Name Roll No Learning Centre Subject Assignment No

: : : : : HUMEN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ONE

Date of Submission at the learning centre:

Q.1

What are the functions that HR attempts to fulfill in any organization.

Ans. The variety of causes of human relations problems lead to the conclusion that no one programme or single approach can create conditions for good human relations. Therefore, it is common for organizations and individuals in organization to constantly innovate and resolve challenges that will benefit both the organization as well as the employee. The functions that HR attempts to fulfil in any organization are enumerated below: Human Resource Planning Estimating the need for resources in order achieve the desired business results. HR plans can be both short term/immediate as well as long term / strategic. The HR team partners with the line managers to understand the business goals and targets for the year and then together plan the HR needs in order to meet the goals. Acquisition of human resources Staffing the organizations with the right mix of skills and competencies at the right time. It also includes HR initiatives like promotions and internal job posting to fulfil this requirement for human resources. Staffing teams in organizations are usually a separate group of specialists who work closely with the line managers to understand the skills and competencies needed for the job and engage together to select the best talent for the open positions. Training and employee development Focuses on managing training activities to upgrade skills and knowledge as well as soft skills like team building and leadership. The training team is again a group of HR specialists who propose the training program and consult with the line managers to ensure that the program achieves the desired outcomes. Building performance management systems Focuses on the right processes to set goals for performance as individuals/teams and related measurement methods. This is a core HR activity and is supported by the HR generalist.

Reward systems Establishing appropriate compensation systems and reward mechanisms that would reward the desired outcome and results in accordance with the corporate values. This again forms a part of the HR generalists tasks. How employees progress in a organization how they are paid w.r.t. internal and external market factors, what employee benefits are offered, are some aspect that this function redresses. Human Resources Information Systems that would take care of the operational 2

transactions from the time an employee joins till the time the employee exits, like personnel files, compensation administration, payroll, benefits administration and issuing letters and testimonials. This task is supported by as separate HR operations team who act as a HR helpdesk and provide information to the employees/managers.

Q.2

Discuss the cultural dimensions of Indian Work force.

Ans. The foundation for understanding the unique work practices at a country level can best be understood by first understanding the cultural aspects of the countrys workforce.Dutch scientist, Geert Hofstede identified five cultural dimensions around which countries have been clustered. The dimensions are: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, masculinity and long term orientation. Geert Hofstede dimensions are based on research conducted among over 1000 IBM employees working globally. While there continued to be other studies like the GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organisational Behaviour Effectiveness) project and Trompenaars' Framework, Hofstedes model is most popular. Power Distance Power distance is the extent to which less powerful members of institutions and organisations accept that power is distributed unequally. Countries in which people blindly obey the orders of superiors have high power distance. High power distance countries have norms, values and beliefs that support: Inequality is good; everyone has a place; some are high, some are low Most people should be dependent on a leader, The powerful are entitled to privileges, and The powerful should yield their power.

India scores 77 on power distance, indicating high power distance as a result of the inequalities both at the level of the society as well as the at the workplace. Indian organizations typically have hierarchical structures, position yields power and subordination is acceptable. The dimension of high power distance at the workplace can be best understood as: 3

 People dislike work and try to avoid it. Managers believe that they must adopt Theory X leadership style, that is, must be authoritarian, and force workers to perform and need to subordinates closely. Organisational structures and systems tend to match the assumption leadership and motivation Decision making is centralised. Those at the top make most of the decisions. Organisations tend to have tall structures. They will have a large proportion of supervisory personnel, and The people at the lower levels often will have low job qualifications Such structures encourage and promote inequality between people at levels. Uncertainty Avoidance Uncertainty avoidance is the extent to which people feel threatened by ambiguous situations, and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these. India scores 40 indicating low to average uncertainty avoidance characteristics. Countries with low uncertainty avoidance have people who are more willing to accept that risks are associated with the unknown, and that life must go on in spite of this. Specifically, high uncertainty avoidance countries are characterised by norms, values, and beliefs which accept that: Conflict should not be avoided, Deviant people and ideas should be tolerated, Laws are not very important and need not necessarily be followed, Experts and authorities are not always correct, and Consensus is not important different regarding supervise they their

