HUMAN RESOURCE 8

HUMAN RESOURCE 8

Human Resource

What model of HRM practice is the most widely practiced by airlines in highly competitive markets and why?

Human resource is considered the most valuable resource to an organization, this because it utilizes other organizational supports to achieve the set strategic objectives. Organizations operate based on the nature of their operational premises, the environment under which they operate influences the organization’s operation policies. The industrial climate also shapes the business practices of an organization (Armstrong, 2009). Airliners are service providers, and therefore, their employees play a significant role in the achievement of the organization’s goals. Services have a characteristic of being produced and consumed simultaneously, due to this these services cannot be separated from their providers (Armstrong, 2009). The employees, in this case, are the service providers. Service encounters, therefore, play a significant role in customer satisfaction, a failure in service delivery will cause service failure. Employees being the internal customer to the airline have to be motivated to perform their job diligently (David, 2011). Employees also portray the organization’s image, the approach used by the human resource department towards the management of the organization’s human resource determines the image the employees portray. Proper management of the human resource leads to effectiveness in production and therefore, achievement of the organizational goals (David, 2011). Service provider’s employees, portray the physical evidence aspect of an organization. This is because these services cannot be tested or physically analyzed prior purchase, the behavior of these employees will give the customer the expectations of the service to expect. Human resource behavior is shaped by human resource management practices undertaken by an organization. The human resource models adopted by an organization, therefore, should be based on the strategic objective of an organization (Robertson, Birch, & Cooper, 2012). The legal premises also shape the operational policies of a firm these legal issues include; the employment act of the land under which the organization operates, the employees’ rights, the labor laws among others. Service providers just like any other organization have to ensure that proper human resource practices are observed in line with the organizational goals and objectives (David, 2011).

Human resource management has two main facets as discussed by various scholars these are; solid human resource management and soft human resource management approaches. Human resource management has a multiple main function (Robertson, Birch, & Cooper, 2012). These functions are; recruitment of the human resource, planning of human resource, compensation of human resource, training of human resource, disciplining of the human support and appraisal of human resource (Robertson, Birch, & Cooper, 2012). These functions of the human resource management department are meant to ensure that, the organization leaps maximum benefits from its human resource. Human resource recruitment in the airlines is undertaken to ensure that the airline has the right people for the right job. This practice entails the identification of a gap in the human resource and working to bridge the gap by fitting it with the right person (Ensher, Nielson & Grant-Vallone, 2002). A recruitment opportunity can arise due to various causes; these are the retirement of the previous job holder, death, promotion, demotion or transfer of the last holder job (Robertson, Birch, & Cooper, 2012). The function of recruitment involves pooling together many job candidate; this is done through advertisement of the vacancy so as the qualified personnel can apply. Job interviews are conducted during the recruitment process and the right replacement to fill the vacancy is selected. Orientation into organization practices marks the end of this function in an organization (Guo & Kristina, 2008). Another important feature of the human resource department of an airline is job planning. Under this, the airline ensures that both present and future human resource needs are planned for (Robertson, Birch, & Cooper, 2012). This is based on identifying the human resource needs of the organization and working towards matching the need with human resource demand (David, 2011). This function entails the concept of job designing and description. Job designing is where an organization fits in the tasks associated with the job the main objective of job designing is eliminating the obstacles which hinder good performance. Good job designing on the part of the airlines enables the employees to work efficiently (Hohnen, 2007). Under this, an air hostess job, for instance, is designed in such a manner that she will be able to serve the passengers on transit effectively (David, 2011). Through job designing, unnecessary tasks are eliminated from the job. Job designing helps reduce instances of labor exploitation and thus boosting their productivity (Ensher, Nielson & Grant-Vallone, 2002). Job designing help the airline identify the best possible way of undertaking a task which helps promote effectiveness and efficiency on the part of employees and the organization at large (Paradice, 2018). The job description, on the other hand, helps give guidelines to the employee as to what is expected of him/her. The job description also helps avoid intra-personal conflict, this is the kind of conflict which arises when an employee is not familiar with task allocated (Jishim, Han & Mihae, 2016). Poor job planning leaves an employee not aware of what specifically they are expected to do. This leads to poor performance from the employee and therefore low productivity (David, 2011). The job description also helps the organization in recruiting the right personnel for a different task (Johnston, 2005). Effectiveness in human resource planning, therefore, will end-up promoting the organization’s growth and development. Another critical function undertaken by an airline’s human resource department is training (Hohnen, 2007). Human resource training is conducted to ensure that the employees are provided with various skills they require to perform their duties. Service provision unlike provision of goods suffers due to lack of standardizing mechanism (Klerck, 2009). It becomes hard to standardize the services provided since its offered by different employees. To overcome this challenge, therefore, the airlines ought to train their personnel on the operational procedure to undertake in service delivery (Hohnen, 2007). This approach enables an organization to educate its staff on the quality standards to maintain at all time (Lepak & Scott, 2018). Job training to the airline’s employees enables the organization to be able to standardize the procedures followed during service encounters. Job training helps improve employee’s efficiency and effectiveness in carrying out the tasks assigned (Mullins, 2005).

