Blogs on Human Resource and Organizational Success

There are three facets of resource management to be compared and include HRMS, HRIS, and HCM. These anchors are in no way different. However, they are the components of Human Resource Management. In short, an intelligent HR department must split the management into these sorts of units. HRMS entirely manages workforce data, activities data, strategies, and plans of an organization. The system comprises entries that help to see through the organization and to keep track of relevant activities. It can also be the collection of data that defines an organization. This implies that the HRMS is the heart of an organization’s information. Every human resource person may have to refer to this tool(s) in order to get a fuller glimpse of their duties. HRIS is purely concerned with information. This technical tool houses relevant data such as company policy, mode of operation, staff details, company budgets, company target, and more. It is a subsystem of HRMS but differs in the sense that it is more concerned with information storage and retrieval.This is the most security-concerned tool due to its sensitivity. The third in this study is Human Capital Management (HCM). HCM is equally an aspect of HRMS in HRM. HCM mostly relates to employee development. It is merely the search for a decent workforce referred to as human capital and the development as well as retention of such a workforce. Human Resource Management System (HRMS): HRMS has to do with the overall management of an organization, its workforce, and other parts. It directly concerns the employment of any available scientific, ordered, and straightforward principles in the running of the system. It is believed by various organizations to be the way forward in management. As database management, it makes it easy and swift for data to be stored and retrieved at any time. HRMS can also be called an automated tool for management. The automatic tasks performed by this tool employers, employees, and management alike. With system integration, organizations can run specific tasks online at ease and with convenience. For example, employees in some organizations can apply for a leave or a break online without sending papers to the management. When this request arrives at the system, the system will automatically scan and grade the request. A response would then be passed to the employee notifying whether he or she is eligible. Human Resource Information System (HRIS) : The Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is a sub aspect of the HRMS. This aspect deals with the appropriation of information. This information is what an organization requires to plan its strategies and to keep track of its progress. Practically, it is the most sensitive aspect of HRM and the sub aspect of HRMS. An organization requires information to operate in conformation with standards. Extensively, HRIS is a tool that supports aspects of an organization such as policy compliance, merit for reward, fixed compensation payments, employee appraisal, employee request, activity data collection and management, activity progress, and reports. HRIS encourages transparency. It also serves as a tool or software for the supervision, review, and processing of money-related activities. The most intriguing feature of this web-based system is that it is simple to install and run. It may not be simple to those who are not professionals in the field but definitely to professionals. An organization may have to hire professionals to design and set up the system in a way that will be easy for the human resource persons to work with for results. Human Capital Management (HCM): This aspect more concisely has to do with the management of human capital. Sir William Arthur Lewis is recognized as the first economist to introduce the term & human capital to the management sphere. It refers to the objectives, formalities, strategies, and attempts made towards ensuring that employees receive the best beginning from encouragement, reward, compensations, recruitment of the best individuals, development, and retention of skillful employees. HCM recognizes the importance of the workforce in an organization. The scope of HCM is to convince employees to be committed and loyal to the company. The scope of HCM also encourages organizations to be particularly attentive to the employees since they are productive minds. Without employees, every other resource will be useless. An organization cannot exist without a workforce that drives it to success. Similarities Between HRMS, HRIS, and HCM : HRMS, HRIS, and HCM are often identified as similar concepts. TIt is also the sameness of these three concepts that make it almost difficult for organizations to decide on which to practice or make a focal point. The basic similarities between HRMS, HRIS, and HCM are as follows: Employee Development: The concepts mentioned above prompt a discussion of employee development. HRMS, HRIS, and HCM recognize the role of human capital in any organization. As such, the concepts promote employee development since an employee is regarded as the 'heart of production. Without employees, an organization will not be able to set a target. Even when such an organization sets a target, it will lack vitality. Scientific Measures: Proper management undergoes a series of trials and errors. This happens scientifically after a well-planned and craftily designed idea towards achieving success. These management concepts involve well-defined scientific processes for results. For example, HCM, which deals purely with employee management, takes time to chisel out and decide upon. Being that it involves individual recruitment, encouragement, development, and training, the responsible human resource person or persons would have to strike out tested ideas that are methodically developed to sort employee difficulties at any angle. Strategies to Reach an Organizational Goal: The general aim of management is to develop or build an organization towards success. Neither of these three concepts works without basis. That is, there is always a desired achievement that triggers the employment of these managerial concepts. To attain