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Linda Michelo Zyongwe, 6483, Assignment Four

Assignment Cover Sheet

Student Name: Linda Michelo Zyongwe

Student Number: 6483
Course: Diploma in Business Administration – Level 4
Assignment No: Four

Marking Criteria:

We expect the learners to write minimum one well expressed point in three lines against each
allocated mark. This means one needs to write 15 lines with 5 well expressed points to get high
grades for a 5 marks question.

For high grades use examples and illustrations where appropriate.

Please insert your completed assignment ( in word format) here:

1: Short questions: (15)
i. What does the human resource department do?

The Human Resource Department is there to support the employees of an

organization. This department is a resource for humans. 

Below are some of the tasks that human resource departments complete on a day to
day basis:

1. Recruit candidates

The department understands the needs of the organization and ensures that these
needs are met during the process of recruiting for new positions. They analyze the
market, consult stakeholders, and manage budgets and advertise roles.

2. Hire the right employees

The department is responsible for arranging interviews, coordinating hiring efforts,

and onboarding new employees. They are in charge of making sure that all the
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necessary paperwork required with hiring someone is filled out.

3. Process payroll

The department ensures that payroll is completed accurately taking into account
whether taxes are calculated and hours collected have been recorded. Expenses
equally need to be reimbursed and issues of increments and bonuses need to be
included.

4. Conduct disciplinary actions

Disciplinary action can result in the success of an employee when it is done

correctly. Sometimes disciplinary action isn’t the best action to take and an employee
should be let go. It is the job of human resource departments to know when an
employee isn’t right for an organization.

5. Update policies

As an organization changes, organizational policies need to be examined and

updated yearly. It is the department’s responsibility to update policies as well as to
suggest new policies as required.

6. Maintain employee records

Maintenance of human resource records is required by law. These records contain

personal details of employees as well as their emergency contacts. In addition to
helping employers identify skill gaps in the hiring process, these records also assist
with analyzing demographic data and compliance levels to regulations.

7. Conduct benefit analysis

It is vital for an organization to stay competitive when trying to attract the best talent.
The organization must be competitive not only with regards to salaries but with
benefits as well.

ii. Outline the objectives of Human Resource management in an

organization.

The main objective of Human Resource Management for an organization is to

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ensure employee development, foster desirable working relationships between

employers and employees as well as to ensure that human resources are matched
to physical resources. It contributes to the achievement of organizational goals.
According to HRM Basic notes, p 5-6, the specific objectives of human resource
management are as detailed below:

1) Human capital: The department assists the organization to achieve its strategic
and operational goals by recruiting the right number and right type of employees.
2) Developing organizational climate: the department helps to create an atmosphere
where employees are encouraged to develop and utilize their skills efficiently.
3) It helps in maintaining performance standards as well as an increase in
productivity through effective job design, providing suitable orientation, training and
development, providing performance feedback and ensuring that there is effective
two-way communication.
4) It helps to establish and maintain a good relationship between the employer and
the employee.
5) It helps to maintain a safe healthy working environment.
6) It helps in the development of programs that meet the economic, psychological,
and social needs of individuals and helps the organization in retaining productive
employees.
7) It ensures that the organization is compliant with provincial/territorial and federal
laws that affect the workplace such as human rights, employment equity,
occupational health and safety, employment standards and labor relations
legislation.
8) It provides the organization with well-trained and well-motivated staff
9) It increases the satisfaction and self-actualization of the employees.
10) It aids in developing and maintaining the quality of work life of employees.
11) It is responsible for communicating human resource policies to all staff
12) It helps to maintain the ethical polices and behavior.

These above stated objectives can be summarized under four specific objectives
which are societal, organizational, functional and personnel.
1) Societal Objectives: These seek to ensure that the organization is socially
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responsible to society and minimizes the negative impact of the organization. The
failure of the organizations to use its resources to the benefit of society in an ethical
manner may lead to restriction.
2) Organizational Objectives: it recognizes its role of bringing about organizational
effectiveness. It ensures that the department is not a standalone one, but rather a
means to assist the organization in achieving its primary objectives. The HR
department is there to serve the rest of the organization.
3) Functional Objectives: These maintain the department’s contribution to a level
which is appropriate with the organization’s needs. Human resources are adjusted
accordingly to suit the organization’s needs.
4) Personnel Objectives: assist employees to achieve their personal goals, in so far
as these goals enhance the employee’s contribution to the organization. The
employees personal objectives must be met if they are to be maintained, retained
and motivated. Otherwise, the performance and satisfaction of employees may
decline and give rise to employee turnover.

iii. Outline the ethics of HRM as relating to the organization and the individual
employee.

