Conflict Prevention and Management - Case Study Example

Human resource case study analysis Name of the Student: Name of the Instructor: Name of the course: Code of the course: Submission date: Human resource case study analysis Introduction The concept of human resource management (HRM) has received elevated prominence in the recent decades. In a generic sense, HRM can basically be perceived as a strategic approach to managing the relations in employment which emphasizes that leveraging the capabilities of the people is integral in the efforts to achieve competitive advantage (Bratton & Gold, 2003, p. 6). The realm of HRM is greatly focused on a wide alley of issues related to employee relations. Nonetheless, this review will primarily center on four key areas of employee relations namely employee attraction and recruitment, grievances and dispute resolution, employee safety and wellbeing as well as employee communication strategy. Additionally, it will analyze the impact of each area on five work related contemporary issues namely culture, legal compliance and obligations of employees, risk management, conflict and managing diversity. This is done in the subsequent analysis. Employee attraction and recruitment Employee attraction, recruitment and organizational choice have received significant attention in the recent years (Highhouse et. al., 2003, p. 986). This is based on the impact of this area on the five work related contemporary issues mentioned above. In regard to the impact on culture, it is imperative to note that culture is primarily about the brand image of a company. In this case, when a company attracts and recruits individuals with high level of creativity and innovation in its workforce, this is bound to have ripple impacts on the short and long-term impacts the establishment and growth of an organizational culture founded on innovation and creativity. Employee attraction and recruitment also impacts on the legal compliance and obligations of employees in the sense that when an organization recruits employees with high regard for policies governing the operations of a particular industry, for instance, occupational health and safety policies (OHS), these employees are bound to exhibit high level of compliance with the set policies in OHS which will eventually trickle down to other employees in an organization. On the other hand, employee attraction and recruitment has extensive impacts on risk management practices in an organization. This is best epitomized in Australia whereby if a company attracts and recruits personnel who are cognizant of the provisions in the ISO31000:2009, this is bound to impact on the level of compliance with the safety standards outlined in this document in the wider organization. This is founded on the fact that the general approach outlined in ISO31000:2009 forwards the guidelines and principles geared towards the management of any form of risk in a transparent, systematic and credible manner within whichever context and scope (Standards Australia, 2009, p. 4). Employee attraction and recruitment also poses significant impacts on conflicts in an organization. This is exemplified whereby in case a firm attracts and recruits individuals with robust conflict management skills apart from their general professional qualifications, this has an impact in the mitigation of conflicts in the organization and amicable solution of such conflicts in case they arise. Lastly, employee attraction and recruitment has impacts on the management of diversity in an organization in the six dimensions of diversity of race, age, sexual orientation, gender, national origin and disability as outlined in the work by Shore et. al. (2009, p. 117). In this case, when an organization attracts and recruits employees from all the above dimensions of diversity, this has an impact in the management of diversity in this organization both in the short and in the long-term. Grievances and dispute resolution Grievances and dispute resolution has for a long time been central to HRM with one of the key roles of HR managers being the management of conflicts and disputes and eventual delivery of justice in workplace decision making (Gramberg & Teicher, 2005, p. 2). Grievances and dispute resolution impacts on culture in the sense that when an organization has proper mechanisms of handling grievances and disputes among the employees, this culminates in the development of a culture which respects individuals’ sentiments and opinions. This has been alluded as being central in helping an organization to compete in the marketplace (Koys, 1988, p. 58). Grievances and dispute resolution also impacts on legal compliance and obligations of employees. This is founded on the fact that when an organization engages the all the employees or their representative in the processes, the employees are bound to feel like their grievances are being considered and subsequently not engage in an unlawful activities. This is because such kind of involvement affords the employees some sought of procedural justice or due process which is arguably not just a requirement in the formal legal processes but also according to scholars like McCabe and Rabil (2002) a requirement in the workplaces. In this case, affording procedural justice to the employees using robust grievances and dispute resolution mechanisms is central in fortifying the compliance and obligations of employees in the workplace. Grievances and dispute resolution also impacts on risk management. This is whereby when an organization effectively and efficiently resolves the grievances and disputes among the employees, this is key in ensuring that such disputes do not escalate to extreme scenarios in the organization, for instance, destruction of the property and loss of lives which increases the level of risks in the firm. Additionally, efficiency in resolving disputes and grievances among the employees ensures increased employee satisfaction which cautions organizations from the risk of losing their most competent human resource as a result of frustrations. Thus, this can also be perceived as a fundamental source of sustained human resource competitive advantage in any given firm. In regard to the impact of grievances and dispute resolution on conflict, it is plausible to infer that strong disputes and grievances resolution models have the overall impact of minimizing the level of conflicts, either between the employer and the employees or between the employees themselves. This is best epitomized by mediation which is a model of dispute resolution (Bennet, 2012, p. 479) which ensures that the conflicting parties are brought together for amicable solution of their standoff. In this case, the institution of a robust mediation mechanism in an organization ensures that the conflicts are resolved in due time before they worsen. Lastly, grievances and dispute resolution has impacts on managing diversity. This is best epitomized whereby in case the dispute and grievances resolution mechanism primed in an organization unfairly delivers justice to different individuals based on their race, gender and nationality among other dimensions of diversity previously mentioned, the disadvantaged group is bound to feel discriminated against and eventually leave this organization which is a detrimental blow to diversity management. Employee safety and wellbeing Employee safety and wellbeing impacts on the culture embedded in an organization in the sense that when an organization institutes robust employee safety and wellbeing standards all the employees will play a certain role in promoting safety and wellbeing in the workplace which will eventually culminate in the development and