the goal, strategies including employee training, retention of skilled workers, recruitment of brilliant individuals, and others must be implemented. Require the Integration of Technology : Practically, HRMS, HRIS, and HCM are technology-based concepts. Although either of these concepts can be manually functional, it is not recommendable to operate the system manually in this industrial age, especially when the number of employees is substantial. Technology in these management systems makes the workflow swift. It ensures accuracy and promotes high yields. Over 80% of organizations – small and large, have adopted electronic approaches towards management. Run by a Professional or a Group: Neither of these systems can run without personnel. There must be an employed or hired professional or professionals to overlook the system, review, modify, and implement relevant changes. Costly to Maintain: Running these systems comes with a cost. However, these costs are most often worth it. Some costs include the renewal of data connection, payment for system management, a monthly or yearly subscription to premium security services, and others. Without spending to maintain the processes and make regular updates, the system may malfunction. Differences Between HRMS, HRIS, and HCM : In a general sense, these systems bear some sort of sameness but have significant differences. Of all three systems, the most identical systems are HRMS and HRIS. This is because both systems have to do with the direct management of human and nonhuman resources relating to an organization. HCM, on the other hand, refers to human capital, and the system rallies solely around the development of employees or workforce. Traditionally, the concept of HRM is a single concept. HRMS, HRIS, and HCM are just systems under the concept of HRM that make organizational management have focal points. That is, each system has its focal point, which better describes its purpose in human resource management. Let us identify the fundamental contrasts that exist between HRMS, HRIS, and HCM management systems. This is an excerpt from the award-winning book, Human Resource Management Essentials You’ll Most Likely Be Asked by Jaquina Gilbert. The book provides an understanding of areas including performance management strategies, legal and regulatory compliance, payroll and compensation, IT in HRM, and others. It guides readers through HRM challenges and provides tools to address those challenges.

The need for technology in any organization should not be ignored. Although some fear that technology will promote the introduction of robots as a workforce, humans are still filling positions. Several organizations have admitted the importance of information technology (IT) as it aids in achieving goals near perfectly. Before now, the manual forms of operations made things difficult to accomplish. However, the basics of information technology, being automatic, present hefty and time-consuming tasks in an optimized and ordered manner. It will conventionally take days, if not weeks, to sort out minor things like an updated regulatory policy for organizational compliance. However, the advent of Human Resource Management to technology could fix this within minutes of going online and retrieving updated regulatory policy data. Not only does the mode of retrieval appear easy, understanding the policy becomes easier as a human resource person may not have to contact the governing agencies in person for more enlightenment on specific policies. Information Technology and HRM: Human Resource Management is tasked with responsibilities including employee development, recruitment of skilled employees, training, ensuring legal compliance, encouraging employees at work, formulating new policies, and more. All of these functions can now be rendered effortlessly with the aid of technology, which couples several predesigned instructions that make it easier for large tasks to be cut; needless to say, an aspect like payroll management in an organization. A larger percentage of organizations have switched to automatic or electronic payroll systems, which feature accuracy and transparency in accountability. With the introduction of IT in Human Resource Management, there is now a ‘responsibility shift.’ Human Resource Management barely has to flip through pages to review employee performance and also do not pass through hassles to obtain updated regulatory policies and principles, which are then integrated into the managerial system of an organization. Instead of all these, management can make strategic planning a focal point to keep competition alive and healthy. Disadvantage of IT in HRM: No study doubts the relevance of technology in Human Resource Management. However, there are doubts by a few studies on the adverse effects of technology. For instance, an organization of 80 employees is estimated to have at least one human resource person. Going by this estimate, in an organization of 150 employees, the number will increase to at least two human resource persons, and this will continue to increase. Usually, larger organizations should have a number of human resource persons enough to be called a team of strategists. However, technology cuts down the number by more than half as only a few persons can manage a large group with the proper technology. Here are the primary disadvantages of IT in HRM. Risk of unemployment of HR professionals A smaller number of human resource persons in an organization Unexpected employee data breach/crash Lazy mindedness of Human Resource Management Over-dependence on machines This extends to employees in an organization. The impact, just as in Human Resource Management, negatively affects employees. Rather than being judged by humans, employees risk being judged or assessed by machines, which will not be effective in the emotional aspect. Some of the notable effects on technology on employees include unemployment, lesser recognition, incorrect/undefining scores from machines, and a few more to mention. All in all, depending on how technology is managed in an organization, it makes an excellent addition to the company. Importance of IT in HRM: The mention of technology in