The Role of Employees in the Success of Ozzie Construction Company - Case Study Example

Human Resource Management Executive Summary This report explores the solutions to challenges facing the employees in their workplaces. It also summarizes the fact that employees are the main pillars in the company because they are one interacting with customers on a daily basis. It is vital to train employees on various issues such as customer care ethics and personal development. Such skills will benefit the company indirectly because it will discourage bullying and sexual harassment and promote the well-being of the employees. Tables of Contents Executive Summary 1 Introduction 3 Employee health and safety 4 Effects of bullying and sexual harassment 5 The role of the HR department in enhancing employees’ well being 7 A.Stress resiliency 8 B.Preventive care, 8 C.Healthy eating and 8 D.Physical activity 8 The role of the HR department in enhancing employees’ work-life balance 9 Conclusion 10 References 11 Introduction Companies are exposed to various potential risks when it comes to health and safety. It is the duty of the top management of every company to ensure that they protect their employees and the general public from the dangers healthy and safety risk. Some of the risks that are exposed to the companies are as follows: Injuries Accident risk Stress and Fire risks Locke (2012) argues that safety is an essential investment that we can make. Managers should ask themselves what it saves and not what it costs. The law governing the business and companies requires employers to ensure that safety of the employees and the general public. This report will analyze various solutions that are designed by the human resource department for the well-being of the employees. Employee health and safety To ensure smooth functioning in an Ozzie Construction Company, it is essential for the managers ensure safety for the employees. Top management of any organization should know that employees are the principal factors that determine the success of achieving goals and objectives. Health is a broad subject that can affect employees in different dimensions. Employers need to ensure that employees are protected physical, emotional and mental well-being. Safety is an act of ensuring that employees are physically safe in the work place. As a human resource manager of Ozzie Construction Company, I proposed that the safety of the employees and the entire company can be achieved by installing healthy and safety programs. This will ensure that all forms of illness and injuries are minimized. In addition, these health programs can help employers and workers to know the dangers that are exposed to in the workplace on a daily basis (Einarsen et al, 2010) The effective way of protecting the employees and the entire parties who are transacting different business in the company is through the assessment of risk that are exposed to the company. I can, therefore, propose to the CEO of the company to arrange for the team who are going to assess systematically any hazards to the employees and the general public. The assessment will help to identify the possible factors that are likely to affect the staff and other members visiting the company. The effecting risk assessment process comprises of the following issues; Identification of the possible hazards in the company Identifying individuals who are exposed to risk Assessing the risk and deciding whether the install precaution is adequate Analyzing the findings Implementing the necessary action if the precaution is inadequate It is also essential to ensure that safety equipment is made available in the company. The company needs to have first aid kits that will be used in case of small accidents. There should be firefighting equipment to be used in case of fire break out. These are basic equipment that needs to be installed in strategic corners; in the company. The CEO can also consider establishing emergency doors to be used in case of the appropriate emergency. Finally, the employers need to insure the company and the possible risk so that in case of an accident the victims can be compensated. Effects of bullying and sexual harassment Bullying and sexual harassment is now common in many companies, and this behavior makes employees feel unwanted, isolated and stress. There are employees who are undergoing unfavorable treatment in their place of work. The CEO of Ozzie Construction Company needs to address this issue because it affects the performance of the employees in the workplace. There are serious consequences that Ozzie Construction Company is likely to face because of bullying and sexual harassments. According Marsh (2013), bullying and harassment is not accepted morally and can cause serious damage to the company. Some of the effects that are likely to occur within the company due to this unacceptable behavior is as follows; 1. Poor morale and unhealthy relationships among employees – bullying and sexual harassment can affect the employees psychologically making them deliver poor quality. It can also affect their relationship with the company’s management because the sexually harassed employee would be demoralized and feel unwanted. 2. Loss of respects to their seniors - junior employees, when harassed, will tend to have a negative attitude towards their seniors. This can affect the productivity of the employees because whenever there something that requires clarification from the supervisors the junior employee will not seek for such clarification because they fear to be harassed. 3. Poor performance – harassed employee will never perform because she or he will always feel that their work is not worthy. This also discourages innovation since the employee will not be sure of what the managers or supervisors will say. Furthermore, sexually harassed person tend to deliver poor quality work because her psychological status is demoralized. 4. Absenteeism – bullying and sexual harassment will cause many employees to be absent from work. His is because with time the employees will lose interest in their work. Some will take sick off so that they will not come to work not because they are sick but because they want to avoid their managers or supervisors who are harassing them. 5. Resignation – such immoral unacceptable behavior in an organization can cause employees to quit their job. I have seen people leave their well-paid jobs for small jobs because of harassment. It is, therefore, essential for managers to handle employees with respect so that employees can get motivated. 6. Damage to company image and reputation- disrespecting employees can cost the company. Employees are the most and the immediate people who interact with customers on a daily basis. There are no instances where the managers interact with customers. Management scientist such as Fredrick Taylor argues that employees are the one making the image of the company in the market. Treat employees well and you build the image of the company. 