Managing People at Work - Employment Relations - Coursework Example

Name : xxxxxxxxxxx Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : Employment Relations Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx @2010 Employment Relations Introduction Human resource Management may be defined as a premeditated and logical approach in the course of managing an organization. An employee working in a stated organization contributes either directly or indirectly to the objectives of the business. The term Human resources have been replaced by personal management. In a lay mans understanding, human resource may be defined as recruiting individual, developing their abilities, compensate them if they have suffered damages in the course of employment contract. Industrial relations refer to the connection between the management and employees and their correlating behaviour in a firm. Human resource management (HRM) is viewed as a field for creative and innovative approach. It calls for many managers to identify a specific goal which must subsequently be adapted in the workforce and provide relevant materials needed to accomplish these goals. However, the main drawbacks for HRM are; insufficient training, lack of relevant information and failure of procedures within an organization. Trade union may be defined as an organization of employees who have come together in order to achieve a certain objectives. Trade union may be established to curb effects or difficulties faced by employees in an organization. Therefore, trade union and human resource management practices are collectively very essential in an organization. Relatively, the two organizations require each other in order to co-exist. Terminating one organization mean an infringement of the other organization. Trade union is formulated by most nations in order to fight for both the employers and the employee’s right while still under their employment agreement or contract. Where human resource manager violates the terms and agreement of the employment contract, trade union comes in order to defend the employee or rather employees within a stated organization. However, when an employee decides to take part in industrial relation, it must be purely legal. An illegal industrial relations call for punishment by the courts. Human resource management practices may violate an employee’s legal right in an organization through, paying workers very minimal remunerations, denies some employees the opportunity to further their studies, provide poor working conditions and most of all breach the workmen’s compensation clause (Sparrow 2003). A human resource management practice plays an important role in employee’s term of employment contract. It is therefore responsible for recruiting employees within the organization. The management practices are responsible for recruiting and establishing the perfect time fit to carry out these recruitment processes, both internally and externally. Internal recruitment is cost-effective if the employees have undergone through an appropriate training process, development and other more activities for example succession, planning, development of centres and performance appraisal. This is process is required by human resource management which will not only allow him/her to review employees performance but to assess their abilities as well. This recruitment services are majorly carried out by the manager within the human resource department. Therefore, it would be irrelevant to conclude that the development of human resource has replaced the need for trade union. While human resource participates actively in recruitment process trade union ensures that this recruitment process is potentially based on the fairness. Trade will come in where the recruitment process is unfair. Most trade unions call for an independent employee within the human resource department to carry out the recruitment process. A person who gets influenced by the existing environment around him is likely to carry and give out a biased recruitment (Lawler 2003). Training At the firm’s level, a human resource management practice provides training process to its employees in order to motivate them to take part in the higher ranks of work. A management in human resource department organises this trainings through seminars that is meant to offer an induction course for the activities carried out within the organisation. However, this training varies from one organisation to the other. Different organisation has different ways through which their induction courses take route. It mostly depends on the type of business activity, nature and the size of an organisation (Brewster 2004). A competent human resource manager has the ability to maximize cost used in each training process at each level of training. Consciously, it is able to maximize on these costs if he carries out this training processes jointly and at the same time. However, trade union does not offer this services, it only steps in if the training does not relate to what has been stipulated in a memorandum of association. A trade union in this case will have to force human resource manager to provide training that is ideal according to the Memorandum of association under the objective clause. Evaluation of the job All jobs within the organisation must be thoroughly evaluated by a competent human resource management, who must be expert as well. This evaluation is carried out through a surprised check up. Surprised check up restricts employees on providing quality work in an organisation. This evaluation may be carried out at the yearend, as at that particular month or on a daily basis but not on a specific time. Where a human resource management evaluates the work carried out by its employees, there is a great opportunity of evading risks or preventing occurrences of risks. These risks may be avoidable or unavoidable. The main purpose of evaluating employee’s performance at the work place is to facilitate or give a clear distinction between competent and non competent employees (Hendry 1995). The concept obtained is then used by the management when it comes to promotion and rewarding competent employees. The rewarding processes are especially carried out to facilitate and motivate those employees who are still not competent enough. However, trade union does not take part in evaluating the activities and performances carried out by in an organisation to the employees but it evaluates the activities carried out by the entire organisation. It monitors mostly organisations that are likely to mistreat it workers. Evaluate their performances and later on decides if such organisation should continue its operations. Trade union may then decide to take part in industrial relation to lay out grievances faced by employees in an organisation. Protection of employees Human resource management takes the initiative of educating employees on the dangers involved in that particular organisation. Protecting employees within the organisation is very essential. This danger may be as a result of the existing machines or chemicals if at all an organisation deals with them. All earth and propelling machineries should be locked within a safety place. A human resource management is required to offer safety precautions where a risk has occurred in the course of employment contract. Under this statement, a human resource manager is required to clearly stipulates occasions where he will be liable and when he/she would not. There are certain situations where the employee’s liability shall be transferable to the employee. An employee working in a stated organisation that appears to be risky is equally required to be protected under works men compensation (Vidal 2008). Workmen’s compensation states that, an employee is deemed to receive compensation where he/ she get injured in the course of the employment contract. This is clause is meant to safeguard employees who are directly or indirectly involved in especially very risky business. Trade union does not take part in the protecting the employees directly but instead, they protect them indirectly. It ensures employees within the organisation who might have suffered risks in the course of the employment contract are compensated. This occurs where an organisation or company which has a separate legal entity refuses to take responsibilities. Trade union will then step in order to force both the company and an individual manager to take full responsibilities when it comes to compensating workers in the course of employment contract (Fairbrother1996). Profit The main objective for all existing businesses is to make profit. Not at any moment would an organisation exist purposely for suffering losses. A human resource management activity is therefore responsible in ensuring these goals are met at the end of the year. This profit are established where both employees and the management organisation takes part actively in order to attain this profit. The firm attains this by maintaining proper books of account, ensure sound accounting procedure and processes are followed, and ensures the financial statement provides a true and fair view of the financial position of the organisation at the end of the year or as at that particular year. Where the organisation ensures that all this has been relatively achieved, it automatically increases an organisational profit. Good planning system will enhance or generate viable profits to the organisation. However, this profit varies from one organisation to the other. Trade union on the other hand, does not take part in the organisations profits. However, the trade union is responsible in ensuring that financial statement which has been published to the public shows a true and fair view. It is very important for a trade union to monitor this activity so as give relevant information to users of this statement. One of the users of financial statement is investors. Therefore, where a human resource management practices does not support or encourage profit, many investors will opt to invest to a different organisation while those who have already invested, will transfer their share capital to a different organisation (Brewster 2004). Conclusion Trade union and human resource management practices are far much different organisations. However, this two organisations correlate together in order to work more effectively and efficiently. These organisation activities cannot be ignored. Ignoring the responsibilities of one organisation, that is, human resource management practices and the trade union will automatically have some effects. Trade union is specifically formulated to enhance and protect both the employees and employers matter during their employment contract or rather agreements. Without the human resource management organisations, many individuals in many countries if not all will be unemployed since the human resource management department is responsible for recruiting purposes. This type of unemployment is known as involuntary unemployment. This is where individual in an organisations are willing to work at any specific wage whatsoever but there is no jobs available at that particular moment. Bibliography Brewster, C, Mayrhofer, W, W, 2004, Human resource management in Europe: evidence of convergence, Butterworth-Heinemann, New York. Bucknall, H, Wei, Z, 1978, Magic numbers for human resource management, John Wiley and Sons, London. Fairbrother, P, 1996, Trade unions and human resource management, Retrieved April 16, 2010 from Hendry, C, 1995, Title Human resource management: a strategic approach to employment, Butterworth-Heinemann, New York. Lawler E, E, Mohrman S, A, 2003, Creating a strategic human resources organization: an assessment of trends and new directions, Stanford University Press, Stanford. Sparrow, P, Cooper C, 2003, Employment relationship: key challenges for HRM, Butterworth-Heinemann, New Jersey. Vidal, M, 2008, Temporary employment relations and the organization of work in manufacturing establishments, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Read More