Challenges to HRM

Challenges can be understood by studying the environment of HRM

HR Manager should always be aware of the changes in his external & internal environment.

Some of the important challenges faced by HRM:

1) Technological

evelo!ments

As a result of technological advances made in almost all fields, "obs have become more intellectual. Modernization ends with !roblems li#e retrenchment$ lay%offs$ unem!loyment$ dislocation of wor#ers$ etc. hus, HR Manager has to ma#e !ro!er assessment of man!ower needs$ retraining$ s#ills u!gradation$ etc.

&) Changes in the !olitical & legal environment

'n order to meet the changes in political ! legal environment, awareness of legislation at state and central level becomes necessary for !ro!er utili(ation of human resources.

)) *lobalisation

As the industrial world is becoming globalised and informatonalised$ HR Managers are ex!ected to !lay more com!etitive roles. They should be aware about em!loyees+ and com!any+s needs in foreign mar#ets$ designing suitable com!ensation !ac#ages$ !lanning about s!ouse+s "ob and children+s education in other country$ if needed ma#ing arrangements of training in foreign country+s local language$ etc.

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-ocio . cultural factors

/rganisations do not o!erate in isolation. hus, organizations have to be alert always before ta"ing any decision#

The HR Manager should evaluate beforehand the im!act of any business action u!on the society so that the !eo!le+s beliefs$ morals$ customs$ ethics$ values$ etc. are not hurt.

0)

Changing mix of the wor#force

Another challenge to HR Manager is increasing wor#force diversity. his includes : more young and highly educated !eo!le$ more female em!loyees$ increasing levels of married female wor#ers$ etc. 1rohibition of discrimination and the need of !ositive actions for redressing imbalances in

wor#force have made $ob for HR Managers more challenging#

2)

Trade 3nions rade %nions refer to any combination of wor"ers for a common cause#

Trade 3nions act as a challenging force for HR Manager in decisions li#e signing of agreements$ recruitment$ selection$ training and develo!ment !rograms$ retrenchment$ etc.
4)

Management of Human Resources The new wor#force is educated$ talented$ well% 5ualified and conscious than their !redecessors.

-o$ HR Manager has to be conscious and tough while leading and motivating$ winning em!loyees+ commitment$ etc.

Role of the HR Manager

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HR Manager plays a variety of roles. 6arlier, the main role of the manager was to !rocure & maintain a commited wor#force.

o &ut with the passage of time, increasingly critical nature of problems and challenges in the effective utilization of human beings has elevated the status of HR Manager#

'ifferent roles played by the HR Manager are:

1) The Counsellor

HR Manager acts a counselor for the employees facing problems related with health$ wor#$ colleagues$ family$ su!ervisors$ financial$ mental$ !hysical$ children education$ marriage$ etc.

6m!loyees discuss their !roblems with the HR Manager and he offers suitable solutions to solve their !roblems.

&) The 7dvisor HR Manager advises the management regarding Human Resources 1lanning$ recruitment$ selection$ training and develo!ment$ a!!raisal$ com!ensation$ integration$ se!aration$ etc.

HR Manager advises management in case of industrial dis!utes$ etc.

(n the other hand, he also !rovides assistance to the wor#ers by conveying their !roblems to the management.

)) The Mediator )n case of some conflicts and disputes, HR Manager !lays the role of a !eacema#er between the management and the em!loyees.

,) The Conscience Role This role is that of a humanitarian who advises management of its ethical obligations to its em!loyees.

0) The 8iaison Role *enerally, HR Manager acts as a s!o#es!erson for or re!resentative of the organi(ation.

2) The Change 7gent He acts as a catalyst in introducing new changes in the organi(ation.

4) The 1roblem -olver +roblems related with HR in any part of the organization are tac"led by the HR Managers#

9) The :elfare Role As per The ;actories 7ct$ 1<,9$ where 0== or more wor#ers are em!loyed$ one welfare officer should be a!!ointed. (therwise, HR Manager acts as a welfare officer. He is concerned about facilities li#e cr>che$ canteen$ shelter$ lunch and restrooms$ etc.

<) The 8egal Role HR Manager plays a vital fire,fighting role during: grievance handling !rocedure$ settlement of industrial dis!utes$ collective bargaining$ handling disci!linary action$ "oint consultation$ etc.

?ob 6valuation
efinition ?ob evaluation is the !rocess of analy(ing and assessing the various "obs systematically to ascertain their relative worth in an organi(ation.