According to Management Study Guide, 2022, human resource management

handles the employee planning and development activities of an organization. It is a
branch of management where ethics are very important, since it concerns issues
such as compensation, development, industrial relations and health and safety
issues. There is a school of thought of leaders that believe that markets claim profits
for stakeholders and unless organizations have protocols, standards and
procedures, they will develop into a demon monopolizing markets and crushing
human capital. Ethics are therefore mandatory.

Ethics in human resource management deal with the moral obligations of the

employer towards employees in maintaining equality and equity justice. Ethics
in HRM include safety in the workplace, respect, fairness, privacy, basic human
rights, justifiable treatment to employees and honest based processes in the
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workplace. The notion which surrounds ethical decisions is thought of as an

individual responsibility therefore, once Human Resources navigates the ethical
challenges of their job, they will be able to effectively attract and retain a talented
workforce.
 
Ethics are important in HRM because the organizational policies need to work in the
world economy where growing competition forces the organization to find
the competitive advantage and increase profitability. Issues of discrimination, sexual
harassment and unfair employment policies land companies into problems with
consumers or potential strategic partners, and potential future employees. The
questions regarding how employees should be treated, how they should be paid,
how they should be trained, under what conditions they should be expected to work,
how hard they should work, how they should be disciplined, and how their
employees should be terminated, are cardinal to HRM. (Human Capital Hub, 2022)

HR professionals are responsible for adding value to an organization where they

serve and contribute to the ethical successes of those organizations. Ethics in HRM
are concerned that:
 As professionals, they meet the highest standards of competence and commit
to strengthening their competencies on a continuous basis.
 HR professionals should exhibit leadership and be a role model by
maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct.
 As human resource professionals, they are ethically responsible to promote
and foster fairness and justice for all employees and their organizations.
 As HR professionals, they must maintain high levels of trust with their
stakeholders. The interests of stakeholders must be protected as well as their
professional integrity. HR personnel should not engage in activities that may
create actual, apparent or potential conflicts of interests.
 HR professionals should consider and protect the rights of employees,
especially regarding the acquisition and dissemination of information whilst
ensuring truthful communications and facilitating informed decision making.
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iv. What are the benefits of a clear recruitment process?

A good recruitment process has several benefits which include:

Increased profitability and performance - Having confidence in HRM’s ability to

attract and on-board high-quality candidates allows the business to be more
proactive and agile as well as able to take advantage of short-term opportunities and
reap the rewards. Since more efficient recruitment processes are also less costly,
there will be a reduction in costs-per-hire, which will have a positive impact on
profitability.

Attract higher quality candidates - It attracts suitable employees, that is, the kind that
are needed in a company and have the knowledge, skills and abilities that are
needed. Employees are engaged based on their merits and abilities.

Reduce attrition and improve productivity - A more efficient recruitment process will
free up the Human Resources team to spend more time on training and developing
the existing teams and onboarding the new hires. The right onboarding process has
a major impact on engagement, increasing performance and reducing staff attrition.

v. How many opportunities for staff development can you think of? Here are some
ideas.
Refresher training
Providing materials for self-study

Norton (2008) defines staff development as "the process of providing opportunities

for employees to improve their knowledge, skills, and performance in line with the
goals and values of the organisation and in relation to the interests and needs of the
employees."

Norton, 2008 as well as Valahamis, 2022, identify staff development strategies which
are listed below:
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 The use of consultants.

 Coaching and mentoring.
 Quality circles.
 Teacher centers.
 Assessment centers.
 Clinical supervision.
 Career development planning.
 Personnel appraisal methods.
 Task for and shadow groups.
 Job rotation.
 Peer-assisted leadership.
 Employee Development Methods
 Training
 Stretch assignments
 Workshops/Committees/Working-Groups
 Simulations
 Conferences
 On-the-job training
 Self-study
 360-degree performance review
 Career planning

2. Is there a need for human resource management specialists and, if so, what
should their role be? How is this role evolving? (7)

HRM Specialists are an important part of the organization. They are often an under-
appreciated part of an organization, due to the fact that many parts of HRM are not
easy to quantify and yet those same aspects have a direct or indirect effect on the
quantitative measures of business objectives in a business such as on its profits,
sales, revenue, costs, etc.

