Introduction
Human resource management deals with people as resources of an organization. There have been concerns on the control imposed by the managers on the employees of an organization. Because of the powers accrued to them, human resource managers are often viewed as the power hungry. Either way, the department is mandatory any organization and is important for organizing the people in the organization.
Question 1
Human resource management fundamentally constitutes the management of people within the organization. As such, people tend to assume that human resource controls employees. Primarily, the functions of human resource are the motivation of employees and impacting them with the right knowledge and skills. It is a branch of the organization that is directly involved with the employees and describes their job duties and responsibilities. Because such functions, human resource manages how the employees will operate in the organization in the scope of their duties (Townley, 1994). To such extent, the branch may be involved on determining how employees develop, how motivated they are and their overall maintenance. The branch usually needs to work directly with employees for proper execution of its duties. Such direct involvement is the reason for the perception of excessive control. Moreover, the department has the responsibility of ensuring there is good rapport in the organization and that the employees work as a team. In doing so, department has to be involved in all the activities that the employees are involved in at the workplace.
The department often participates in solving problems that emanate from people at the workplace. To prevent the occurrence of such disputes, human resource managers may be required to control the behavior of people at the workplace (Mathis & Jackson, 2010). Such controls are executed through proper monitoring of the code of conduct and ensuring there is no behavior that is out of the record. The monitoring of the behavior of employees might often appear as a measure of control on their lives and activities. However, such monitoring is necessary to ensure that the protocol at work is followed within the organization (Mathis & Jackson, 2010). The behavior of the workforce in an organization depicts its appreciation, or lack thereof, of ethics. The human resource department is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that such ethics is upheld. For the proper execution of this, a certain degree of control needs to be established. Therefore, to a significant degree, it is true that human resource management controls the employees in an organization to facilitate their duties and responsibilities.
Human resource managers have been given powers through their duties and the parts they play in an organization. Because of this fact, a substantial number of them have been referred to as power hungry. Human resource managers have the power to give compensations, reward, recruit and terminate employment of staff (American Society for Personnel Administration, 1988). All their duties are done independently, without the influence or supervision from other departments. The powers that have been accrued to human resource managers are absolute. Therefore, such independence and much power are often exercised wrongly, which lead to their reference as power hungry individuals. However, the nature of their work makes them seem power hungry because their duties give them all the power. In the process of exercising their duties, the managers might come across as power hungry. They can do anything that they deem is fit for the organization regarding employees (Townley, 1994). Therefore, human resource managers are often viewed as the enemies of the workforce when they make decisions that dispute the interests of employees. The decisions they make are seen to be a need for domination through the power they possess. Indeed, there are aspects of corruption and lack of faithfulness in human resource managers. However, sometimes, what they do is part of their job. The power that has been given to them is directly proportional to their responsibilities.
Question 2
Work-life policy is achieved when proper measures are duly implemented to make sure that employees get time to handle the other responsibilities they have outside the organization. A manager can incorporate hourly work schedules for the employees. Such schedules require employees to work for a notable number of hours in a day and be receiving remuneration only for the hours that they have worked. In this design, workers become the managers of their time. They will be able to plan their timetable between their life and their work, and create time for their attendance to other duties. Such a design is opposed to the idea that employees should work for a specific number of hours in a day. The latter enables the employees to determine the number of hours they can work and when they should be with their families. It increases motivation and gives them time to attend to their dailies.
Additionally, a manager can introduce the shift system of working. Here, employees can be consulted on their schedules, and a proper roster can be introduced for a particular job. The shift method of working increases productivity and encourages flexibility in the schedule of workers. Rather than have many workers in the same job description handle the same task, the employees could divide themselves into two shifts. The shifts would handle slightly more work but create time (Kossek & Lautsch, 2010). A lot of times, when the number of workers is too much in a particular department, the effectiveness and efficiency of performing duties is reduced. The reason is that there is a lot of labor and less work, which leads to a lot of relaxation and free time spent on the job. Instead of employees idling in an organization, they could use the time to handle their personal issues. The work can be divided into a smaller number of employees and they can take turns to create shifts. In such a way, productivity and flexibility can be achieved at the same time.
In the aim of competitiveness, most organizations immerse their employees in a lot of work. The employees hardly get any time to themselves. Such scenarios reduce the motivation of employees who are left with no control in their lives. In the end, instead of achieving good results, the company will have a reduction in its performance (Kaiser, 2011). One of the ways that managers can remedy this situation is through making work project-oriented. Project oriented work assigns every employee with a specific duty. Once an employee is through with the performance of the duty, they can have free time to explore other areas of their lives. In this scenario, managers are responsible for the determination of the tasks that are available in a certain period. The work is then assigned to an employee as a project with a deadline. For instance, employees can be given projects after every two days. When one finishes the project within a day, they can have time for their life (National Symposium on Family Issues, 2009). Optionally, the work can be represented in a group project. The group is then given a leader that will ensure that the workers do the work within the stipulated period and are left with free time to attend to their personal lives. Productivity and concentration are increased when workers are given control over their time (The ultimate resource, 2003). Such methods involve making sure that it is the performance of work that counts and not the hours spent on it.
Conclusion for question 1
Human resource managers are the backbone of every organization. The validity in statements that denote to their hunger for power or control of the employees cannot be overruled. The duties in their work do not allow them the laxity of changing because of criticism. They have to perform regardless of the views that surround them. As such, human resource managers have to exercise a considerable amount of control on the employees. However, the control need be exercised with discretion because eventually, employees need their space.
Conclusion for question 2
Regarding the change of work design, the traditional methods of time and labor control do not apply in the radical economic world. Performance is the key to all the productivity. However, much time working does not equal good performance. The motivational aspect of employment is essential. Motivation is not only achieved through monetary value. The best kind is where employees can derive satisfaction from their jobs. One way of ensuring this happens is through the creation of a design that incorporates work-life policies.
References
American Society for Personnel Administration.& Bureau of National Affairs (Arlington, Va.). (1988). ASPA/BNA series. Washington, D.C: Bureau of National Affairs.
Business: The ultimate resource. (2003). Beijing: Citic Publishing House.
Kaiser, S. (2011). Creating balance: International perspectives on the work-life integration of professionals. Heidelberg: Springer.
Kossek, E. E., & Lautsch, B. A. (2010). CEO of me: Creating a life that works in the flexible job age.
Mathis, R. L., & Jackson, J. H. (2010). Human resource management. Mason, OH: Thomson/South-western.
National Symposium on Family Issues, Crouter, A. C., & Booth, A. (2009). Work-life policies. Washington, D.C: Urban Institute Press.
Townley, B. (1994). Reframing human resource management: Power, ethics and the subject at work. London [u.a.: Sage.
