Human Resource Management: Structures, Unions and HRM Report

This report provides an overview of Human Resource Management (HRM) in the context of modern organizational structures. It begins by exploring emerging organizational forms such as team structures, autonomous internal units, and seamless organizations, contrasting them with traditional hierarchical, divisional, and functional structures. The report then examines the responsibilities of HR managers within these evolving structures, highlighting the need for adaptability in employee interaction and performance monitoring. Key HRM terms, including induction, job enlargement, employee benefits, organizational culture, labor turnover, horizontal communication, and employee specifications, are defined and explained. The report also investigates the purposes and influence of trade unions and white-collar unions on HRM practices, emphasizing the HR manager's role in formulating labor agreements, addressing grievances, and engaging in interest-based bargaining. The conclusion summarizes the key findings, emphasizing the changing landscape of HRM and the impact of trade unions on HR responsibilities.

HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
QUESTION 1...................................................................................................................................3
Main forms/structures of modern organisations.........................................................................3
Responsibility of personnel/HRM manager and their interaction with employees depending on
organisational structure of company...........................................................................................3
QUESTION 2...................................................................................................................................4
Description and explanation of terms.........................................................................................4
QUESTION 3...................................................................................................................................6
Purposes and influence of trade unions and of white collar unions/staff associations and the
work which HR managers have to do with regards to them.......................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Human Resource Management is an integral part in managing the employees working in an
organization and does not only involves their recruitment but is also related to ensuring that they
are happy and satisfied. In this report, the new structure of organization that have been emerging
will be discussed along with various terms related to HRM. This report will also highlight the
importance of trade union and their impact on the work to be performed by the HR managers of a
company.
MAIN BODY
QUESTION 1
Main forms/structures of modern organisations
With the changing time, the structure and formation of organization has also changed.
The traditional designs included hierarchical structure, divisional structure, functional structure
etc. but now new organizational structures are emerging :-
Team Structure :- Under this, the organization is divided into various teams and groups each
performing different functions of the company and there is no chain of command in teams. There
may be a group leader but the team can work in the manner that they deem perfect and can be as
innovative as they want. For e.g. Zongo Mart is a online store having 10 major teams which
perform all the different functions (Veth and et.al., 2017).
Autonomous Internal Units :- Under this there are large business units which are completely
decentralized and independent and they have their own clients, product. Suppliers and
competitors. For e.g. Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) operates in more that 140 countries but is
managed only by the executives of that individual store having their own resources, products etc.
Seamless Organization :- In this type of structure, there are no boundaries or a predefined
structure and structure and the flexibility levels are extremely high. Managers use multiple
techniques like virtual structure, modular structure etc. in order to eliminate boundaries. For e.g.
Ghonline shop is another store which uses outsourcing which reduces their costs and in order to
focus more on their major activity (Chiang, Lemański and Birtch, 2017).
Responsibility of personnel/HRM manager and their interaction with employees depending on
organisational structure of company.
In different structures and types of organization, the HR manager of a company is supposed to
take perform different responsibilities and interact in a different manner with their employees.
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Change in Responsibilities :- With changing structures and times the responsibility of HR
managers have also changed (Hassan, 2016). Traditionally, there duty was limited to hiring and
training the employees but now they have to ensure that the employees are satisfied and happy in
the organisation. The environment and work culture should be friendly and regular activities
need to be conducted so that employees can know each other and their efficiency is increased.
Further they have to regularly monitor the performance of the employees so that redundant
employees can be identified and removed form the company if they are not showing any
improvement signs even after adequate training.
Change in manner of Interaction :- Since the organizations have become less formal and
relaxed while communicating with each other, the interaction between an employee and HR has
also become relaxed. It has become easier for employees to approach their HR managers in case
of any problems that they might be facing and it can be resolved immediately rather that
following a long procedure. Also, the necessary rules and policies or announcements can be
directly communicated to the employees themselves rather than causing unnecessary delay or
ambiguity (Veth and et.al., 2017).
QUESTION 2
Description and explanation of terms.
Induction :- It can be defined as a type of introduction to the new employees that are hired in the
company. It is usually given by HR manager so that the employees can get familiar with their
new job role and duties and understand what they are required to perform. The induction training
also helps the employees in getting familiar with the organizational culture and practices and the
existing employees.
Job Enlargement :- It is a technique falling under job design where the number of duties that an
employee has to perform are increased and their responsibilities also expand. However, the
position of an employee does not increases but the quantity of tasks assigned to them increases.
This is done in order to increase the knowledge and expertise level of the employees and helps
them in developing multiple skills as the employees perform a variety of activities (Vanhala and
Ritala, 2016).
Employee and Fringe Benefits :- Fringe benefits involve the incentives or something extra that
is given to employees apart from their basic salary. This is usually given in return of the
excellent performance of an employee or in case it is mandatory or legal requirement to give
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those extra benefits. These include medical insurances, housing allowances, sick leaves etc.
which are mandatory as well as paid vacation trips, discount coupons etc. given to deserving
employees (Swart and et.al., 2019).
