HRMN300 Assignment 1

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1 Assignment 1 University of Maryland Global Campus HRMN 300 – Human Resources Management 11 March 2024

2 Assignment 1 Question 1: A) Discuss the evolution of the HR role from administrative to strategic.  What internal and external factors were involved in this transition?  Rank and discuss the top three skills needed by HR professionals to be effective as strategic business partners. Provide your rationale with supporting evidence. Throughout history societies have been ever changing and evolving. For today’s businesses, these transformations continue with globalization, tighter labor markets, and economic uncertainty. (Sims, 2019) In recent years Human Resource Management (HRM) has also evolved and transitioned to take up a larger role in the strategic planning of many organizations. While HRM still takes care of closely with organizational management to develop the goal and then use their skills to recruit, train, and retain quality employees through quality training, benefits packages, and recognition programs. (Kimball, 2016) These efforts are derived from internal and external factors effecting the operations of the organization. External factors to strategy are those that are outside of the orgainization’s control such as: supply chain, customers, technology, labor force, the economy, and governmental factors. Technology, especially social media, is the fastest evolving of these factors. It enables organizations to broaden global communication ability as well as enabling more customers to reach back to the organization easily. With multiple places for people to leave reviews on businesses, this can be a blessing and a curse for the organization. Examples of internal factors are the personnel hiring and training process, recognition programs, and other factors of the business operations that directly effect its personnel. For example, high employee satisfaction will lead to greater retention of employees and quality of output will be greater. HRM also needs to be involved in changes to organizational structure and new product development. Any factors that include major changes to the growth/reduction in employees need to have input from HRM departments so that they can effectively communicate the pros and cons of the changes up and down the organizational hierarchy.

3 Lesson 1 of the course lists the skills required to be successful as a HRM: Organization Skills, People Skills, Communication Skills, Strategic Mindset, and Ethics/Sense of Fairness. It is difficult to rank these skills against each other as they are building blocks for the foundation of HRM for the organization. For me I would rank Ethics/Sense of Fairness as the most important for an HRM. Having high ethical standards and seeking fair treatment is a vital skill to build trust within an organization. You can have the greatest communication skills or strategic mindset possible, but if you do not have the trust and confidence of the organizational leadership and the employees you serve, the other skills will be greatly diminished. Communication skills would be a close second. HRMs must be able to provide information clearly, concisely, and empathically to employees and management. HRMs must provide any and all types of information. They need to communicate up and down the chain of command and be able to communicate the intent clearly. They need to be able to resolve conflicts, pass good and bad news, policy changes, manage personalities, and ensure the welfare of both the organization and its people. I would rank Strategic Mindset third after ethics and communication. Having the ability to plan in advance and prepare changes in the business I will enable the HRM to conduct the rest of their core duties. B) Reflect on the HR function in your current organization or an organization you have worked for in the past.  Evaluate the HR role in the organization and discuss the alignment between HR priorities and the organizational strategy (do not name the organization). Did you see evidence of a strategic focus? Support your position with specific examples In my current organization there are many different layers to HRM, the organization, and organizational priorities. Being a government organization there is great evidence of the strategic focus, especially at the higher levels of the organization. As the large strategic goals are broken down into particular mission sets it can be difficult to see how your day to day tasks fit into the big picture. Each level of leadership puts their own spin how to get the mission done, that by the time it get to the lowest

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4 level it can be very daunting. It is vital that leaders/managers at the lower levels can communicate and build trust with their subordinates. In my view leadership at each level of the hierarchy serve as HRMs. At the very top are not as in tune with the abilities and concerns of the population near the bottom to the point that many will not even notice when personnel at the lower levers choose to not be retained. Upper levels will have some oversight on recruiting but do not generally have answers to overcome recruiting shortfalls and the credit/blame falls to the lower-level leaders/HRMs. Lower-level leaders/HRMs are much more involved at the individual level when it comes to working with and for the lower tiers of employees. In my opinion for the organization, it is the lower-level leaders that keep the organization functioning and staffed. I will always remember my first organization and how my small team dealt with a variety of difficulties. Our organizational leadership was the textbook definition of toxic. However, we were able to use that at the small team level to bond with our supervisor and other coworkers to remain motivated to conduct our daily missions. This galvanization with and by our direct supervisor enabled us to be highly productive and successful. Our supervisor’s ethical treatment of us and their ability to communicate policy changes and good/bad news resulted in us being named as best crew two years in arow, despite higher management serving as an obstacle to our success. References Kimball, D. (2016). Cases in Human Resource Managment. Sage Publications, Inc. Sims, R. R. (2019). Human Resources Management Issues, Challenges andTrends: "Now and Around the Corner". Information Age Publishing. Human resource management. Chapter 1. Retrieved from h ttp://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Human%20Resource%20Management.pdf

