HR Policies

7 Key excerpts on "HR Policies"

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  eBook - ePub

  Armstrong's Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice

  • Michael Armstrong, Stephen Taylor(Authors)
  • 2020(Publication Date)
  • Kogan Page

    (Publisher)

  PART XIII

  HRM policies and practices and employment law

  PART XIII CONTENTS

  1. 52 HR Policies
  2. 53 HR procedures
  3. 54 HR information systems
  4. 55 Employment law

  Introduction

  This part describes four areas of HRM that are concerned with administering the employment relationship. Passage contains an image

  52

  HR Policies

  Introduction

  HR or people policies set out the approaches that the organization adopts to dealing with key aspects of HRM and provide continuing guidelines on how these approaches should be applied. They define the philosophies and values of the organization on how people should be treated, and from these are derived the principles upon which managers are expected to act when dealing with HR matters.

  HR Policies should be distinguished from HR procedures. A policy provides generalized guidance on how HR issues should be dealt with. A procedure spells out precisely what steps should be taken to deal with major employment issues such as grievances, discipline, capability and redundancy. In this chapter consideration is given to the reason for HR Policies, the areas in which general and specific policies are formulated and the development and implementation of policies.

  Why have HR Policies?

  HR Policies define how the organization wants to handle key aspects of people management. As guidelines the aim is to ensure that any HR issues are dealt with consistently in accordance with the values of the organization and in line with certain defined principles. All organizations have HR Policies. Some, however, exist implicitly as a philosophy of management and an attitude to employees that is expressed in the way in which HR issues are handled; for example, the introduction of a new grade and pay structure. The advantage of explicit policies in terms of consistency and understanding may appear to be obvious, but there are disadvantages: written policies can be inflexible, constrictive, platitudinous, or all three. To a degree, policies have often to be expressed in abstract terms and managers do not generally care for abstractions. But they do want to know where they stand – people like structure – and formalized HR Policies can provide the guidelines they need.

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  eBook - ePub

  Managing Risk: The HR Contribution

  • John Stevens, Vicki Jeynes, Elvis Cotena, Mark Edelson(Authors)
  • 2006(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  CHAPTER 4

  Human Resources policies and procedures

  A RISK-BASED APPROACH TO POLICY DEVELOPMENT

  4.1 The question must initially be asked: ‘Why have policies and procedures at all?’ The answer to this question is fundamental to understanding the concepts in this chapter. From an organisational perspective, there needs to be a top-level strategy for managing risks within the organisation. This essential responsibility for the Board or senior management team not only protects the interests of the shareholders but also ensures a safe and effective working environment. In terms of assessing corporate risks, these are associated with a wide range of business activities such as buildings, plant and machinery, finance and, of course, people. Senior management have overall responsibility for ensuring that the risks faced by the organisation are managed and minimised.

  4.2 The answer for Human Resources professionals is that the implementation of effective policies and procedures for Human Resources operational and regulatory requirements is key to managing Human Resources risks. As a result, not only will management fulfil this important part of their obligation to stakeholders, but they will also maximise the effectiveness of employees, thus maximising opportunities for the organisation.

  4.3 Mention has already been made of the psychological contract as an unwritten set of expectations within an organisation. How Human Resources professionals write policies and procedures, determine the resulting practices and communicate them to employees can significantly shape the perception of the psychological contract for existing and prospective employees.

  4.4

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  eBook - ePub

  irs Managing Conflict in the Workplace

  • Heather Falconer, Mike Bagshaw(Authors)
  • 2009(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  Chapter SixEstablishing Effective Policies Heather Falconer Introduction

  HR practitioners spend a good proportion of their working lives working on one type of policy or another. The more traditional sort, with titles such as equal opportunities, sexual harassment, and diversity, are now being added to in progressive companies by initiatives on bullying, violence, whistle-blowing, alcohol and drugs, work-life balance and more.

  Recently, some employers have chosen to take a more all-encompassing approach to the problem of dysfunctional conflict such as bullying and harassment by introducing ‘dignity at work’ policies. These can cover a whole range of conflict issues such as discrimination, harassment, bullying, victimisation, violence. They are designed not only to condemn negative behaviours but also to reinforce the organisation’s commitment to positive values such as dignity, respect, courtesy and fairness. They are often couched in terms of the rights and responsibilities of everyone in the workplace.

  The impetus for many such policies has been the perceived threat of tribunal claims and the growing likelihood of an employer being held vicariously liable for the illegal acts of its employees: organisations have long been advised that having a clear policy on issues such as harassment and discrimination will reduce the possibility of having to foot the bill.

  But this is not all. The past few years has seen a growth in understanding of how fair and ethical employment policies affect employee commitment, loyalty, motivation and retention. The government’s Workplace Employee Relations Survey, for example, has found that progressive employment practices result in higher productivity and morale among workers. The growing problems of stress-related illness and absenteeism have also forced some employers to confront the conflict issues causing staff to suffer sustained high levels of anxiety.