Airline human resource department is also tasked with the compensation of the employees. Compensation acts as a motivation to the employees and therefore promotes the morale of the employee. Employees being the internal customer to the organization influence the growth and expansion of an airline. Well compensated employees are more motivated to work while poorly paid employees proof to be less productive. The rewarding approach should be designed in a manner that promotes job satisfaction on the part of the employee. Employees compare their rewards with those of their colleagues both within the organization and also the competing organization (Mullins, 2005). An airline should ensure fairness in the reward program to ensure productivity is improved. Offering competitive salary programs makes the employees feel appreciated, and the instances of losing the employee to the competitor are reduced. The approach also promotes job satisfaction and reduces the expenses incurred due to high job turnover (David, 2011). Another role of the airline’s human resource is disciplining of the human resource. Disciplining programs are undertaken to ensure that human resource behavior is controlled and monitored (Mullins, 2005). This entails coming up with workplace policies that discourage desired behavior and encourages the desired behavior. Disciplining approaches undertaken by the organization determines the employee’s performance. Job dismissal as a disciplined approach discourages an employee from being involved with improper conduct (Paradice, 2018). Disciplining programs should be designed in such a manner that there is fairness when imposing them (David, 2011). An employee should be taught according to the laid down policies despite their position or relationship with the management. Instances of unfairness and lack of equality will lead to job conflict among the employees (Paradice, 2018). The disciplining programs undertaken ought to be guided by not only the organization policies but also labor laws (Armstrong, 2006). Airline’s employee rights have to be put into consideration when developing disciplining programs.

Another crucial role of the human resource is that the department is concerned with the welfare and appraisal of the employees. The airline must ensure that the protection of their employee is taken care of properly. This approach acts as motivation towards the achievement of the set organizational goals. The airlines provide that the welfare of its employees is observed through offering them incentives. These incentives may include; pension, insurance covers to its employee. The airline’s human resource department has to ensure fairness in its appraisal programs. Through this determination of the person to be promoted, demoted or transferred should be based on the performance of the employee. Employees appraisal can be a source of conflict if the virtue of fairness and equality is not considered accordingly. A well-designed appraisal system acts as a source of motivation to the employees. It also creates an environment of healthy competition among employees as they aspire to achieve the set performance standards.

References

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Armstrong, M. (2009). Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice. london: Kogan Page.

David, F. R. (2011). StrategicManagement Conepts and Cases. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

Ensher, A, E., Nielson, R., T., & Grant-Vallone. (2002). Tales from the Hiring Line: Effects of the Internet and Technology on HR Processes. Organizational Dynamics, 31(3), 224-244.

Guo, & Kristina. (2008). DECIDE: a decision-making model for more effective decision making by health care managers. The Health Care Manager, 27(2), 118–127. doi:10.1097/01.HCM.0000285046.27290.90

Hohnen, P. (2007). Corporate Social Responsibility An Implementation Guide for Business. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 10-115.

Jishim, Han, & Mihae. (2016). Travellers’ switching behavior in airline industry from the perspective of push-pull-mooring framework. Tourism Management, 139-153.

Johnston, R. :. (2005). Service Operations Management Improving Service Delivery 2nd edition. Harlow: Printece Hall.

Klerck, G. (2009). Human resource management: A critical approach . Industrial relations and human resource management, 238-259.

Lepak, P, D., & Scott. (2018). Virtual HR: Strategic Human Resource Management in the 21st Century. human resource management review, 214-234.

Mullins, L. J. (2005). Management and Organisational Behaviour. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

Paradice, D. F. (2018). A Review of Ethical issues considerations in informations system research literature. Foundations Trends in information systems, 117-236.

Robertson, Birch, & Cooper. (2012). Job and work attitudes, engagement and employee performance: Where does psychological well-being fit in. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 33(3), 224–232. doi:10.1108/01437731211216443