“E-learning is a technology area that often has both first-tier benefits, such as reduced travel costs, and second-tier benefits, such as increased employee performance that directly impacts profitability.” – Rebecca Wettemann, research director for Nucleus Research In 2002, the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) was ranked fourth by the Training magazine on it’s “The 2002 Training Top 100”. The magazine ranked companies based on their commitment towards workforce development and training imparted to employees even during periods of financial uncertainty. Since its inception, IBM had been focusing on human resources development: The company concentrated on the education and training of its employees as an integral part of their development. During the mid 1990s, IBM reportedly spent about $1 billion for training its employees. However, in the late 1990s, IBM undertook a cost cutting drive, and started looking for ways to train its employees effectively at lower costs. After considerable research, Continue reading
HRM Functions
Job Analysis and Human Resource Planning
Within the Human Resource Planning process, matching the demand and supply of labor informs decision-makers about potential trends and changes in labor requirements, and also provides information about the best labor mix. Job analysis refines and complements this information to determine exactly what each job involves and who is required before specific staffing decisions can be made. Broadly speaking, job analysis refers to the process of getting detailed information about jobs. Organizational conditions often change in response to new technology and machinery, as well as legislative and market requirements. Job analysis therefore becomes important in interpreting what the job currently involves. Having identified the objective of the job analysis, the HRM analyst must determine the type of information that needs to be collected, the source of the information, the method of data collection and how the data will be analyzed. The type of information that is collected is usually associated Continue reading
Causes and Effects of Low Productivity at Work
Productivity is measured of the efficiency of production. Productivity is defined as total output per unit of a total input. Low productivity in the workplace can have a dramatic effect on the company but the moment managers see the signs there are immediate change they make to help turn the situation around. Causes for Low Productivity Poor management: The main cause of low productivity is poor management. The manager does not take steps to implement the most productive way of doing the things. If the employee feels that their work is not recognized by their supervisor they will not give their 100 percent. Outdated system: If the company is using outdated machine or methods, it will lead to lower productivity. Employee dissatisfaction: Dissatisfied employee are unproductive ones, as compared to productive employees who are passionate about their work. If there is wrong person in the job or right person in Continue reading
Employee Turnover – Meaning, Causes and Effects
In today’s highly dynamic commercial work, it is becoming a challenge for job-seekers to find jobs that best fit their personality, and for employers to hire the right people who can do the job and also integrate well into the company culture. Failure to overcome this issue can be resulted in high turnover of employees. Employee turnover is a part of normal business activity; whereby employees come and go as their life situations change. Most employers realize this and, indeed, large firms typically have entire departments devoted to the management of human resources in order to make the transition as easy as possible for both management and employee and to minimize the associated hiring and training costs. Employee turnover is a ratio comparison of the number of employees a company must replace in a given time period to the average number of total employees. A huge concern to most companies, Continue reading
What are the Different Types of Employee Contracts?
A contract of employment is essentially an agreement between the employer and the employee. It should have the purpose of outlining the specific terms and conditions of employment. This can be either verbal or in writing and it can be regarded as forming the basis of the employment relationship between employer and employee. The implications of different types of employment contracts can mean that there are different outcomes or considerations for the employer, depending on the type of contract. A full-time contract involves a set amount of working hours and terms and conditions including the minimum hours set by the employer, which is normally 35 hours or more a week. A full-time contract is also usually covered by employment laws and implies a permanent employment type. A full-time contract can also be beneficial for staff retention and be more attractive to loyal and committed employees. It is also more difficult Continue reading
External Recruitment
The sources of recruitment can be classified into two types, internal and external. Filling a job opening from within the firm has the advantages of stimulating preparation for possible transfer of promotion, increasing the general level of morale, and providing more information about job candidates through analysis of work histories within the organization. A job posting has a number of advantages. From the view point of the employee, it provides flexibility and greater control over career progress. For the employer, it should result in better matches of employee and job. In most instances, the jobs are posted on notice boards, though some carry listings in the company newspapers. The posting period is commonly one week, with the final decision for hiring being completed within four weeks. Internal applications are often restricted to certain employees, the guidelines for one company including (1) “good” or “better” on most recent performance review; (2) Continue reading