 -obs are evaluated on the basis of their content and are placed in the order of their importance#

)n this way, a "ob hierarchy is established in the organization, the purpose being fixation of satisfactory wage differentials among various $obs# )t should be noted that in a $ob evaluation programme, the "obs are ran#ed and not the "ob holders. ?ob holders are rated through !erformance a!!raisal.

?ob 6valuation 1rocess

he -ob .valuation process starts with defining ob$ectives of evaluation and ends with establishing wage and salary differentials# he main ob$ective of $ob evaluation is to establish satisfactory wage and salary differentials# -ob analysis should precede the actual programme of evaluation# A $ob,evaluation programme involves answering several /uestions# he ma$or ones are: i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. :hich "obs are to be evaluated@ :ho should evaluate the "obs@ :hat training do the evaluators need@ How much time is involved@ :hat should be the criteria for evaluation@ :hat methods of evaluation are to be em!loyed@

?ob . 6valuation 1rocess

Methods of ?ob 6valuation

-ob,evaluation methods are of two categories: 0123on,analytical and 042 Analytical#

1)

Aon%7nalytical Methods

Ran#ing and ?ob%*rading Methods come under this category because they ma#e A/ use of detailed "ob factors. .ach $ob is treated as a whole in determining its relative ran"ing#

a) Ran#ing Method his is the sim!lest$ the most inex!ensive and the most ex!edient method of evaluation#

The evaluation committee assesses the worth of each "ob on the basis of its title or on its content$ if the latter are available

&ut the $ob is not bro"en down into elements or factors# 6ach "ob is com!ared with others and its !laced is determined.

his method has several drawbac"s# ?ob 6valuation may be sub"ective as the "obs are not bro#en into factors. 't is hard to measure whole "obs.

b) ?ob%*rading method As in the ran"ing method, the -ob,grading method 0or $ob,classification method2 does not call for a detailed or 5uantitative analysis of "ob factors. 't is based on "ob as a whole.

he difference between the two is that in the ran#ing method$ there is no yardstic# for evaluation$ while in "ob%grading method$ the number of grades is first decided u!on$ and the factors corres!onding to these grades are then determined.

;acts about the "ob are collected and matched with the grades which have been established. he essential re/uirement of the $ob,grading method is to frame grade descri!tions to cover discernible differences in degree of s#ill$ res!onsibility and other "ob characteristics.

?ob grade are arranged in the order of their im!ortance in the form of a schedule. he lowest grade may cover $obs re/uiring greater physical wor" under close supervision, but carrying little responsibility# 6ach succeeding grade reflects a higher level of s#ill and res!onsibility$ with less and less su!ervision.

he 7dvantages of the $ob,classification method include its sim!licity and inex!ensiveness. Secondly, in organi(ations where number of "obs is small$ this method yields satisfactory results.

he
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isadvantages of this method are:

-ob grade descriptions are vague and not 5uantifiedB ifficulty of convincing em!loyees about the inclusion of a "ob in a !articular grade
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because of vagueness of grade descriptions5 and More "ob classification schedules need to be !re!ared because the same schedule cannot be used for all types of $obs#
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&)

7nalytical Methods

hese include the point,ran"ing method and the factor comparison method# a) 1oint . Ran#ing Method The system starts with the selection of "ob factors$ construction of degrees of each factor$ and assignment of !oints to each degree. 'ifferent factors are selected for different for different $obs with accompanying differences and degree and points#
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he 7dvantages of point system are: A $ob is split into a number of factors# The worth of each "ob is determined on the basis of its factors and not by considering the "ob as a whole. he procedure adopted is systematic and can easily be ex!lained to the em!loyees.

he method is sim!le to understand and easy to administer.

At least two defects are noticed in the point system#

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6m!loyees may disagree with the !oints allotted and the factors and their degrees identified#

Serious doubts are e6pressed about the range of points allotted and matching them with the $ob grades.

b) ;actor Com!arison Method

%nder this method, one begins with selection of factors$ usually five of them . mental re5uirements$ s#ill re5uirements$ !hysical exertion$ res!onsibility$ and "ob conditions. hese factors are assumed to be constant for all the $obs#

6ach factor is ran#ed individually with other "obs. 7or e6ample, all the $obs may be compared first by the factor 8mental re/uirement9# hen the s"ills factor, physical re/uirements, responsibility, and wor"ing conditions are ran"ed# hus, a "ob may ran# near the to! in s#ills but low in !hysical re5uirements.

 Then total !oint values are then assigned to each factor. The worth of a "ob is then obtained by adding together all the !oint values.

An advantage of the factor,comparison method is that $obs of unli"e nature : for e6ample, manual, clerical and supervisory : may be evaluated with the same set of factors# &ut, the method ex!ensive. is com!licated and