Human Resource Management as a means for flexibility draws immediate attention. A difficult task can be tiring no matter the pay involved, but when the job is flexible, one would want to do more. This is the general benefit of technology in Human Resource Management that many human resource persons find alluring. Technology gives management a sense of swiftness. It keeps records of activities, and most advantageous, it makes them easily accessible. In every computer software, there is a ‘search’ feature provided. This feature makes it easier to quickly access a given file no matter its location. Sometimes it is necessary to instruct a computer on what result to present. Comparing this to a non-technology-based Human Resource Management, searching for a particular file would require flipping through pages which consumes time and energy. Technology is very relevant, although it has a few glitches. Let’s glance through the central importance of technology in HRM that help to build and develop an organization towards success. Absolute Focus on Management: With technology, the focal point of Human Resource Management will be on strategic planning. Recall that the relevance of HR is essentially on management. However, it is often tricky as the HR department would have to be attentive to all aspects of the company at the same time. With technology, the workload is decreasing as Human Resource Management tends to focus more on strategic planning rather than an every-time problem-solving technique. Simply, this means that the managerial team of an organization will have to worry less about several other things and focus more on the technical area of development. Automatically Grade Employees: Performance scorecards are being introduced in several organizations as a means of monitoring and reviewing employee performance. HR sets up these systems and installs each on the appropriate systems in the organization. It could as well include employee work computers. Some companies anonymously install these to monitor the activities of employees in order to know who is being committed and who is not. This can also be termed an electronic appraisal. Flexibility, Speed, and Accuracy: This was earlier mentioned as the essential scope of technology. Human Resource Management has substantial flexibility. With technology, there is flexibility in all ramifications of management, including the thinking aspect. How is IT relevant in thinking? It merely provides easy access to the required stats/updates for effective decisions. Moreover, HR persons do not require file stacks to store data used in running the organization. With speed, there is a rapid progression in the business. The speed here includes even the decision-making process. With technology, this is not an unsolvable difficulty. For instance, it provides room for a comprehensive analysis of the market speedily, thereby ensuring better risk management. It helps to stay abreast of market changes and to be able to formulate new strategies that will either increase the company’s competitive prowess or maintain its level. Accountability: Operating on a manual standard is likely to make the accounting task difficult and incomprehensible. Managing payrolls in a non computerized way will lead to inaccurate records and will cause confusion. This is not the case when technology is involved because of the calculative ability is holds. A simple coding will be able to collect data, compile, sum up, and present a perfect result that can be accounted for. For this to be the case in an organization, such an organization must outsource for payroll systems like hiring an external payroll agency or professional to overlook the process of employee salaries and wages. IT goes as far as helping to determine the worth of a recruit in an organization correctly. This is an excerpt from the award-winning book, Human Resource Management Essentials You’ll Most Likely Be Asked by Jaquina Gilbert. The book provides an understanding of areas including performance management strategies, legal and regulatory compliance, payroll and compensation, technology in HRM , and others. It guides readers through HRM challenges and provides tools to address those challenges.

Bill Gates commented on performance, saying, “In business, the idea of measuring what you are doing, picking the measurements that count like customer satisfaction and performance… you thrive on that.” His comment about measurements, customer satisfaction, and performance incorporates three concepts that must act together for a positive result. The performance management cycle is seasonal or annual checks on employee performance. The system has regards for no category of employee and seeks to make amends and to drive every workforce unitedly towards a planned goal. The primary target of this formality is to generate or discover strategies that work. This is why the strategy takes place mostly on an annual basis to rate employee performance and see what could be done to enhance performance. Ultimately, the idea of the performance management cycle keeps employees on course to deliver desired outputs. This is the case because employees generally fear receiving the least possible rating in any organization. The idea connects with the corporate core values of employees and attempts to match such values with the expectations of the organization. The cycle is coupled with advantages such as work effectiveness, job flexibility, staff commitment, and high competition among staff. It involves four stages, which include. Planning Monitoring Reviewing Rewarding Planning: Planning is the first stage of the performance management cycle, and it deals with setting simple, achievable goals. Here, there could be minor but effective activities such as a description of the job at hand, outlining clear goals, and informing staff members of the expectations of the organization for the year. This phase should include understanding and incorporating the guiding principles of the organization.  Further, management should identify performance objectives and strategies that have an employee focus.   