Human Resource Management in the Presence of Demographic Changes

Running Head: Human Resource Management Human Resource Management 3 Human Resource Management [Type the document subtitle] Laptop04011 [Pick the date] Contents Introduction 1 Potential Impact of Changing Demography on HR Planning and Job Design 1 Current Changes in Demography 1 Impact of Changes on HRM 2 Recommendations to Address Identified Impacts 5 Conclusion 6 References 7 Introduction The scope of the report is to guide the reader with the information about the potential impact of changing environment on the HR planning and job design of the

Running Head: Human Resource Management
Human Resource Management
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Laptop04011
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Human Resource Management 1
Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Potential Impact of Changing Demography on HR Planning and Job Design................................1
Current Changes in Demography................................................................................................1
Impact of Changes on HRM........................................................................................................2
Recommendations to Address Identified Impacts...........................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................7

Human Resource Management 2
Introduction
The scope of the report is to guide the reader with the information about the potential impact of
changing environment on the HR planning and job design of the company Woolworths. The
companies nowadays are facing a hard time in analysing the expectation of the people from the
company and what measures they should implement to attract them. Further, changing
demographics is creating need for the human resource manager of the company to change the
HR planning strategy and job design in such a way that the prospective person gets attracted
towards the organization and becomes a part of Woolworths as well. Woolworths is an
Australian retail supermarket organization that is involved in serving supermarket services to
whole of Australia. The company holds a major share of the Australian supermarket industry so
it can be said that they would require efficient and qualitative human resource to manage their
functions in the business environment (Woolworths 2019). Further, more details about the
factors and its impact of job design and HR planning are discussed below:
Potential Impact of Changing Demography on HR Planning and Job
Design
Current Changes in Demography
Ageing Population: The population is progressively aging nowadays that is increasing the count
of elder people in the community as compared to millennial present in the environment.
Analysing the ratio, it should be noted that the society includes more aging people over the
millennial people in the environment. However, a business requires both types of people to
function properly and increase its sales as well. The company finds the people having diverse
generation gap in the environment, whereas earlier there used to be only one segment or group of
people looking for a job. The HR manager of the company Woolworths should consider this
demographic change, as they need to attract all types of people to keep the business growing
(Analoui, 2017).
Surge in Female Employment: The changing environment has created a need for the women to
come forward and work with men in the society. However, initially women were found as the

Human Resource Management 3
weaker section of the society and they were not allowed to work and earn money. However, with
changing environment, it has been noticed that women and men both have different minds and
capabilities to perform. Having diversity at workplace can provide and extra edge to the
companies in the external business environment, it can also help them to grow progressively and
upgrade the society as well. Thus, this is another demographic change that evaluates that the
need for women employees at workplace is increasing. Rise in the female employment lays
impact on the working arrangement as well, the juggling careers of women needs to be stabilized
so the HR manager should provide equal opportunities to men and women in the society
(Collings, Wood, & Szamosi, 2018).
Increment in education level: this is the biggest demographic change of most times, as initially
there were not enough people who were educated in the environment. Resulting in which, it was
easy for the organizations to employ people for basic chores job. However, nowadays, even the
people belonging to minimalistic job are educated due to which they become unfit for such job.
With the increment in the level of education, the level of innovation is also increasing in the
environment that is making a shift in the human resource management practices of a company.
Nowadays, not every person gets ready easily for the job, as the jobs have become more people
centred than the process centred. So, the organization faces the struggle to manage the interest of
the employees in the job while attracting them as well (Sparrow, Brewster, & Chung, 2016).
Impact of Changes on HRM
A well defined job makes the job look interesting and the satisfying to the employees as well.
Resulting in which, the performance and efficiency of the labour is automatically increased. If
the job fails to entertain the prospective people then neither they will work in the job nor the will
sustain there. Thus, it should be noted that it is important for the organization to manage the HR
planning activities and job design function in such a way that the match to the interest level of
people and the community as well, then only they will get attracted towards the job and work
with the organization as well. Human resource planning refers to the process that identifies the
current as well as future needs of the organization as well as workforce of the company and then
implements actions to help them achieve goals as well (Bailey, Mankin, Kelliher, & Garavan,
2018).

