HRM assignment
Content
Mohammad Haiqal Bin Eddy
HRM Assignment
U1021861A
“Organic farming involves more than just farming without chemicals. It requires changes to many parts of the crop and livestock production system, and finally the logistic delivery of fresh products to consumers without delay.”
Organic farming refers to an agricultural system that seeks to provide the consumer with fresh and authentic food while respecting the natural life-cycle systems. It differs from conventional farming in terms of its strict limits on the usage of chemical synthetic pesticide and synthetic fertiliser use, livestock antibiotics, food additives and processing aids. Genetically modified organisms are also prohibited. Essentially this method of farming takes advantage of on-site resources such as livestock manure for fertiliser or feed produced on the farm, hence emulating the natural ecosystem conditions for a healthier and higher quality food produced. As a Human Resource (HR) manager of an organic farming enterprise, my job is to plan, direct and coordinate the administrative functions of my enterprise. This would entail the recruiting, interviewing and hiring of new employees, ensuring that specific skills and requirements for certain job post are met and in general, serve as a link between the enterprise’s management and its employees. Besides overseeing the above mentioned process, I would also have to coordinate the work of specialists and support staffs directly under me to ensure that the work flow within the enterprise is smooth. I would also have to handle any issues pertaining my staffs such as, mediating disputes, firing employees (if necessary) and sorting out disciplinary issues. In addition to handling issues directly related to my employees, I am also constantly looking for new ways to improve on the enterprise’s strategic planning by consulting with top executives from other departments and/or companies. As such, being a HR manager would need one to have solid communication skills and decision-making capabilities based on analytical skills and critical thought processes. Hiring and Employee Training Hiring of employees in the organic farming sector is in itself a challenge for the HR manager, as there are quite a number of factors to take into consideration. As the consumer demand for organic food increases, job opportunities within the organic farming sector will become greater and thus more staffs will have to be hired. Throughout the organic farming supply chain, there are a myriad of job opportunities which ranges from the traditional hands-on approach to agriculture to transport operators who can meet the specific demand of the industry to researchers who creates integrated systems to monitor and ensure the optimal the growth of the crops without reliance on synthetic fertilisers. Therefore, as a HR manager, I would have to create a specific list of skills needed for each expertise and ensure that suitable candidates are interviewed and hired for the positions. For instance, one of the challenges I would face during the hiring process would be the inability to find a
Mohammad Haiqal Bin Eddy
HRM Assignment
U1021861A
reasonably young and suitable candidate to do hands-on work in the organic farm. As we all know, working in farms are more associated with the older generations and hence finding replacements in the new generation would be a challenge and as a HR manager, I would have to draft up new incentives and promising career progressions to entice this young generation to ply their trade in this industry. It is important to have a good and sustainable mix of experienced and younger workers to be working on the organic farms, to ensure the continuity of the industry. Organic farming also involves intense research work to know the different needs of organic farming. It is not just farming without chemicals. Hence opportunities in the many different fields of related scientific research are widely available and as a HR manager, I would need to hire competent researchers that could propel the company forward with efficient and innovative solutions to organic farming. Examples of fields of scientific research would be, plant protection, plant nutrition, animal health and welfare, animal nutrition and cropping systems. In this case, the challenge as a HR manager is in finding suitable researchers to take up the above-mentioned job positions. Besides just hiring staffs for designated positions, as a HR manager I also have to schedule trainings for the newly hired staffs to familiarise them with the company’s working culture and their roles in specific departments as well as technical handling of certain machineries within the company. Trainings have to be specific to the department to ensure that there is no conflict of interests between departments. For instance, the transportation department need not train its staffs on methods of organic farming but, they need to know important skills specific to their own department such as efficient methods of delivery of products to market within short distance and time. The duty of a HR manager thus is to collaborate with the respective department heads to conduct these trainings for the staffs, to increase efficiency and productivity of the company in the long run. Performance management In terms of performance management, it is important to have an accurate measurement of the employees’ performance in order for the organisation to continue flourishing. There are a myriad of methods can be adopted to accurately measure employee performance individually or as a team, one of which is to set up random methods of quality control throughout the company. The employees will be aware that there will be quality control checks occurring every now and then, but they do not know exactly when these checks will occur, so if they are not up to standard or below par, it can be shown easily over time. Some methods of quality control that can be implemented are, checking the quality of the organic products, reviewing phone calls from clients and inspecting log
Mohammad Haiqal Bin Eddy
HRM Assignment
U1021861A