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  Hotel Management and Operations

  • Michael J. O'Fallon, Denney G. Rutherford(Authors)
  • 2015(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  456 Chapter 9 • Human Resources Policy Management human resource function in hospitality organiza- tions, fall under four general categories: • Those governing equal employment and opportunity and nondiscrimination • Those governing compensation and working hours • Those governing the health and safety of workers • Those governing labor relations and collective bargaining (Jackson and Schuler, 2000) The judicial process is a dynamic one. Con- tinual changes occur in laws and regulations due to amendments to existing laws, enactment of new laws, and interpretations made by courts and regulatory agencies. It is mandatory for managers to keep up to date with the status of laws that affect their HR activities. Even with appropriate legal counsel, day-to-day activities of supervisors and managers are often where organizations run into legal problems. Therefore, it is necessary that managers be aware of their legal obligations. Because space does not permit a full discus- sion of all relevant employment laws, the following text concentrates on federal laws that have seen sig- nificant changes in the last decade as well as those that are forecasted to change significantly in the next several years (Flynn, 2000; Goldberg, 1998). They include sexual harassment and employer li- ability under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Immigration Reform and Control Act. A discussion of these laws and implications for hospitality managers follows. ✦ SEXUAL HARASSMENT In general, sexual harassment is defined as unwel- come sexual conduct in the workplace that is a term or condition of employment. Complaints of sexual harassment fall under two categories: quid pro quo and hostile work environment. Quid pro quo harassment is said to occur when submission to or rejection of unwelcome sexual conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment decisions affecting an employee.

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  21st Century Management: A Reference Handbook

  • Charles Wankel, Charles B. Wankel(Authors)
  • 2007(Publication Date)
  • SAGE Publications, Inc

    (Publisher)

  The quantity and quality of such goods and services are constrained by (operate within the context of) an organi-zation’s strategic objectives. In companies, these objectives typically include rate of return on invested capital, revenue growth, market share and, if publicly traded, share price. As with other inputs or assets, therefore, human resources must be managed strategically for the longer term and not just operationally for the short term or on a day-to-day basis. This view of human resource management clearly in-dicates that those who lead and manage business (and non-business) enterprises as well as component units and depart-ments must be skilled in the management of people. At the same time and as organizations grow larger, they usually establish a formal human resources function (that is, a department) staffed by executives and professionals who specialize and assist the organization in managing its em-ployees. An “HR department” typically develops, specifies, and monitors operating policies and practices regarding hiring, job placement, pay and fringe benefits, performance appraisal, promotion, training and development, work-life balance, and discipline and due process. However, because of the large amount of human resource/employment legisla-tion, an HR department typically also specifies and moni-tors operating policies and practices regarding payroll de-ductions, workplace safety, equal employment opportunity, employee leave plans, employee savings and benefit plans, and employee health care and wellness plans (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Contemporary human resource management occurs in a world that is much different from that which existed only a relatively short time ago. A leading development in this regard is the change in employment contracting, specifi-cally, from permanent or continuous employment to em-ployability. During the 40-year period dating from the end

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  A Contemporary Look at Business Ethics

  • Ronald R. Sims(Author)
  • 2010(Publication Date)
  • Information Age Publishing

    (Publisher)

  Today’s HRM personnel are increasingly recognizing that an important question they must help their organizations address is “Is ethics a bottom line issue?” It becomes one when we consider that by acting in an ethical manner organizations will hire, reward, and retain the best people. This will help assure that the organization has the best workforce possible to achieve its business goals. By helping their organizations adopt a definition of workplace ethics that centers on job performance HRM personnel will be in a better position to persuade others in the organization that making ethical behavior a pri- ority will produce beneficial results. HRM policies, activities and personnel are key to the development of an organizational culture that can counter corporate fraud or unethical behavior. Organizational culture represents the organization’s value system. Strongly influenced by top management, organizational culture typically indicates how the organization regards its various stakeholders to include employees, customers, competitors, and its environment. Organization cul- ture is often found in a statement of business. The aspect of organizational culture that refers to employees can be referred to as a company’s HRM philosophy. The HRM philosophy is a statement of how the organization regards its human resources—what role human resources play in the overall success of the organization and how they are to be treated and managed. This statement is typically very general, allowing interpretation at more specific levels of action within an organiza- tion. For example, a part of a company’s statement of business values could describe their philosophy of what employees mean to the company and how they are to be managed as follows: ◾ People are mature, responsible individuals who want to contribute.

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  eBook - ePub

  Human Resource Management

  • Chris Hendry(Author)
  • 2012(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  1 Human resource management: an overview

  DOI: 10.4324/9780080517872-1

  Introduction

  Human resource management (HRM) has gained rapid and widespread acceptance as a new term for managing employment. It remains, however, an ambiguous concept. People question whether it is any different from traditional personnel management, nor is it altogether clear what it consists of in practice.

  This chapter sets out the background of ideas on which HRM is based. Three common interpretations are identified. HRM is then compared with personnel management, identifying the special shortcomings of personnel management and those it shares with HRM.

  The chapter concludes by setting out the approach adopted in this book. This combines a view of organizations as employment systems set against the requirement to manage organizations in accordance with current business strategy.

  What do we mean by HRM?

  Our starting point is that HRM has different connotations for different people and does not yet constitute a unified theory. We are all familiar with such statements as ‘our human resources are our most important asset’. In some cases, acceptance of the principles of HRM goes no further than this. Others emphasize that it is about matching employment practices to an organization's strategy. A corollary of this is that, taken as a whole, employment practices should combine together to reinforce one another. Part of this is that employment decisions should not be conceived in isolation, but ideally should be integrated through mechanisms such as personnel planning. At the same time, reward systems, the way promotions are made, who gets trained and why, all have effects on motivation and say something about what kind of organization it is and what behaviours it wants to promote. HRM is about making sure such personnel practices convey a consistent message.

  A third connotation is to present HRM as having a distinctive philosophy underpinning it, not just any set of values. This philosophy emphasizes securing employee commitment and motivation in organizations characterized by high-trust relations, with scope for employees to exercise influence. Management style and organizational culture then become an important focus for action in their own right. It is not enough that employment practices cohere, nor even that they should express the values of the organization. These values are of a particular kind.

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