Over the past decade, the phrase work-life balance has been commonplace but in recent years, the term workplace flexibility has been gaining more popularity. Work-life flexibility is becoming more and more common these days as some employees, especially millennials and other younger workers, prefer work-life flexibility and not work-life balance. Work-life balance basically implies that staff members should not be totally consumed by work responsibilities. Business organizations that have adopted this workplace ideal tend to have generous, albeit still clear, vacation policies. Such companies encourage their staff members to work the normal 9-5 work schedule with very little flexibility. In addition, they discourage workaholics. On the other hand, work-life flexibility entails providing employees with flexible work arrangements or flexible schedules that allow them to have some flexibility so that they can easily manage the increasing overlap of life and work. With work-life flexibility, employees would be able to have flexible Continue reading
Modern HRM
Human Resource Management (HRM) in a Global Environment
As the organizations continue to grow globally at a rapid pace, nations are increasingly permeable to the international exchange of knowledge, capital, goods and services, giving rise to more complexities and uncertainties. Intensified rate of globalization is evident from the changing trends in foreign direct investment which is increasingly indicating a shift toward developing economies like China and India. Growing internationalization is breaking down organizational and geographical boundaries with business processes and structures undergoing complete transformation. This has brought the role of human resources to the fore as the competitiveness of these organizations is contingent on their ability to adapt and design human resource strategies that can sustain global nuances and dynamics. International human resource management (IHRM) from an organization’s perspective is defined as the effective management of human resources in global markets for multinational companies(MNCs), in order to gain a key source of competitive advantage and to be globally Continue reading
Best Fit and Best Practice Approaches in Strategic HRM
The concepts of ‘best fit’ and ‘best practice’ are two well known approaches to human resource management. The ‘best fit’ perspective claims that HR strategy become more and more efficient when it is linked to its environment of the business. It explores the close link between strategic management and HRM by assessing the extend to which there is a vertical integration between an organizations business strategy and its HRM policies and practices. ‘Best practice’ approach claims that certain ‘best’ human resource practices would result in enhanced organizational performance, manifested in improved employee attitude, lower level of absenteeism and turnover, higher level of skills for higher productivity, enhanced quality and efficiency. That is why the ‘best practice’ model is also referred as high commitment models. Best Fit Approach The best-fit model is considered as a variant from precedent models of Harvard, Michigan and York and is called “matching model” for HRM. Continue reading
Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Organizational concept behind the unstable climate of management has created a question mark in-front of organizational departments to act to the unstructured development plans. Every organization comprises of different departments who serves different work for the fulfilling the objective in a unidirectional manner. The scenario of revolution in the various fields of business has already taken the speed in the micro as well as the macro environment, which serves an indication towards the utilization of skills. The needs of organizations are generally fulfilled by the different departments created by the organization. The hierarchy of organization creates an arena infront of each one to stipulate themselves within that arena for their own flexibility. Organizational mission and vision shows the way to achieve the objective. The different application of each department differentiates their way of doing work. Some of the departments may work by acquiring inside information and some of the departments Continue reading
International Human Resource Management (IHRM) – HRM from an International Perspective
International Human Resource Management International Human Resource Management (IHRM) involves ascertaining the corporate strategy of the company and assessing the corresponding human resource needs; determining the recruitment, staffing and organizational strategy; recruiting, inducting, training and developing and motivating the personnel; putting in place the performance appraisal and compensation plans and industrial relations strategy and the effective management of all these functions from an international perspective. The strategic role of HRM is complex enough in a purely domestic firm, but it is more complex in an international business, where staffing, management development, performance evaluation, and compensation activities are’ complicated by profound differences between countries in labor markets, culture, legal systems, economic systems, and the like. It is not enough that the people recruited fit the skill requirement, but it is equally important that they fit in to the organizational culture and the demand of the diverse environments in which the organization Continue reading
General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE)
Self-efficacy can be defined as an individual’s belief concerning their ability to meet desired outcomes in life and was first introduced by Albert Bandura. Bandura sets an establishment of relationship between a person’s own perceived self-efficacy and their attempt he/she is willing to expend to face challenges and goals throughout their life, specifically cognitive, affective, and motivational. The Cognitive Social Theory was framed by Bandura and his perceived self-efficacy which then became widespread as Mathias Jerusalem and Ralf Schwarzer established the one-dimensional, universal construct of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE). The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) was later created by Jerusalem and Schwarzer which was developed in German in 1979. It later was adapted into 26 other languages by a various number of co-authors and was originally twenty items but was reduced to 10 in 1981. Actions can be seen as preshaped in thought and once certain actions are thought of Continue reading