books. Another method is to survey the clients about the customer service experience, by asking them about their experience with our product and our service when providing the product. Customer satisfaction is very important in any businesses and hence, the gauge of how satisfied the client is will be an accurate indicator of the performance of our customer service department of the company. However, sometimes these indicators may not be enough to fully assess the performance of the employees; therefore a more comprehensive employee assessment method would have to be adopted. One way is to hire a professional assessor who can appraise the everyday functionality of the organisation, as well as the performance of your employees. An external assessor can provide impartiality and, therefore, feedback that is devoid of personal relationships and feelings. A 360 appraisal is a second option that subjects an employee to appraisals by all his or her direct superiors and peers. Organization development Organization development involves the process of improving the overall work capacity of the company through innovation and creative thinking to achieve greater overall efficiency and effectiveness. In the case of an organic farming enterprise, an example of a creative solution to enhance the quality of the crops is to release beneficial insects that prey on pests helps to eliminate the need for chemical insecticides. Another aspect of organizational development would be to focus on personnel practices to help integrate workers into the organisation. Therefore the HR manager has to work hand in hand with other department heads to develop new strategies and implement significant changes that will bring the company forward. As a HR manager, it is challenging to do so and problems such as conflicting interests and different ideologies between high ranking executives in the company might hinder development, thus being able to mediate such situations and come to a common consensus is an important skill a HR manager should have to overcome such challenges. Communication Within every organisation, all relationships are based on organizational communication. In the organization’s structure, organisational communication is a specific form of interpersonal communication which is expressed in relationships with employees; and the quality of these communications has a direct impact on the functioning of whole organisations. Therefore it is imperative that proper organisational communication is established to identify and use incentives to motivate employees and build strong effective and fair relations between managers and employees thus ensuring the overall well-being of the employees. It also ensures that employees have a safe working environment, free from discrimination and harassment. As a HR manager, I would have to
Mohammad Haiqal Bin Eddy
HRM Assignment
U1021861A
conduct workplace investigations and resolve employee complaints and is a primary contact for legal counsel in risk mitigation activities and litigation pertaining to employee relations matters. An example of risk mitigation handled by a human resource manager includes examining current workplace policies and providing training to employees and managers on those policies to minimize the frequency of employee complaints due to misinterpretation or misunderstanding of company policies. Compensation Plan and employee benefits As a HR manager, I am also responsible for developing comprehensive and strategic compensation plans that motivates the employees to strive to achieve the company’s goals. The compensation plan should benefit both the organisation and the employees for it to be an effective one. In the organic farming industry, we would want to nurture our employees with the appropriate skills, passion and good work ethics and retain them for many years as this industry is very specific to the kind of skills required and it will not be easy to keep hiring fresh new employees without proper experience. Hence, a strong compensation plan with good retirement incentives would motivate the employees to stay with the company for the long term. For an effective compensation plan, there has to be a mix of short and long term benefits such as yearly bonuses and healthy retirement plan as well as family oriented benefits such as obtaining organic foods at a discounted price, since we are operating an organic farming enterprise. The challenging aspect of developing a solid compensation plan does not lie within the amount of benefits made available to the employees, rather the consistency of the plan even during tough economic times. If the compensation plan is too generous and in the event that the businesses do not do well for a particular year, it is likely that certain benefits from the compensation plan have to be retracted and this might cause resentment amongst the employees. Thus, being conservative initially and then adding benefits to the compensation plan as the company prosper would be a better method of designing the compensation plan. Employee motivation In any organisation and industry, in order to be successful, the employees need to be highly motivated and driven to give their best in their work. Workplace motivation is the influence that drives the employees to work towards achieving organizational goals; and this motivation is a result from the individual needs of the employees being satisfied. In a company with a large number of employees, every employee is different and their needs vary from person to person thus the company has to be able to utilize different motivational tools to encourage their employees to put in the required effort to increase productivity for the company. As a HR manager, what I can do is to
Mohammad Haiqal Bin Eddy
HRM Assignment
U1021861A