Human resources specialists are trained in all issues of human resources. They are
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equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to handle personnel issues within an
organization. They recruit and hire new talent, and facilitate training and on-boarding
into the company. However, they are called specialists for a reason i.e. they
specialize in at least one area of human resources and apply a higher level of
technical skill and specialized knowledge to benefit their organization.These
specialized areas of responsibility within HR can include:
 Risk Management
 Employee and Labor Relations
 Training and Development
 Total Rewards
 Workforce Planning and Workflow Analysis

According to Michigan state university online, 2022, the duties of a human resources
specialist may vary from day to day. While it is most likely that they have a specific
human resources area, a specialist may also have a different set of tasks to
complete each day, within the department as required. Some of these specialist
areas and responsibilities can include:   
 Recruitment and Retention Specialist
 Compensation and Benefits Specialist
 Training and Development Specialist

Human Resource Management has undergone a big revolution by questioning the

known practices and re-inventing the organizations as well as its structures. Many
traditional practices have been tossed out. As an example, hierarchies are vanishing
as there is greater emphasis on flat organizations. It means there is a great deal of
specialization and skills as well as upgrading the norms and standards of work and
performance. The new role of HRM is much more strategic than before. Some of the
new changes to the role of HRM can be summed up as follows:

 Facilitators of Change
 An Integrated Approach to Management
 Mediators
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 Methods of recruitment are changing because more technology is being used

such as online job searches or screening software.
 Societal values are changing as more laws are being created to enable a
more equitable working environment.
 The demography is changing and with it values as recruitment needs to
appeal to the upcoming new generation that do not have the same values that
older generations had.
 HRM is becoming more strategic and proactive rather than operational and
reactive.

Case Study
Tony works in Big Star, a city hotel. He is a full-time employee and has been working
there for the last three years. But he is not happy with his job. He says that his pay is
poor and he has to work at the weekends. (8)
1. What does his statement suggest about the motivation of this hotel worker?

According to Tony's statement, his motivation is very low and not employee-
satisfying. Workplaces such as this one, a city hotel, a good pay must be the most
frequently used motivator. This is because the load of work and the level to which
the workers are engaged in executing their duties. Good salaries will motivate the
employees and they will become more content with their jobs.

Another thing that the statement is suggesting about the motivation of Tony is that
the hotel is not giving attention to the scale of work compensation. This is based on
the fact that Tony must work over the weekend so that he can meet his desired pay
at the job. This implies that the hotel is not paying him at a competitive rate.

2. Identify and explain two possible ways in which Tony’s motivation might be
improved.
Tony’s motivation can be improved through the following two ways:

The first way is an incremental adjustment to increase the pay of Tony. This is so
because, Tony feels demotivated by his pay level. The hotel should revisit the pay
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structure that Tony gets on normal working hours such that he should be offered a
competitive salary.

The second possible way in which Tony could be motivated is by acknowledging the
contributions that Tony has made at work. Being acknowledged and rewarded
publicly is a great motivator.

REFERENCES

1. HRM Basic notes, p 5-6, n.d.

2. https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/what-does-hr-do,2022
3. https://www.northcentralcollege.edu/news/2021/06/04/importance-hr-
management, 2022
4. https://www.thehumancapitalhub.com/articles/Ethics-And-Human-Resource-
Management#:~:text=Areas%20of%20ethics%20in%20HRM,based
%20processes%20in%20the%20workplace, 2022
5. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279408140_Ethics_and_HRM/link/
57d3137408ae0c0081e26fb7/download, 2022
6. https://www.managementstudyguide.com/ethics-in-human-resource-
management.htm, 2022
7. https://greenbeanrpo.com/blog/using-effective-recruitment-gain-competitive-
advantage/, 2022
8. Norton (February 20, 2008). The staff development and performance
evaluation processes. https://www.sagepub.com
9. https://www.valamis.com/hub/employee-development-methods , 2022
10. https://www.michiganstateuniversityonline.com/resources/leadership/human-
resources-specialist-career-and-salary-outlook/, 2022
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Student Statement:

By submitting this assignment, I confirm that this is my own work.

Student Signature: Linda Michelo Zyongwe Date: 8/6/2022

For Tutor / Assessor Use Only

Total Marks
Marks Obtained
Percentage / Grade
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