5 Question 2: A) Select three functional areas of HR (i.e. recruiting, selection, training and development, compensation etc.) and, for each one, discuss how that function supports the HR and organizational strategies. Provide specific examples of goals and outcomes that support organizational success. Recruiting is a vital function in support of HR and organizational strategies. Even as the role and function of HRM has evolved over time, the recruiting function has remained a steadfast bedrock of the profession. Without quality and effective recruiting businesses would not be able survive the natural attrition of personnel turnover. Organizational success is dependent not only on acquiring talented employees but developing and retaining them as well. (Sims, 2019) Recruiting not only applies to new hires. Recruiting also includes hiring/promoting from with-in the organization. The more successful an organization is at developing and retaining quality personnel, the more efficiently the organization will operate. Happy employees can serve as ambassadors for the organization and assist in bringing in new talent. Additionally, the lower the turnover rate of employees the cost of training new employees will be reduced, and the organization can increase focus on the development and retainment of its current talent. Performance Management is another vital role. Performance Management is crucial for assessing employee performance in comparison to the results and the goals of the organization. (Kimball, 2016) It is important for HRMs to be able to effectively assess employees and communicate both good and poor performances with them. This function also assists with the functions of retention and rewards/compensation. Being able to properly communicate on performance will enable employee’s greater recognition and let them know of areas that may need improvement. It is crucial for performance to monitored continuously and not just assessed at review times. This will allow time for employees to work on areas they may be weak in and give them time to make corrections prior to review deadlines and will improve the efficiency of the projects they are a part of.

6 Labor law compliance is another important function of HRM. It protects both the employees and the organization. Noncompliance with the law can erode the employees trust in the organization, create an unsafe working environment, degrade the public opinion of the organization, and hinder profitability through fines and negatively affected productivity. (Mayhew, 2021) HRMs must stay on top of new laws and changes to current laws, locally and nationally, in order to effectively protect their organizations and personnel. B) Consider the organization you work for or one you have worked for in the past. Evaluate the effectiveness of the HR function overall and at least two specific functional areas (do not name the organization). Share at least one HR program or initiative that you found particularly effective and discuss how it supported the organization’s strategy. Why was it effective? The last two organizations that I have worked for have different approaches to HR functions. When I worked in retail HR was all about the bottom line for the company and outside of processing applications and payroll did not do much for the employees. The company was lacking enough in employee relations enough, that a few years after I left, they were court ordered to reimburse some of the current and former employees for some of their practices pertaining to payroll and unauthorized adjustments to time clock operations. Now working for a governmental agency, I feel that they are highly effective in benefits/compensation and recruiting. This is especially true when compared to my retail experience. The most effective of these is benefits/compensation. I find the medical package and additional income for house to be their most effective tool supporting retention of personnel. Free medical for employees and their families has been a large factor in keeping me as long as they have. Sure there are occasional co-pays for some services, but that pales in comparison to my las medical coverage that cost nearly $1000 a month and did not cover a variety of medical conditions. Monthly stipends to cover housing costs on top of basic income provides employees with a stable home and lifestyle for them and their families as well. Pair these up with a monthly retirement of 50% base pay at 20 years, and the benefits/compensation are hard to beat. While not employees have the same

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7 fondness of the benefits versus the work lifestyle, if feel that overall it does well to support the retention of quality personnel. To fill in gaps for those that retire or leave the organization, there is also a great focus on the recruiting function. I was given the opportunity to directly serve in the function for a few years as well, so I was first hand able to see the difficulties of the process. It is not always easy to find the right, motivated people to work for the organization, but it can be done. Recruiters must be versatile people well versed in communications with potential employees from all socioeconomic backgrounds. They must be able to communicate clearly and effectively to broad spectrum of personalities and find what motivates everyone individually. Organization recruiters also must be able to assess qualifications from education level, legal history, and medical conditions. They also set the foundation for the experience of the employees that work with through the hiring process. This sets the standard for each employee as they begin their careers with the organization. References Kimball, D. (2016). Cases in Human Resource Managment. Sage Publications, Inc. Mayhew, R. (2021). The Strategic Role of HR Managers. Sims, R. R. (2019). Human Resources Management Issues, Challenges andTrends: "Now and Around the Corner". Information Age Publishing.

8 Question 3: Some organizations follow a lengthy, complex selection process, whereas in other organizations the process may be more streamlined. Some may view the longer and more complex selection process to be more valid. A) What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a lengthier process versus a more streamlined (shorter) one? Consider the perspectives of both the job seekers and the organization and the tradeoffs between efficiency and effectiveness. As a job seeker, what process would you prefer to follow and why? The length of selection process will vary from organization to organization and by position also. Both options need to avoid discriminatory hiring practices by complying with Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Process. (Kimball, 2016) Entry level positions may be better served with more streamlined hiring processes while positions further up the organization, or that require specific skills, may require a more complex hiring process. (Lesson 5) But again, this will vary by organization and the functions the organization performs. Advantages to a more streamlined process is reduced cost and you can interview/process more applicants quickly. The more complex the hiring process, the greater the cost associated. This means that the HRM process must be more focused on narrowing the potential applicant pool as quickly as possible to focus their attention on the most qualified applicants for the position. From the business perspective, the associated costs will be the greater driver of which option is chosen along with choosing the best qualified applicant for the position. Job seekers must also keep in mind the speed in which an organization hires potential employees and have expectation management. Recruiters should also be upfront with the length of the process and the organizations culture, so that there are no surprises for the applicants. (Sims, 2019) It is due to the complexities of the process that HRMs must be very in tune forecasting their organizations workforce. (Kimball, 2016) What is the turnover rate? Supply vs. demand of personnel? What do we project for retirements/departures? It crucial that HRM can weigh these organizational characteristics and factor in mission growth/product development. They should be able to forecast manning level changes while also projecting requirements

