Human Resource Management - Solved Assignment

Running head: Human resource management
Human resource management

Human resource management
(Essay on “Key challenges in attracting and retaining a workforce in construction
sector”)
Introduction
The primary purpose of this paper is to outline the HRM challenges in the construction
sector. The construction sector plays an empirical role in each and every country to grow and
expand its economy. There are three sectors included in construction such as buildings,
infrastructure and industrial. It is noted that HRM is an important part of the construction sector
because its helps in recruiting and hiring the potential and skilled workers. The paper explains
the how the construction sector faces ample of hiring and retaining issues at the workplace. HRM
makes unique and effective policies, strategies and plans to overcome the attracting and retaining
issues related to the workers within the organization.
The scope of this paper is wider in order to outline the issues and key challenges that are
encountered by the HRM in construction sector. Recruitment, selection, training, career
development and performance measurement issues are mainly faced by the HRM have been
explained in the task. The industry cannot attain success and growth without analyzing and
identifying these issues and challenges within the organization. Furthermore, the paper explains
that how HRM and leaders reduce and prevent these issues by making innovative and unique
strategies and policies. On the other hand, the paper also explains the functions of human
resource management at the workplace. HRM is considered the backbone of each and every
industry. As the same way, construction industry also uses sustainable human resource
management to handle the various issues and key challenges related to employees. More detail of
the task has been detailed below.
Key challenges in attracting and retaining a workforce
It has been studied by Zavadskas, Turskis, Tamosaitiene & Marina (2008) that attracting
and retaining are significant functions for the construction sector to provide unique and effective
services to the patients. Workforce recruitment and retention in the construction sector is at a
crisis level. There are ample of challenges faced by the construction sector while attracting the
workforce. Lack of career advancement and development opportunities is one of the significant
issues in attracting and retaining a workforce in the construction sector The industry is unable to
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Human resource management
attract talented and skilled workforce due to lack of career advancement and opportunities. The
industry is failed to provide growth and development opportunities to the candidates in the
marketplace due to lack of effective resources (Zavadskas, Turskis, Tamosaitiene & Marina,
2008).
There is high and immense competition exists in the global market for talent. At the
same, some recruiters believe that their main key issue in attracting quality talent is the lack of
qualified and skilled workers. It shall be noted by Wallace, Lings, Cameron & Sheldon (2014)
that HRM is highly managing a professional shortage when it comes to specialized profession
such as health care or real estate. Underprepared candidates are another key challenge that is
entertained by the HRM while attracting and retaining the candidates. This is one of the biggest
challenges for the construction sector to attract potential candidates at the workplace. It has
become a primary issue for employers who feel they have done their work to see a candidate
underperform in the final stage (Aguinis, Joo, & Gottfredson, 2013).
Too many vacancies is also one of the effective and fundamental key issues that faced by
the human resource management. In today’s era, various industries are providing opportunities to
the workers therefore, the healthcare industry is failed to attract talented and experienced
workers for performing task and duties effectively and successfully (Cahill & Sedrak, 2012). On
the other hand, one of the significant key challenges in healthcare industry that faced by HRM is
high recruitment cost. HRM is failed to attract and appoint candidates in the marketplace due to
high recruitment cost. It also affects the dynamic image and goodwill of the industry adversely.
Contract staffing is considered the biggest business and it has seen incredible growth in
2014 with expectations and requirements of further growth in the upcoming year. Some
recruiters are not able to attract and recruit candidate successfully due to lack of knowledge and
experience (Oladapo, 2014).All these issues also affect the recruitment and selection process
within the organization. Due to lack of understanding and knowledge, the recruiters are not able
to maintain reciprocal relationship with applicants while recruiting and attracting the workers. It
may affect the targets and progress of the organization adversely (Deery & Jago, 2015). The firm
needs to focus and identify these key challenges to overcome the competitors and to attract the
capable employees within the organization. Besides this, there are plenty of retention issues that
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encountered and entertained by healthcare industry that may also influence the sustainability of
the firm.
Besides the attracting issues, some of the retention issues are also being faced by HRM in
construction sector when initiating the business activities at international level. Compensation
package is one the primary issues that affects the employee retention. The workers seek
reasonable pay and wages for their work. As a result, the first step a construction sector may take
to attract and retain the employees is to improve and boost its compensation and reward
packages which typically include employee leave, salaries, insurance and retirement program.
But due to lack of money and resources, the industry could not provide compensation packages
to the employees. As a result, it increases employee retention issues at the workplace (Thite,
2011).
One of the foremost issues that ongoing in construction sector is organizational and
managerial change. The managerial changes are done by the industry at all level of the
management. In the absence of training and development coaching and learning, the employees
are failed to adopt these managerial changes at the workplace. As a result, there start to leave the
organization continuously that may hamper the image of the industry in the global market (Stahl,
Björkman & Morris, 2012). Apart from this, the employees who feel unappreciated and
dissatisfied seek acknowledgement elsewhere. Due to lack of resources, the construction sector is
failed to provide recognition and rewards to the candidates within the organization (Albrech,
2011).
Training and development issue is very critical issues in retaining of the employees at the
workplace. Sometimes, the industry is failed to conduct training and development sessions,
seminars and programs within the organization. Thus, it affects the sustainability and
productivity of the industry adversely (Jackson, Renwick, Jabbour & Muller-Camen, 2011). It is
stated by Briscoe, Tarique & Schuler (2012) that culture issues also affect the employee retention
in the workplace. If the industry is botched to maintain favorable working environment and
culture in the workplace then it increases employee retention issues and challenges (Brewster,
Mayrhofer & Farndale, 2012).
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