with the organizational goal. An organization or business enterprize hires various categories of employees to achieve the goal by utilizing them as per their capacities and expertize. Apart from that HRM process uses various tools to develop the organization for longer stability and ascertain their profits
Needless to say that human resource management is a process for managing people in any organization. On the other hand, employees are vital assets of these organizations if their goals, targets and aims are to be met in line with the organizational goal. If properly managed and taken care of, employees may properly contribute to an organization’s improvement and success using their specific skill, capacities, abilities and knowledge. In fact, the major challenge faced by HR personnel/managers in handling and administering employees is that each person has their unique abilities, traits and capacities which must be adjusted in line with the prevailing operating environment within the organization. Moreover, the organizations must consider also the attitudes and behavior of the employees’ and superiors in order to raise a congenial, peaceful and effective working environment and work relationship with others. Various current human resource management studies and researches and practice methods are of help to the young and newly recruited professionals working for the organization but these practices may still be improved considering the practical situation of the organization.
It is revealed from various studies that a critical factor in human resources management is hiring the right kind of persons for each position. In the process of hiring process, out of thousand applicants who passed their resumes to the HR office, only a few of them pass the written and/or oral exams, get to be interviewed by a recruiting board and get a slot in an organization. But even hiring them may not be an assurance that a firm/organization got the person up to the challenges of his position, depending on his ability to relate well with colleagues, has the ability to deliver amid issues which may arise in the workplace. It is also a crucial factor that to be considered is to ensuring the retention of an employee. As pointed out in various studies such as those of (Calvasina, Calvasina, Calvasina, 2008), fresh graduates may face various types of problems related to sexual harassment, racial discrimination, bullying and similar issues brought on by unethical behavior by colleagues and even superiors. These factors is important especially when hiring fresh graduates who may or may not have any working experience related with their subjects. sCalvasina et.al (2008) reveal that some government agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have filed charges against firms suspected of harassing their first time young employees. In addition, the EEOC has also conducted seminars orienting young adults on their rights as employees and even engaging with employers to provide a conducive environment for young adults to be employed for the first time.
Further, Calvasina et.al (2008) also cites several court decisions pertaining to sexual harassment occurring in various states. The study had concerning sexual harassment of young employees by some of their senior colleagues. Many cases ended in payment of damages, attendance of seminars or out of court settlements.
To overcome the harassment, necessary awareness building trainings be arranged and thereafter be followed up by refresher courses, and personnel handling the trainings should be qualified in this subject. The EEOC also came out with a series of guidelines for employers aimed at preventing workplace discrimination against young workers (Cavasina, et.al 2008): These include facilitating employer-young worker interaction, encouraging various modes for young employees to air complains on harassment and discrimination, formulation of a organizational policy dealing with harassment and discrimination issues, publicly and clearly enunciating such policy to all employees, and conducting training sessions for supervisors on harassment/discrimination prevention. The commission also encourages employers to reach out to parents of young employees so that they can be better informed on workplace issues which may involve their children. But these provisions are framed, followed, documented and monitored by the appropriate section ( likely HR Department) for overcoming the unwanted situation in the workplace in the developed countries. On the other hand, very few organizations consider this policy for the employees in the workplace in the developing countries. New rules and regulations have to be formulated for creating congenial atmosphere in the organizations of the developing countries. It is now a dire need for the industries as well as all sorts of organizations.
Racial concerns still underlying employment issues, it is important to maintain balancing its employee population based on religion, creed, clan and color. If there are cases of discrimination, organizations may implement pertinent policies based on affirmative action. I also think that the EEOC’s policy on discrimination and harassment Appropriate policy and rules may be exerted to issues on affirmative action specifically on employer-employee communication and a clear policy on merit-based affirmative action as a whole.
Practice of HR management reveals that, it is also important for HR managers/ personnel to critically analyze and consider the hiring, planning and development processes corollary to acquiring and retaining new employees. It is during these processes when an organization recruits new employees, develop their skills according to their specific capabilities and at the same time, craft specific measures aimed at streamlining human resource management. However because these processes also entails costs and time, organizations must be able to estimate beforehand the HR’s needs and requirements and its overall necessities of resources.
Ivancevich (2009) points out specific characteristics of the current HRM system such as emphasis on action, focus on individual employees, ability to adjust with global employment conditions and capability to foresee potential changes in how things are being run. This dynamic paradigm necessitates critical analysis among HR practioners if their respective units are to survive in the current competitive world.
(To be continued)