Organisational Culture :- Culture of an organization can be defined as the manner in which it
operates and the values, beliefs etc. on which the organizational practices are based. It is the
manner in which employees interact and influence each other and help in creating a unique
environment showing different social and psychological characteristics of employees. It helps in
creating common beliefs regarding how an employee should deal with different situations and
helps in formation of habits and language.
Labour Turnover :- Labour turnover constitutes that part of the workforce employed in an
organization that leaves the company before their due time period (Milliman and Clair, 2017). It
is ascertained by counting the number of employees that have left the company in a given time
period as compared to the total number of employees currently working in an organization
during that particular time period. The employee turnover rate should be low as the higher level
of it indicates a dissatisfied and unhappy personnel base.
Horizontal Communication :- It can be defined as the exchange of information that takes place
between different departments operating in an organizational structure but at the same level. For
e.g.- Communication or interchange of information between the managers of marketing
department, R&D department, production department and finance department of same company
is a form of horizontal communication (Hassan, 2016). It is different from vertical
communication in which communication takes place at different levels.
Employee Specification :- Employee specification is a statement describing the various
characteristics and qualities of a employee and the qualification that an employee needs to
possess in order to perform the job role that is assigned to him. It helps in determining whether
the employee is skilled enough to perform the job satisfactorily and if he will be able to meet the
requirements of the job. This helps in assigning correct job role to the employees which help in
increasing their productivity (Guerci, Longoni and Luzzini, 2016).
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QUESTION 3
Purposes and influence of trade unions and of white collar unions/staff associations and the work
which HR managers have to do with regards to them.
Trade Unions are those legal bodies and associations which perform the duties of a
bargaining agent soliciting peace between the employees and the employers of a company. Their
main role is in ensuring that an employee gets to exercise all his rights which are legally awarded
to him. White Collar Unions however specialises majorly in those employees who are related to
the administrative, clerical and technical employees and the main issues which they deal with are
the pay rates and providing better facilities than the employees performing manual work
(Chowhan, 2016).
These organizations however have a major impact on the decision that are take by the HR
managers in any organization and they have to fulfil certain roles and responsibilities :-
Formulating Labour Agreements :- The HR managers have to negotiate a labour agreement
with union leaders which specifies the pay rate of employees, benefits and incentives, training to
be given etc. in the favour of employees and the HR manager have to abide by those agreements
which have been formulated.
Grievance Addressal :- The HR managers have to integrate their activities with the union leaders
so that when an employee faces any problem or in case of a dispute, it can be solved in a positive
and a constructive manner. This helps in keeping the work environment productive and peaceful
(Chiang, Lemański and Birtch, 2017).
Interest Based Bargaining :- This is a new type of bargaining between union leaders and HR
emerging as a popular trend where both the parties try to understand each other by giving time
and effort and a constructive relationship is created between them. HR has to include this in their
profile of roles and responsibilities so that the employee base is satisfied and happy.
CONCLUSION
After going through the research conducted in this report, it can be concluded that in recent
times, the formation of organizational structure have definitely changed and the various duties
and responsibilities of HR managers have also changed. Further, this report clarified various
terms like employee turnover etc. in this report and lastly the incre4ased workload of HR
manager due to the rising impact of trade unions was discussed.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Chiang, F.F., Lemański, M.K. and Birtch, T.A., 2017. The transfer and diffusion of HRM
practices within MNCs: lessons learned and future research directions. The International
Journal of Human Resource Management. 28(1). pp.234-258.
Chowhan, J., 2016. Unpacking the black box: understanding the relationship between strategy,
HRM practices, innovation and organizational performance. Human Resource
Management Journal. 26(2). pp.112-133.
Guerci, M., Longoni, A. and Luzzini, D., 2016. Translating stakeholder pressures into
environmental performance–the mediating role of green HRM practices. The
International Journal of Human Resource Management. 27(2). pp.262-289.
Hassan, S., 2016. Impact of HRM practices on employee’s performance. International Journal of
Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences. 6(1). pp.15-22.
Milliman, J. and Clair, J., 2017. Best environmental HRM practices in the US. In Greening
People. (pp. 49-73). Routledge.
Swart, J., and et.al., 2019. Who does what in enabling ambidexterity? Individual actions and
HRM practices. The International Journal of Human Resource Management. 30(4).
pp.508-535.
Vanhala, M. and Ritala, P., 2016. HRM practices, impersonal trust and organizational
innovativeness. Journal of Managerial Psychology. 31(1). pp.95-109.
Veth, K.N., and et.al., 2017. Which HRM practices enhance employee outcomes at work across
the life-span?. The international journal of human resource management. pp.1-32.
Online
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