Low uncertainty avoidance societies such as ours have organisation settings with less structuring of activities, fewer written rules, more risk-taking by managers, higher labour turnover and more ambitious employees. Such an organisation encourages employees to use their initiative and assume responsibility for their actions. Denmark and Great Britain are good examples of low uncertainty avoidance cultures. Germany, Japan, and Spain typify high uncertainty avoidance societies

Individualism Individualism is the tendency of people to look after themselves and their family only. The opposite of this is collectivism which refers to the tendency of people to belong to groups and to look after each other in exchange for loyalty. India scores 48 on Individualism, indicating somewhat low scores, therefore tending towards a more collectivistic society. Collectivist countries believe that: One's identity is based on one's group membership, Group decision making is best, and Groups protect individuals in exchange for their loyalty to the group. Organisations in collectivist societies tend to promote nepotism in selecting managers. In contrast, in individualistic societies, favouritism shown to friends and relatives is considered to be unfair and even illegal. Further, organisations in collectivist cultures base promotions mostly on seniority and age, whereas in individualist societies, they are based on one's performance. Finally, in collectivist cultures, important decisions are made by older and senior managers as opposed to individualist cultures, where decision making is an individual's responsibility. Individualism is common in the US, Canada, Australia, Denmark, and Sweden. The people of India, Indonesia, Pakistan and a number of South American countries exhibit collectivism.

Masculinity Masculinity refers to a situation in which the dominant values in a society are success, money and other material things. Hofstede measured this dimension on a continuum ranging from masculinity to femininity. India scores 56 tending to be closed to masculinity than feminity. In highly masculine societies, jobs are clearly defined by gender. There are men's jobs and women's jobs. Men usually choose jobs that are associated with long-term careers. Women usually choose jobs that are associated with short-term employment, before marriage. Ranking of India on Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

Country Arab countries Argentina Australia Brazil Canada Denmark East Africa France Germany FR Great Britain Greece Hong Kong India Indonesia

Power Distance 80 49 36 69 39 18 64 68 35 35 60 68 77 78

Individualism Uncertainty Avoidance 38 68 46 90 38 80 74 27 71 67 89 35 25 48 14 86 51 76 48 23 52 86 65 35 112 29 40 48

Masculinity 53 56 61 49 52 16 41 43 66 66 57 57 56 46

Q.3

Explain the need for Human Resource Planning system.

Ans. Human Resource Planning is a mandatory part of every organizations annual planning process. Every organization that plans for its business goals for the year also plans for how it will go about achieving them, and therein the planning for the human resource: 1. To carry on its work, each organization needs competent staff with the necessary qualifications, skills, knowledge, work experience and aptitude for work. 2. Since employees exit and organization both naturally (as a result of superannuation) and unnaturally (as a result of resignation), there is an on-going need for hiring replacement staff to augment employee exit. Otherwise, work would be impacted. 3. In order to meet the need for more employees due to organizational growth and expansion, this in turn calls for larger quantities of the same goods and services as well as new goods. This growth could be rapid or gradual depending on the nature of the business, its competitors, its position in the market and the general economy. 4. Often organizations might need to replace the nature of the present workforce as a result of its changing needs, therefore the need to hire new set of employees. To meet the challenge of the changed needs of technology / product/service innovation the existing employees need to be trained or new skill sets induced into 6

the organization. 5. Manpower planning is also needed in order to identify an organizations need to reduce its workforce. In situations where the organization is faced with severe revenue and growth limitations it might need to plan well to manage how it will reduce its workforce. Options such as redeployment and outplacement can be planned for and executed properly.

Q.4

Elucidate the classification of wages in the Indian System.