7. Loss of productivity – demoralized employees can never perform. They will always perform poorly, offer low quality services to the customers and this can damage a company's reputation. 8. Lead to court cases – some employers can decide to sue managers who are harassing them. Harassment is an illegal act that is punishable by law. Employment laws for Australia protect employees against such immoral act. However, there is no clear act that deals with bullying and this makes it impossible to make a direct complaint to the employment tribunal concerning issues of bullying employees in place of work. In summary, it is vital for the top management to consider employees’ rights and respect them. They need to value all employees regardless their social status or rank within the hierarchy of a company. It will be easier for the company to achieve its goals when the entire workforce works as a team. Because of the high competition in the business field, it is essential to make a strong working team by embracing unity in the workforce. The role of the HR department in enhancing employees’ well being According to Barman (2013), well-being can be defined as a way of creating a peaceful environment that allows employees to utilize their potential for the sake of the company and themselves. The human resource manager must know that the well being of the employees is critical to the success of the company. There are a number of programs that are essential in achieving the wellness of the employees. These programs include: 1. Empowering wellness – human resource manager should ensure that employees are supported, and this can be done by arranging educative workshop within the workplace. Some of the issues that need to be covered fully comprised of the following: A. Stress resiliency B. Preventive care, C. Healthy eating and D. Physical activity These factors are the key essential to a happy life. It will make the employees feel better and get motivated. It is essential when employees love what they do because they will do it with a lot of passion. 2. Financial capability – this can be a tool for enhancing employees’ wellbeing and at the same time be used as a motivating factor. Human resource manager can introduce a culture of rewarding the best performing employees in the company. Secondly, the human resource manager can introduce educative talks on money matters. Employees need to be taught on how to spend and invest despite on the amount earned. This is vital because, in the long run, it will improve the well-being of the employees. 3. Cultural benefits – depending on the business the company is involved, employees need to benefit from it. Human resource manager should ensure that employees get some rewards such as organizing a trip for them or helping the employees in time of need. \ 4. Exercise equality- human resource manager needs to be fair when it comes to things like promotions. Such is issues need to be done on the ground of merit. Hardworking employees need to be rewarded. 5. Communication – this is also another essential element that needs to be worked on. Human resource manager needs to establish an effective communication network in the company so that all the entire staff is well informed. For example, junior employees need to be included in the decision making process. The role of the HR department in enhancing employees’ work-life balance Work-life balance has been a headache for many companies because it affects the productivity of the employees. Many companies are taking proactive actions to ensure that their employees are able to maintain a healthy balance between job and their personal lives. However, there are roles of the human resource department that can help in enhancing balancing of work and the job of an employee (Jones at al, 2013) Some of these roles include: A. Time management – the department need to introduce a work-life policy that will help employees to get into the office in time and also get out of the office on time. This policy should be designed in a manner that it allows employees time for breaks while they are in the company. Furthermore, the managers and supervisors should ensure that there is a clear purpose and plan so that employees can only work on the urgent task first. B. Effective management – the human resource manager needs to provide flexible working conditions. The department can also provide other options such as work from home policy. Besides, the department can consider adopting latest technologies that allow employees to while at home. This is effective provided there is a performance management system that will ensure that there is no productivity lost. C. Stress management – supervisors need to be trained so that they can be effective in assigning duties of the employees. Work overload can be a stress the employees. There should be a work-life policy that clarifies issues of parental leave and the annual leave. In addition, the police need to contain a clause that provides compensation for time-off especially for employees who have worked for extra hours. D. Effective management of the human resource department – this department should be in the front line advocating for better policies covering the welfare of the employees. Employees should have some freedom in their place of work provided that it cannot interfere with the quality of work. E. Introduction of wellness programs – department need to introduce the session for training employees on ways of managing organizational life, techniques of handling life problems and ways of promoting healthy life. The department can also arrange for trips and parties whereby the senior managers and the junior employees can interact freely. Such functions are essential in building spirit of teamwork within the company. Conclusion In conclusion, the success of Ozzie Construction Company depends on the employees. The employees are the one setting the image and also positioning the company in the market. It is essential to value employees and trains them so that they can deliver quality services and products. Motivating employees is another critical factor that needs to be considered to avoid the issue of employees resigning. It is always expensive for the company to employ new employees that require training before working. References Choudhury, S., & Barman, A. (2013). Subjective Wellbeing of Corporate Employees- Development of Research Context. Available at SSRN 2257097. Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. (Eds.). (2010). Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice. Crc Press. Jones, F., Burke, R. J., & Westman, M. (Eds.). (2013). Work-life balance: a psychological perspective. Psychology Press. Locke, R. M., & Romis, M. (2012). Improving work conditions in global supply chains. MIT Sloan Management Review, 48. Marsh, R. (2013). Sexual Harassment and Bullying at Work. Bullying in the Workplace: Symptoms, Causes and Remedies, 193. Read More