develop an extra employee reward system other than the compensation system to act as a motivational tool for the employees. Awards such as employee of the month, top sales person of the month and the likes bundled with monetary incentives, can help to influence both job satisfaction and employee motivation. Another method of rewarding would be to set specific goals for certain employees and when those goals are met, rewards will be given out in the form of recognition or money. This would be useful for certain departments such as transportation or administration which are not driven directly by sales. The reward system influences motivation primarily through the perceived value of the rewards and their contingency on performance (Hickins, 1998). The challenge in motivating the employees could come in the form of a problematic employee. The behaviour of one single ‘black sheep’ in the company could cause some of the other employees to be unsettled and thus unmotivated. This is harmful for the working environment in the company. Thus, if this situation is encountered, the HR manager should talk to that particular employee and allow some time for the employee to improve. If the employee will or cannot improve after a few performance meetings, the HR manager will have to exercise his power and terminate their employment. Conclusion The role of the HR manager must go alongside with the requisite of the developing organization. Guiding the organization to achieve more novelty, to create the culture to support innovative thinking and to hire, train and reward is a major responsibility. Successful organizations are becoming more adaptable, resilient, quick to change directions, and customer-centered. Within this environment, the HR professional must learn how to manage effectively through planning, organizing, leading and controlling the human resource and be knowledgeable of emerging trends in training and employee development. (2108 words)
Mohammad Haiqal Bin Eddy REFERENCES
HRM Assignment
U1021861A
1) Organic farming. (n.d.). Retrieved 20 September, 2013, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming#Organic_farming_systems 2) Organic Farming. (n.d.). Retrieved 21 September, 2013, from European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/organic-farming/what-organic_en 3) Career Opprotunities. (n.d.). Retrieved 20 September, 2013, from Standard Process: https://www.standardprocess.com/Career-Opportunities 4) Chan, D. (2013). "The Challenges Of Human Resource Management." 1-5.Web.20 September 2013.< http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/business-management-articlesreports/the-challenges-of-human-resource-management/the-challenges-of-humanresource-management1.asp> 5) Stanleigh, M. (2013). "Innovation: A Strategic HR Imperative."1.Web. 21 September 2013. <http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/business-management-articlesreports/the-challenges-of-human-resource-management/the-challenges-of-humanresource-management1.asp> 6) Mayhew, R. (n.d.). "Primary Responsibilities of a Human Resource Manager. " Demand Media . Web.21 September. 2013. <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/primaryresponsibilities-human-resource-manager-10957.html> 7) How to Measure Performance: 5 Steps . (n.d.). Retrieved 21 September, 2013, from WikiHow: http://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Performance 8) Human Resources Managers : Occupational Outlook Handbook. (n.d.). Retrieved 21 September, 2013, from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/human-resources-managers.htm#tab-2 9) Rural deveopment . (n.d.). Retrieved 21 September, 2013, from Eurorpean Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/society-economy/rural-development_en 10) Working in Organic Farming. (n.d.). Retrieved 21 September, 2013, from European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/society-economy/working-farming_en
HRM Assignment
U1021861A
“Organic farming involves more than just farming without chemicals. It requires changes to many parts of the crop and livestock production system, and finally the logistic delivery of fresh products to consumers without delay.”
Organic farming refers to an agricultural system that seeks to provide the consumer with fresh and authentic food while respecting the natural life-cycle systems. It differs from conventional farming in terms of its strict limits on the usage of chemical synthetic pesticide and synthetic fertiliser use, livestock antibiotics, food additives and processing aids. Genetically modified organisms are also prohibited. Essentially this method of farming takes advantage of on-site resources such as livestock manure for fertiliser or feed produced on the farm, hence emulating the natural ecosystem conditions for a healthier and higher quality food produced. As a Human Resource (HR) manager of an organic farming enterprise, my job is to plan, direct and coordinate the administrative functions of my enterprise. This would entail the recruiting, interviewing and hiring of new employees, ensuring that specific skills and requirements for certain job post are met and in general, serve as a link between the enterprise’s management and its employees. Besides overseeing the above mentioned process, I would also have to coordinate the work of specialists and support staffs directly under me to ensure that the work flow within the enterprise is smooth. I would also have to handle any issues pertaining my staffs such as, mediating disputes, firing employees (if necessary) and sorting out disciplinary issues. In addition to handling issues directly related to my employees, I am also constantly looking for new ways to improve on the enterprise’s strategic planning by consulting with top executives from other departments and/or companies. As such, being a HR manager would need one to have solid communication skills and decision-making capabilities based on analytical skills and critical thought processes. Hiring and Employee Training Hiring of employees in the organic farming sector is in itself a challenge for the HR manager, as there are quite a number of factors to take into consideration. As the consumer demand for organic food increases, job opportunities within the organic farming sector will become greater and thus more staffs will have to be hired. Throughout the organic farming supply chain, there are a myriad of job opportunities which ranges from the traditional hands-on approach to agriculture to transport operators who can meet the specific demand of the industry to researchers who creates integrated systems to monitor and ensure the optimal the growth of the crops without reliance on synthetic fertilisers. Therefore, as a HR manager, I would have to create a specific list of skills needed for each expertise and ensure that suitable candidates are interviewed and hired for the positions. For instance, one of the challenges I would face during the hiring process would be the inability to find a
Mohammad Haiqal Bin Eddy
HRM Assignment
U1021861A