Ans. In India, wages are classified as below : a. Minimum wage b. Fair wage; and c. Living wage Minimum wage: A minimum wage has been defined by the Committee as "the wage which must provide not only for the bare sustenance of life, but for the preservation of the efficiency of the worker. For this purpose, the minimum wage must provide for some measure of education, medical requirements and amenities". In other words, a minimum wage should provide for the sustenance of the worker's family, for his efficiency, for the education of his family members, for their medical care and for some amenities. It is very difficult to determine the minimum wage because conditions vary from place to place, industry to industry and from worker to worker. However, the principles for determining minimum wages were evolved by the Government and have been incorporated in the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the important principle being that minimum wages should provide not only for the bare sustenance of life but also for the preservation of the efficiency of the workers by way of education, medical care and other amenities.

Fair Wage: According to the Committee on Fair Wages, "it is the wage which is above the minimum wage but below the living wage." The lower limit of the fair wage is obviously the minimum wage; the upper limit is set by the "capacity of the industry to pay". Between these two limits, the actual wages should depend on considerations of such factors as: i) The productivity of labour; 7

ii) The prevailing rates of wages in the same or neighbouring localities; iii) The level of the national income and its distribution; and iv) The place of industry in the economy.

Living Wage: This wage was recommended by the Committee as a fair wage and as ultimate goal in a wage policy. It defined a Living Wage as "one which should enable the earner to provide for himself and his family not only the bare essentials of food, clothing and shelter but a measure of frugal comfort, including education for his children, protection against ill-health, requirements of essential social needs and a measure of insurance against the more important misfortunes including old age. Generally, ascertaining wages and deciding who to pay what is a activity undertaken in the beginning when a organization is set up. Thereon it is annual reviews to make corrections per the countrys economic and market/industry trends. The management considers the state of the labour market and takes into account of what he can afford to pay and the value of the worker to him. The workers willingness for employment at the rate offered implies that they agree to work at that rate, though they have had no part in fixing it. 1. Collective Bargaining: Collective bargaining is still in the initial stage in India. Although it is a desirable development in the relations between management and labour, it cannot be imposed upon either side by compulsion and should evolve naturally from within. 2. Voluntary Arbitration: In voluntary arbitration, both parties agree to refer their dispute to mutually agreed arbitrator and his award becomes binding on the parties. 3. Wage Legislation: Wages are fixed according to law in some industries. The Central Government and State Governments may fix minimum wages under the Minimum Wages Act of 1948 for industries in which workers are exploited or too unorganized to protect their own interests. In order to advise them in the matter of fixing minimum wages, the Governments appoint Minimum Wages Committees and the Advisory Boards. The Committees and the Advisory Boards consist of equal number of workers and employers representatives and also independent members whose number should not exceed one- third of the total number of members.

4. Conciliation: The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, provides for consideration in case of disputes between employers and workers. If an agreement is reached in the course of conciliation proceedings, it becomes binding on the parties and takes effect from the date agreed upon or from the date on which it is signed by the two parties. In case no agreement is reached, the Conciliation Officer sends a full report of the proceedings. On receipt of this report, the government may decide to refer the case to Industrial Tribunal for award. 5. Adjudication: Labour courts and Industrial Tribunals are set up under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. On studying the awards one gets the impression that the adjudicators are attempting to justify their decision in social and ethical terms. At the same time, there is a desire to satisfy both parties to the dispute, and therefore, economic factors such as capacity to pay, unemployment, profits, condition of the economy or welfare of the industry concerned, are given due prominence. 6. Wage Boards: The boards are appointed by the Government and usually consist of seven members two representatives of management, two of labour, two independent members and a chairman. The board is expected to take into account the needs of the specific industry in a developing economy, the special features of the industry, the requirements of social justice, and the necessity for adjusting wage differential in such a manner as to provide incentives to workers for advancing their skill. Its recommendations may be accepted by the Government either completely or partly, and may be statutorily imposed on the industry in question, or may be rejected.

