Hrmt20024 Managing Human Resource- Blue Assessment Answers

HRM Model:

1: Application of HRM practices 

In general, complement means support or how two things are supporting to each other. Moreover, complement can be said as a relation between two things or activities. Similarly, every company wants to achieve a high success and want to be sustainable perpetually. Employees are deemed as the most important assets and part of any company. How effective a company manages its human capital determines the level of its success and degree of competitiveness. Every company wants to treat its employees differently from the other companies so that they can attract the talent (Jensen et al, 2014). The effectiveness of HRM is measured considering productivity of employees, turnover rate, employee’s satisfaction and other factors.

The complementation among the human resource management practices is to ensure the effective human resource management in company and to lead the company towards success. The success of any company depends on the productivity and performance of the employees that is possible if they are well treated and satisfied at workplace (Barkema et al, 2012). The new yard manager was appointed after takeover of Wollongong Yard of Top Trucking Company by the National Transport Group. The new yard manager did not do like the old manager and decided to dig deep into the matter or issues arose among the drivers. The yard manager knew about the issues going with workers. He was very straightforward and open minded person that always welcomes the new ideas from employees as well. He held an open discussion with workers that led the workers towards changes and improved their performance as well (Grant, 2012).

The yard manager found that there are lots of conflicts, lots of accident and stoppage. He explored the issues and first of all focused on the improvement of workplace health and safety. The management invested lots of money in cleaning and improving the health and safety condition of workplace (Renwick et al, 2013). Furthermore, the management spent a lot on infrastructure development. The manager with his discussion with drivers found the issues with the trucks. Therefore, the management spent a huge capital on buying new trucks and new uniform of drivers. Apart from this, the management invested in installment of new computer system in warehouse. In starting workers were not admitted the changes but when they came across the benefit of changes gradually that later one accepted it.

The new yard manager arranged training and workshop programs for drivers to teach them how to deal with customer and how to be safe at workplace. They were provided with technical and non-technical training. This was given priority by the management because drivers and the union leader were working from a long time in company and therefore it was vital to provide them with training to nourish their skills and talent (Thompson, 2011). There was an argument between George and the new yard manager where George had to accept to view points of the new yard manager. That proves that how good the practices of HRM by manager were complementing to one another. The complementation of practices led the coordination among the employees and management. The new workplace with new manager is supposed to be better that was proved here. The bad eggs of workers had left and that in turn improved the workplace environment. Along with this, the open or transparency of operation and information of the company had stimulated the employees, the performance of company had improved, and some new contracts had come in the lap of company (Cummings and Worley, 2014). Therefore, it can be said that system of transparency, career and succession planning for drivers, rationality, training and development of employees, work on health and safety at workplace and other practices by manager reduced the stress at workplace and worked as complementing source to improve the performance of employees and company as well.

2: Risks associated with move on of manager and union delegate

Movement is called as career growth among the employees. Moving to the new workplace or organization with challenging tasks is a vital task of human resource management. In the given case study, there are two important key human resources, the manager and George. The manager had to solve the problems arose with previous manager. At the same time, George did not have any promotion even he was very older in the organization. Both of them are very important to the organization. Because George are working in the company from long time and is also union leader. At the same time, the manager is able to improve the lost performance of company. Losing one of them may cause problems again in the organization that may hamper the performance and productivity of company.

However, there are various risks linked to move on decision of George or yard manager. These risks may be

Insecurity:

The new yard manager introduced new practices in yard to improve the condition to win the confidence of the workers. He successfully won the confidence of workers and workers delegate as well. He invested a lost his energy and ideas for getting over the company from the conflicts with workers and improve the relation with workers. If he moves on, then it can create insecurity among the workers in respect of career growth in future.

Lack of confidence:

Confidence among workers and confidence of workers on the management is important to improve the performance of company. The management strives always to win over the confidence of workers in organization (Tang and Tang, 2012). Therefore, in this case the delegate of labour union enjoys high respect among drivers and confidence of drivers on him. The drivers believe in union delegate that he will resolve their problems and issues. Therefore, if the union delegate (George) moves on then it can more intensify the situation and the issues may be unresolved.

Incomplete Task:

The two key resources (yard manager and union delegate) move on then it may lead the task to be uncompleted. If they move on then there is risk with task designed by manager or George for the betterment of company. The tasks may remain uncompleted that may lead down fall in organization. They both are very well adjusted in the organization and adapted to the environment graciously. Therefore, the movement of these key resources may create disorder in the operation of organization.

Communication:

The new yard managers introduced a new system of communication. He opens up everything about the operation and performance of company with drivers. He well established the coordination and cooperation among drivers and management (Witham, 2016). At the same time, he developed straight, simple, and open communication system in the organization. Therefore, if he moves on then it will affect the communication system among workers and management.