reasonably young and suitable candidate to do hands-on work in the organic farm. As we all know, working in farms are more associated with the older generations and hence finding replacements in the new generation would be a challenge and as a HR manager, I would have to draft up new incentives and promising career progressions to entice this young generation to ply their trade in this industry. It is important to have a good and sustainable mix of experienced and younger workers to be working on the organic farms, to ensure the continuity of the industry. Organic farming also involves intense research work to know the different needs of organic farming. It is not just farming without chemicals. Hence opportunities in the many different fields of related scientific research are widely available and as a HR manager, I would need to hire competent researchers that could propel the company forward with efficient and innovative solutions to organic farming. Examples of fields of scientific research would be, plant protection, plant nutrition, animal health and welfare, animal nutrition and cropping systems. In this case, the challenge as a HR manager is in finding suitable researchers to take up the above-mentioned job positions. Besides just hiring staffs for designated positions, as a HR manager I also have to schedule trainings for the newly hired staffs to familiarise them with the company’s working culture and their roles in specific departments as well as technical handling of certain machineries within the company. Trainings have to be specific to the department to ensure that there is no conflict of interests between departments. For instance, the transportation department need not train its staffs on methods of organic farming but, they need to know important skills specific to their own department such as efficient methods of delivery of products to market within short distance and time. The duty of a HR manager thus is to collaborate with the respective department heads to conduct these trainings for the staffs, to increase efficiency and productivity of the company in the long run. Performance management In terms of performance management, it is important to have an accurate measurement of the employees’ performance in order for the organisation to continue flourishing. There are a myriad of methods can be adopted to accurately measure employee performance individually or as a team, one of which is to set up random methods of quality control throughout the company. The employees will be aware that there will be quality control checks occurring every now and then, but they do not know exactly when these checks will occur, so if they are not up to standard or below par, it can be shown easily over time. Some methods of quality control that can be implemented are, checking the quality of the organic products, reviewing phone calls from clients and inspecting log
Mohammad Haiqal Bin Eddy
HRM Assignment
U1021861A
books. Another method is to survey the clients about the customer service experience, by asking them about their experience with our product and our service when providing the product. Customer satisfaction is very important in any businesses and hence, the gauge of how satisfied the client is will be an accurate indicator of the performance of our customer service department of the company. However, sometimes these indicators may not be enough to fully assess the performance of the employees; therefore a more comprehensive employee assessment method would have to be adopted. One way is to hire a professional assessor who can appraise the everyday functionality of the organisation, as well as the performance of your employees. An external assessor can provide impartiality and, therefore, feedback that is devoid of personal relationships and feelings. A 360 appraisal is a second option that subjects an employee to appraisals by all his or her direct superiors and peers. Organization development Organization development involves the process of improving the overall work capacity of the company through innovation and creative thinking to achieve greater overall efficiency and effectiveness. In the case of an organic farming enterprise, an example of a creative solution to enhance the quality of the crops is to release beneficial insects that prey on pests helps to eliminate the need for chemical insecticides. Another aspect of organizational development would be to focus on personnel practices to help integrate workers into the organisation. Therefore the HR manager has to work hand in hand with other department heads to develop new strategies and implement significant changes that will bring the company forward. As a HR manager, it is challenging to do so and problems such as conflicting interests and different ideologies between high ranking executives in the company might hinder development, thus being able to mediate such situations and come to a common consensus is an important skill a HR manager should have to overcome such challenges. Communication Within every organisation, all relationships are based on organizational communication. In the organization’s structure, organisational communication is a specific form of interpersonal communication which is expressed in relationships with employees; and the quality of these communications has a direct impact on the functioning of whole organisations. Therefore it is imperative that proper organisational communication is established to identify and use incentives to motivate employees and build strong effective and fair relations between managers and employees thus ensuring the overall well-being of the employees. It also ensures that employees have a safe working environment, free from discrimination and harassment. As a HR manager, I would have to
Mohammad Haiqal Bin Eddy
HRM Assignment
U1021861A