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The human resource planning serve as a link between the human resource management and
overall strategic plan of the company. Further, job design refers to the work design that arranges
the work in such a way so that satisfaction among the employees is achieved and there is
elimination of dissatisfaction in the organization arising due to repetitive and mechanistic tasks
as well. The job design process outlines the duties, tasks and responsibilities of the employees
and guide them towards the growth of the organization (Selwood, McGeoch, & Mac Nally,
2015). Further, below mentioned are the impacts of changing demography on the HR planning
and job design.
 The demographic changes and aging workforce increases the issues for the management
to incorporate strategies in such a way that they can effectively attract the employees in
the business environment. It should be noted that manpower is the biggest resource for
the company and without them, the organization cannot make use of other resources
present with them. Considering the case of the company Woolworths, it should be noted
that the company’s workings are large and diversified due to which they require efficient
human resource on a regular basis (Hecklau, Galeitzke, Flachs, & Kohl, 2016).
Demographic changes fluctuates the job design and HR planning of the human resource
manager of the company. Initially, the management used employ people in the
organization that belong to particular age group. Whereas, with the changing profile of
the people present in the industry, the company also require to change their planning
process as well (Haider, et. al., 2015).
Now Woolworths management has both millennial and aged employees so the business
needs to plan functions in such a way that they collaborate both the segments and make
the organization achieve growth and profitability in the external business environment.
The business need to segregate the functions and responsibilities in such a way that the
organization attain benefit of the experienced customers and efficiency of the millennial
employees as well. Now the management need to change the job design process so as to
attract all types of people in the organization (Pecl., et. al., 2017). If the business will ask
the experienced employee to innovate their business function then they will not be able to
attract them. The experienced employees are more likely to work in the organization in a
standardized manner and introduction of innovation in the business will dissatisfy them to
the maximum extent (Volpone, Marquardt, Casper, & Avery, 2018).

Human Resource Management 5
 Secondly, it should be noted that the organization need to introduce the diversity
management practices in the business now. The demographic changes are bringing
diversified workforce in the business in response to which they need to implement such
practices in the environment that manage their level of satisfaction in the business. Now
the business requires female employees in business so as to initiate diversity factor in the
business. Diversity helps the organization by working on brainstorming ideas possessed
on the end of employees (Tung, 2016). For the female employees of Woolworth, the
human resource manager need to change the planning as they need to provide them
maternity leaves and initiate activities to uplift their interest in the organization. They
also need to plan activities that provide them equal opportunities to grow and get
promoted at the workplace. With the increasing diversity at workplace, the business also
needs to provide flexibility to the employees so that they can work according to their
mind-set. It is important for the organization plan and segregates the responsibilities in
such a way that they do not harm the cultural belief of any employee at workplace
(Riccucci, 2018).
The level of focus is increased with the introduction of such demographic changes in the
business environment. Thus, it should be noted that such demographic change affect the
human resource management activities in both positive as well as negative ways, as with
introduction of such instances, the business gets to focus more on satisfaction level of the
employees. Through this process, the design is implemented in such a way the
management of Woolworths provide a fair opportunity to all the employees to take part in
the activities of the organization and grow. It can act negatively when the organization
face difficulty in satisfying the employees due to which the employees might not perform
well (Guillaume., et. al., 2017).
 Thirdly, it should be noted that now all the employees are educated and efficient so the
business face difficulty in making the employees stay to perform clerical and repetitive
jobs. The employees want to work on innovative ideas where their skills and knowledge
is utilized to the fullest. Thus, the HR manager needs to plan and design the roles and
responsibilities in such a way that they provide opportunity to each and every employee
to find innovation in their job and work on it as well. Thus, it should be noted that the

Human Resource Management 6
human resource management activities changes drastically with the change in the
demographics of the environment (Coccia, 2015).
Recommendations to Address Identified Impacts
Below mentioned are recommendations given for the company Woolworths with the help of
which they can successfully transform the demographic changes in favour of their organization:
 Implement Diversity Management Practices: the business should implement the diversity
management practices so as to successfully maintain the interest level of customers in the
business environment. Diversity management will help the organization secure them
from initiating the activities that overlap any culture in the environment. The diversity
management will help the organization satisfy different types of employees by combining
their interest towards a common motive at the workplace. This will develop the design
activities in such a way that it combines different types of employees in group and make
their share their views and opinions as well (Cascio, 2015). Thus, in this way
Woolworths would be able to make the different types of employee to work for the
profitability of the company.
 Ask for Feedback: after implementation of the human resource management practices in
the business, the HR manager should ask for feedback of the employees so as to evaluate
the activities that are reducing the level of satisfaction of the employees in an
organization. Through this process, the business would be able to initiate the activities
that maintain the interest of employees in the business and make them work for the
company as well.
 Initiate Flexibility and Shared Responsibility: the HR manager should implement
flexibility activities in the business. The flexibility in the HR planning will help the
manager to provide an easy going environment to the employees. Elimination of rigidity
at workplace will make the employees stay for a longer period of time. Flexibility
activities will develop shared responsibility that will subsequently eliminate the burden
from one employee. Resulting in which the business will grow together by increasing the
satisfaction level of employees in the business environment (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, &
Wright, 2017).

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Conclusion
Thus, by analysing the above mentioned events, it should be noted that the paper highlighted
details about the human resource management activities of the company Woolworths. The
company is retail supermarket organization that is spread in whole of Australia. The business
requires efficient human resource management process to satisfy the interest level of employees
and make them work for the profitability of company as well. Further, the factors affecting HR
planning and design along with its impact are discussed in the paper. Changing demographics is
repeatedly changing the HR planning and job design due to which the HR managers are facing
difficulty in satisfying the employee. The report explains the impact of such changes on the
business.

Human Resource Management 8
References
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