Q.5

Ms. S. Sharma is the General manager HR of a private educational group. She

is planning for the promotion policy for the faculty members. The norms are also ruled by the government policy and criteria. Moreover the options to promote are limited. Suggest Ms Sharma the alternative way to vertical promotion. What are the challenges in implementing that option? Ans. A few companies do have a clear cut policy while certain organisations issue circulars as and when they need. Many companies develop policies over a period of time through settlements and agreements with the employees/unions. In promoting employees consideration should be given for establishment of the horizontal or vertical promotion. The desirability of securing assistants who complement rather than supplement their superiors 9

is the major point in a successive plan which is an integral part of manpower planning. There are types of promotion Vertical & Horizontal promotion. Vertical Promotion. Employees are promoted from one rank to the next higher rank in the same department or division. This is based on the belief that this leads to effective utilization of experience gained in the same department. It also gives an opportunity to the employees to go up while increasing their specialization in their area of operation. However, it has got one disadvantage. The vacancies may be very few in a department. E.g. In a big University, a Lecturer working in a particular Department may not become a Professor or the Head of the Department unless his superiors die/retire/resign. This makes the person frustrated. Besides, this type of promotion limits a person's contact with other departments and does not permit him to enhance his knowledge/expertise with each year's experience. Because his experience would be one or two year's knowledge multiplied by 10 to 15 years rotation. If he does not get his promotion at the right time since the room at the top is limited he will also start disliking his job / organisation. As a result, he becomes counter-productive. Horizontal promotions. Horizontal promotions are considered an alternative to this by

certain organisations. Under this policy, an employee may be transferred from a position in one department to a position of higher rank in another department or to the same rank in a different department if the transfer gives him an opportunity to acquire greater knowledge and wider experience. E.g. if a Senior Lecturer cannot get promotion in a particular Department for obvious reasons, he may be transferred as Registrar of the University or as Controller of Examinations or Director of Distance Education. However, there is one difficulty. Unless the person is quite dynamic and intelligent, he may find the new assignment a tough one and irksome. To some, it may be a cause for frustration. However, for many, Horizontal promotion even if it is only a paper promotion is a challenge since it allows them job rotation.

Q.6

ABC is an organization that wants to revise the HR policies. Before doing that

it want to have some details about the following: What the emplyees think about the company? What do they think ,in the company is going well? What practices in the company they think are not doing well? 10

 Get the feedback on managerial effectiveness. Suggest the suitable method to collect the employee opinion and explain the method.

Ans. The suitable method to collect the employee opinion is survey method. The Survey Questionnaire Method: This method is generally used to collect employee opinions about the factors which affect morale and their opinion about the leadership. Morale or employee satisfaction surveys are generally conducted with a view to: Finding out what employees really think; Finding out what, in the company, they think is working well and what is not; Solicit feedback on managerial effectiveness; Determining the clarity of company vision/objectives and the top management commitment to it; and Finding out what employee is most unhappy about. This questionnaire is usually a scientifically developed instrument and well tested for validity and reliability. These include multiple choice, dichotomous (yes or no)" and open-ended questions. Conducting the Survey: This type of survey is conducted by outside consultatnts because of the floowing reasons : Make the survey credible wherein employees share correct feedback By means of their expertise, they help determine the type of questions to be used depending on the objectives of the survey. The survey itself is carried out anonymously, the employee is not required to divulge his/her name and personal information Analysis and generation of survey report is a specialised activity

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In some cases the company's representatives may give the employees the questionnaires in a stamped envelope, planning them on a table and permitting the employees to get them if they wish to, or having a fellow employee distributed them. The stamped envelopes are frequently addressed to some management consultant or college professor who tabulates the results. The consultant then analyses the data to generate a number of reports. The reports can be generate for each department, for manager with more than 20 team members, for the company, etc.. The management usually shares the findings with all the employees, highlighting the strengths and the areas for improvement. Action plans for improvement are also shared so employees are aware of the managements commitment towards improving workplace morale and employee engagement. The survey is usually conducted once a year. The important part of this initiative is the action that is taken after the survey results come on. Each department head meets with his team of managers and they together analyse the report and the data for the department and identify areas of low scores. Brainstorming exercises then help identify what actions can improve employee morale in these areas. Sometime action-planning teams are formed from among the employees and they drive the action areas. For example if the report identifies that rewards and recognition is a concern area for the team Organizations track Survey scores year on year. Most organizations tie the scores to managerial effectiveness and use it as a measure to assess managers for promotions, potential for future senior roles etc.

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