9 changes as the organization evolves. If these are not considered, an increase in workload paired with a decrease in manning can quickly destroy the morale and efficiency of the organization. As a job seeker I would want to the process to be fair and for the organization to be upfront and honest with their requirements and expectations of the process. I also would have to assess my own situation. Do I need employment quickly? Am I am applying for a new position while employed so there is more grace to my timeline? The more complex the position and organization, the longer I would expect he process to take. For my retail job the process was less than a week, and for my current organization, it took a couple months to get through the rigorous screening process. In each situation, the HRM/Recruiter was upfront with the process and potential timelines for each step. B) Consider the selection process for an organization where you were ultimately hired. How would you describe the process from a candidate perspective? Do you believe it was effective? Why or why not? My last hiring process was very effective. The recruiting personnel were very forth coming with all aspects of the organization and process. I had initially reached out for information on part of the organization, and recruiter still made sure to educate me on the pros and cons of all the options that the organization had to offer. They covered all steps in depth. The educational testing and requirements, legal background checks, and medical screenings were all covered in depth and they focused on managing my expectations for each step and potential disqualifiers throughout the process. I believe that the honesty they showed was very effective in my choosing to continue with the process. This was also something that I kept in mind a decade later when I was given the opportunity to work in that position. References Kimball, D. (2016). Cases in Human Resource Managment. Sage Publications, Inc. Sims, R. R. (2019). Human Resources Management Issues, Challenges andTrends: "Now and Around the Corner". Information Age Publishing. Human resource management. Chapter 5. Retrieved from

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10 http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Human%20Resource%20Management.pdf Question 4: A) Assume you are the HR manager of a large organization tasked with evaluating employee retention.  What type of metrics would you want to look at? Discuss your rationale.  How would you obtain these metrics? I would evaluate retention through exit interviews as personnel depart and internal “climate” surveys at selected intervals, roughly every 6 months. These interviews and surveys would be geared towards identifying the factors that keep employees or what makes them depart. One factor to try to isolate would be feeling of work-life balance and the policies that positively and/or negatively affect that balance. Identifying where employees can be provided schedule flexibility can reduce conflicts between work and family life for the organization’s employees. (Sims, 2019) This flexibility benefits both the individual and the organization. Reducing conflicts allows the employee to be more present for their families, while also making them more focused and efficient while at work for the organization. This will enable higher retention of experienced talent for the organization. Another metric to keep tack of is identifying changes in the socio-demographic of the organization’s population. The different generations of our culture have varying views of their “relationship” with work. Workers of the baby-boomer and Gen-X generations are more focused on clear lines between work and home life and tend to be more work orientated and focused on the success of the organization. As these generations age out of the work force is imperative to keep the pulse of the younger generations’ motivation factors. The younger generations tend to be more driven by diversity, sense of belonging, and feeling valued by their work environment. As the workforce evolves HRMs must be ready to adapt policy at the same time. They must also ensure that upper management of the organization understands these changes as well. One advantage of the younger generations is that they are more adaptable and willing to change in terms of technology. They are much more astute to technology and have lived with the evolution of technology their entire lives.

11 B) Discuss the relationship between an organization’s total rewards strategy and retention. As a human resource manager, how would you evaluate your total rewards program to make sure it was having a positive impact on employee retention? A key factor to retention is employee satisfaction and feeling that they are valued member of the team and organization. A total rewards strategy is a highly useful tool for a corporation to demonstrate their compensation, development opportunities, and benefits to their employees. (McKee, 2023) They result in increased talent retention for the organization and motivation for their employees. They can also be used as a recruiting tool or to lure talent away from other organizations. The rewards statement seeks to list all benefits offered both direct financial compensation and those benefits of compensation that may not be direct monetary payments. (Dozier, 2021) As an HRM I would continually assess my organizations compensation packages and compare them to similar corporations. This will aid and assist my corporation to ensure they are on the cutting edge of compensation and recognition for their employees. This would also be a topic of the previously mentioned exit and routine quality of life surveys. Constant feedback and assessment from the organization workforce will be vital to ensure that the organization is meeting the needs of its workers. References Dozier, A. (2021, August 18). How Can a Total Rewards Statement Help Employee Retention? Retrieved from Helios HR: https://www.helioshr.com/blog/what-is-total-rewards-and-how-can-it-drive- employee-retention McKee, M. (2023). What is a Total Rewards Strategy? (With the 5 Elements). Indeed Career Guide . Sims, R. R. (2019). Human Resources Management Issues, Challenges andTrends: "Now and Around the Corner". Information Age Publishing.

HRMN300 Assignment 1

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