conduct workplace investigations and resolve employee complaints and is a primary contact for legal counsel in risk mitigation activities and litigation pertaining to employee relations matters. An example of risk mitigation handled by a human resource manager includes examining current workplace policies and providing training to employees and managers on those policies to minimize the frequency of employee complaints due to misinterpretation or misunderstanding of company policies. Compensation Plan and employee benefits As a HR manager, I am also responsible for developing comprehensive and strategic compensation plans that motivates the employees to strive to achieve the company’s goals. The compensation plan should benefit both the organisation and the employees for it to be an effective one. In the organic farming industry, we would want to nurture our employees with the appropriate skills, passion and good work ethics and retain them for many years as this industry is very specific to the kind of skills required and it will not be easy to keep hiring fresh new employees without proper experience. Hence, a strong compensation plan with good retirement incentives would motivate the employees to stay with the company for the long term. For an effective compensation plan, there has to be a mix of short and long term benefits such as yearly bonuses and healthy retirement plan as well as family oriented benefits such as obtaining organic foods at a discounted price, since we are operating an organic farming enterprise. The challenging aspect of developing a solid compensation plan does not lie within the amount of benefits made available to the employees, rather the consistency of the plan even during tough economic times. If the compensation plan is too generous and in the event that the businesses do not do well for a particular year, it is likely that certain benefits from the compensation plan have to be retracted and this might cause resentment amongst the employees. Thus, being conservative initially and then adding benefits to the compensation plan as the company prosper would be a better method of designing the compensation plan. Employee motivation In any organisation and industry, in order to be successful, the employees need to be highly motivated and driven to give their best in their work. Workplace motivation is the influence that drives the employees to work towards achieving organizational goals; and this motivation is a result from the individual needs of the employees being satisfied. In a company with a large number of employees, every employee is different and their needs vary from person to person thus the company has to be able to utilize different motivational tools to encourage their employees to put in the required effort to increase productivity for the company. As a HR manager, what I can do is to
Mohammad Haiqal Bin Eddy
HRM Assignment
U1021861A
develop an extra employee reward system other than the compensation system to act as a motivational tool for the employees. Awards such as employee of the month, top sales person of the month and the likes bundled with monetary incentives, can help to influence both job satisfaction and employee motivation. Another method of rewarding would be to set specific goals for certain employees and when those goals are met, rewards will be given out in the form of recognition or money. This would be useful for certain departments such as transportation or administration which are not driven directly by sales. The reward system influences motivation primarily through the perceived value of the rewards and their contingency on performance (Hickins, 1998). The challenge in motivating the employees could come in the form of a problematic employee. The behaviour of one single ‘black sheep’ in the company could cause some of the other employees to be unsettled and thus unmotivated. This is harmful for the working environment in the company. Thus, if this situation is encountered, the HR manager should talk to that particular employee and allow some time for the employee to improve. If the employee will or cannot improve after a few performance meetings, the HR manager will have to exercise his power and terminate their employment. Conclusion The role of the HR manager must go alongside with the requisite of the developing organization. Guiding the organization to achieve more novelty, to create the culture to support innovative thinking and to hire, train and reward is a major responsibility. Successful organizations are becoming more adaptable, resilient, quick to change directions, and customer-centered. Within this environment, the HR professional must learn how to manage effectively through planning, organizing, leading and controlling the human resource and be knowledgeable of emerging trends in training and employee development. (2108 words)
Mohammad Haiqal Bin Eddy REFERENCES
HRM Assignment
U1021861A
1) Organic farming. (n.d.). Retrieved 20 September, 2013, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming#Organic_farming_systems 2) Organic Farming. (n.d.). Retrieved 21 September, 2013, from European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/organic-farming/what-organic_en 3) Career Opprotunities. (n.d.). Retrieved 20 September, 2013, from Standard Process: https://www.standardprocess.com/Career-Opportunities 4) Chan, D. (2013). "The Challenges Of Human Resource Management." 1-5.Web.20 September 2013.< http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/business-management-articlesreports/the-challenges-of-human-resource-management/the-challenges-of-humanresource-management1.asp> 5) Stanleigh, M. (2013). "Innovation: A Strategic HR Imperative."1.Web. 21 September 2013. <http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/business-management-articlesreports/the-challenges-of-human-resource-management/the-challenges-of-humanresource-management1.asp> 6) Mayhew, R. (n.d.). "Primary Responsibilities of a Human Resource Manager. " Demand Media . Web.21 September. 2013. <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/primaryresponsibilities-human-resource-manager-10957.html> 7) How to Measure Performance: 5 Steps . (n.d.). Retrieved 21 September, 2013, from WikiHow: http://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Performance 8) Human Resources Managers : Occupational Outlook Handbook. (n.d.). Retrieved 21 September, 2013, from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/human-resources-managers.htm#tab-2 9) Rural deveopment . (n.d.). Retrieved 21 September, 2013, from Eurorpean Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/society-economy/rural-development_en 10) Working in Organic Farming. (n.d.). Retrieved 21 September, 2013, from European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/society-economy/working-farming_en