3. Adaptability of Blue Collar Workers to Workplace Change:

Change is the inevitable action of the management in the organization that is required to sustain the organization in dynamic and highly competitive market. However, employees generally resist the changes in existing system because they feel risk with their job and their performance as well (Thompson, 2011). However, today people are well educated and technology oriented.  Therefore, based on the literature on HR management in transport organizations it can be said that blue collar in transport organization are tend to change and very lean to accept the change in comparison of the workers in public or service sector.

Blue collar workers such as drivers, shop floor employees, operation labors, and others make a union that is called to be blue collar union. The workers belong to this union have great support and favor of union in comparison of workers in service and public sector. The blue collar labour may be skilled and non skilled. Some blue collar works are trained and provided with certification such as plumber, electrician,, and technician. Some are unskilled required for cleaning, maintenance and other works.

This is the fact that the blue collar Transport Workers are likely to involve in implementing workplace changes. It is because of great working condition, health and safety concerns, working facilities, rest schedule and others (Alfes et al, 2013). A union leader is elected who represents the demand of workers before the management and negotiates with management to meet the demand. It is a myth among people that professional and office workers earn more than lower class labor or trade workers. But actually the trade workers or blue collar workers earn more than office workers or white collar workers. Blue collar workers are paid high based on the hourly basis that stimulates them to adapt to situation.

Furthermore, the communication plays very important role in engaging people or workers in change implementation. The managers should communicate with blue collar workers openly and in straightforward manner to ensure that they clearly understand the work and instructions. The effective communication may convince employees to accept the changes (Wood and de Menezes, 2011). Along with this, they enjoy higher demand in the market for them as their job performance in comparison to the workers in service sectors and public sectors as well.  These are appointed at production level and therefore there is not high interaction between them and management.

At the same time, employees in public and service sector are professional and degree holders. They do not have significant union support as transport workers. At the same time, they also less paid workers as well. Blue collar workers in public and service sectors are more involved in decision making activity of the management. Works in public and service sectors have varied view points and less likely to adapt to change on the other hand people associated with transport working union are more likely to adapt to change.

In the case of Top Trucking Company, the yard manager brought changes for betterment of company. The yard manager negotiated with delegate of union and held a open communication with drivers. The majority of workers agreed to adapt to the new policies and working environment with no negotiation. Therefore, transport workers are more tend to accept the changes than those of working in service and public sector.

Conclusion:

As per the analysis of above report, it can be said that HRM plays a vital role in improving management-employees relation at workplace. It is found that the new manager introduced some HR practices such as training to drivers, open communication system, transparency, health and safety working environment and others that led the improvement in the relation of management with workers. Apart from this, it is found that if the manager and union delegate of Top Trucking Company move on then there is numbers of risks occur such as task incomplete, lack of confidence, sense of insecurity and others. At last, it is identified that transport workers are more adaptive to change at workplace in comparison of people in service and public sector.

References:

Alfes, K., Shantz, A. D., Truss, C., & Soane, E. C. (2013). The link between perceived human resource management practices, engagement and employee behaviour: a moderated mediation model. The international journal of human resource management, 24(2), 330-351.

Barkema, H. G., Chen, X. P., George, G., Luo, Y., & Tsui, A. S. (2015). West meets East: New concepts and theories. Academy of Management Journal, 58(2), 460-479.

Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2014). Organization development and change. USA: Cengage learning.

Grant, A. M. (2012). Leading with meaning: Beneficiary contact, prosocial impact, and the performance effects of transformational leadership. Academy of Management Journal, 55(2), 458-476.

Jensen, J. M., Patel, P. C., & Messersmith, J. G. (2013). High-performance work systems and job control: Consequences for anxiety, role overload, and turnover intentions. Journal of Management, 39(6), 1699-1724.

Renwick, D. W., Redman, T., & Maguire, S. (2013). Green human resource management: A review and research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 15(1), 1-14.

Tang, T. W., & Tang, Y. Y. (2012). Promoting service-oriented organizational citizenship behaviors in hotels: The role of high-performance human resource practices and organizational social climates. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31(3), 885-895.

Thompson, P. (2011). The trouble with HRM. Human Resource Management Journal, 21(4), 355-367.

Witham, B. B. (2016). Essay: Forgetting and Remembering the Labor Plays of Manny Fried. Miranda. Revue pluri disciplinaire du monde anglophone/Multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal on the English-speaking world, (13).

Wood, S., & de Menezes, L. M. (2011). High involvement management, high-performance work systems and well-being. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22(07), 1586-1610.