growth of this culture among current and future employees. On the other hand, when an organization formulates and implements policies aimed at promoting employee safety and wellbeing coupled with an enforcement mechanism, this will impact on the legal compliance and obligations of employees. This is based on the fact that the enforcement agency will underpin the legal obligation of the employees to comply with the set policies which will ensure their extended compliance. Thus, the employees will feel legally obliged to abide and comply with the set policies, both for their personal safety and wellbeing as well as the continued compliance of the organization with external employee safety and wellbeing guidelines like ISO31000:2009 mentioned above. Similarly, employee safety and wellbeing has extensive impacts on risk management. This is in the sense that when an organization formulates and executes profound employee safety and wellbeing policies, this will go a long way in managing the occurrence and recurrence of various risks in the workplace, for instance, injuries and exposure to harmful substances in the workplace. In this case, the institution of the employee safety and wellbeing policies ensures enhanced risk management practices at the organizational level. Employee safety and wellbeing also impacts on conflicts in the sense that when the safety and wellbeing of the employees is guaranteed and facilitated by the organization, this has the impact of minimizing the level of conflicts between the employees and the management organ of this institution with employees demanding for improved safety and wellbeing in the workplace. This is founded on the findings by the College of Nurses of Ontario (2009, p. 87) who determined that conflicts between the employer and the employees are bound to escalate if the working conditions of the employees are poor and unsafe, for instance, safety hazards, lack of ventilation and too much noise among others. Lastly, employee safety and wellbeing impacts on managing diversity in an organization in the sense that in case an organization ensures safety and wellbeing of all the employees in the workforce, for instance, the disabled through creation of disability friendly working environment, this is bound to attract the members of this group into the workforce which has the long-term effect of diversity management in the organization. Similarly, if an organization institutes anti-gender abuse policies in the workforce aimed at ensuring the safety and wellbeing of women, this is bound to ensure that more women are attracted and retained in this workforce which is key in managing diversity in this organization. Employee communication strategy Majority of employee communication functions have reliance on a multiple audience strategy, for instance, face to face managerial communication undertakings as well as all employee channels like newsletters, posters and intranets among others (O’Neil, 2008, p. 1). The employee communication strategy impacts on culture in the sense that in case the management exclusively utilizes a communication strategy which encompasses feedback from the employees, this is key in cultivating a culture of consultation between the employees and the management organ in this organization. Similarly, employee communication strategy has impacts on legal compliance and obligations of the employees. This is whereby when a certain aspect of business operations, for instance, a new safety policy is communicated to the employees through the right channels, this is chief in eliciting their legal compliance and obligations. Additionally, if the employee communication strategy entails a feedback mechanisms, the employees can channel back their sentiments and opinions regarding the effected change. When these concerns are addressed by the management, this has the impact of the employees owning the set policy and ensuring compliance. On the other hand, employee communication strategy impacts on risk management, mostly when there is a looming crisis. Devising a robust communication strategy targeting the employees in such a situation has been cited as being integral in managing the risk (Pincus & Acharya, 1988, p. 181). In this case, when crisis is strategically communicated to the employees, this increases their preparedness in handling the dynamics to be brought by the crisis as well as inviting their input on ways of managing the crisis. In regard to the impact of employee communication strategy on conflict, it is plausible to note that when information, for instance, reduction of employees’ wages occasioned by market dynamics is disseminated to the employees using the right strategy, this has the effect of mitigating probable conflicts between the employees and the employer when such an action is effected. Lastly, employee communication strategy impacts on managing diversity whereby in case the employees are strategically informed about the penalties liable to them if they engage in actions like gender harassment, this is bound to minimize the likelihood of such occurrences happening. This is central in managing diversity. Conclusion The preceding analysis has expounded on the definition of the concept of HRM and acknowledged its imperative focus on a wide alley of issues related to employee relations. Additionally, it has explored four key areas of employee relations, namely employee attraction and recruitment, grievances and dispute resolution, employee safety and wellbeing as well as employee communication strategy. Lastly, it has analyzed the impact of each of these areas on five work related contemporary issues namely culture, legal compliance and obligations of employees, risk management, conflict and managing diversity. References Bennet, T., 2012, ‘The Role of Mediation: A Critical Analysis of the Changing Nature of Dispute Resolution in the Workplace’, Industrial Law Journal, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 479-480. Bratton, J., and Gold, J., 2003, Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice, 3rd ed., Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire. College of Nurses of Ontario, 2009, Conflict Prevention and Management, CNO, Ontario. Gramberg, BV., & Teicher, J., 2005, ‘Managing neutrality and impartiality in workplace conflict resolution: The dilemma of the HR manager’, working paper 57/05, Monash University, Melbourne. Highhouse, S., et. al., 2003, ‘Measuring attraction to organizations’, Educational and Psychological Measurement, Vol. 63, No. 6, pp. 986-1001 Koys, DJ., 1988, ‘Human resource management and a culture of respect: Effect of employees’ organizational commitment’, Employees Right and Responsibilities Journal, Vol. 1, pp. 57-68. McCabe, DM, & Rabil, JM., 2002, ‘Ethics and values in non-union employment arbitration: A historical study of organizational due process in the private sector’, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 41, No. 1 / 2, pp. 13-25. O’Neil, J., 2008, ‘Measuring the Impact of Employee Communication on Employee Comprehension and Action: A Case Study of a Major International Firm’, Public Relations Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 1-17. Pincus, DJ., & Acharya, L., 1988, ‘Employee communication strategy for organizational crises’, Employees Responsibilities and Rights Journal, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 181-199. Shore, LM., et. al., 2009, ‘Diversity in organizations: Where are we now and where are we going?’, Human Resource Management Review, Vol. 19, pp. 117–133. Standards Australia, 2009, ‘AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009 Risk management - Principles and Guidelines, Standards Australia, Sydney. Read More