While planning, let the plan agree with John Quincy Adams’ statement that, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” Make plans that motivate an employee and that are flexible. Be part of the plans and try to carry every individual along. In order to have a simpler performance management model, consider implementing the S-M-A-R-T technique. This is a technique for goal-setting.  Goals or objectives should be: S : Specific – Be specific with the goal and ensure it is a clear goal for easy understanding in the organization. M : Measurable – All plans must be measurable and easy to comply with. A : Achievable – Do not plan on actions that are not easily achievable by the organization. Simply, be realistic with the plans. R : Relevant – All plans must be relevant and able to leave positive effects on organizational growth. T : Time-Bound – Do not make plans to borders away from achievable time. One of the most essential processes in this phase is the last portion of it.  Both the manager and employee (and sometimes HR) should agree and confirm the plans before implementing them.  This ensures an understanding by all involved. Monitoring: The second phase of the performance management cycle involves keeping tabs on the ongoing activities and businesses of the organization. Check up on the progress and employee performances in place towards achieving an organizational goal. Meet occasionally to discuss difficulties and proffer solutions. It is ideal to hear staff suggestions as they sometimes know what is best for the company since they are more involved in the production aspect. In this phase, a manager should provide ongoing coaching, counseling, mentoring, and guidance.  They should also promote employee training and development opportunities in order to manage underperformance and disciplinary issues better.   Performance monitoring and development should be ongoing processes, that if encompassed with effective goal-setting, can build a bridge to employee success. Reviewing: Review activities to identify how much of the goals have been met so far. In essence, here we determine the accountability effectiveness measures.  Ideally, a review should result in taking measures to enhance the current situation. Further, it is essential to determine that the additional measures help to meet goals. Giving due attention to staff is critical. The staff could likely be declining as a result of specific new company policies, innovation, working environment, or poor employer-employee relationships. In order to uncover the cause, question such staff, and do not reprimand the staff in the process. Be encouraging to convince such staff to become more committed to the job. It is important to refer to previously developed plans to see if goals have been met.  Determining rating results is important at this stage.  At this stage, managers should provide feedback on the rating results and performance objectives.  The keyword is feedback! Rewarding: The fourth and final state of the performance management cycle is the rewards, remuneration, and recognition phase.  This is an encouragement of an employee’s performance for the season. Dale Carnegie (Leadership Training Guru) opines that “People work for money but go the extra mile for recognition, praise, and rewards.” Apart from money, workers also need recognition and deserving praises. What this means is that an employee who feels unrecognized will not remain committed. To encourage that desire to work more and dedicate more, a reward should be considered. Such rewards could come in many forms and may include gifts, promotion, increased salary, reduced work hours, and extended liberties. Rewards should not initially be tied to ratings or plans.  Ratings should be used to evaluate performance.  Meeting goals and objectives may ultimately be tied to monetary rewards such as bonuses or merit increases.  Other rewards may include promotions, special recognition, or meeting requirements for certification. This stage is also characterized by implementing performance improvement initiatives as or if necessary.  If the employee did not meet desired goals and objectives, they should not necessarily be rewarded, but should also receive the appropriate follow-up to ‘reward’ their performance. This is sometimes done with performance improvement plans. 

Running a business can be quite unpredictable, even if it’s just a small-scale one. However, through cross-functional training, you can manage such uncertainty by creating teams that have a broad range of skills. Basically, cross-functional training aims to form groups made of individuals with varying skills then have them work towards a common goal. In most cases, it will involve individuals from various departments like marketing, human resources, finance, etc. However, despite being practiced by a number of companies due to its benefits, there are still companies that are quite hesitant to start cross-functional training due to a number of reasons. The Biggest Benefit of Cross-Functional Training: Perhaps the biggest benefit that cross-functional training has to offer is that it promotes loyalty. In general, training has the ability to make employees feel that they’re valued by the company. After all, you as the business owner invested time and knowledge in them, with the aim of letting them learn new things and expand their knowledge and expertise. As a result, employees will appreciate the business more, and they will get the feeling that they belong in a family along with their new teammates. Ideally, this can significantly reduce the rate of resignations. Apart from that, employees who have undergone cross-functional training will be less prone to boredom compared to workers who do the same, repetitive tasks every time they log in until they leave the office. This is because cross-functional training will challenge them as they get to learn and practice new skills, and as a result, this makes them enjoy their jobs even more. Not only that, but they also become empowered to make decisions regarding where their efforts are highly needed during a particular time. They can also pass on their knowledge to each other whenever necessary, essentially making them better coworkers and allowing them to develop leadership qualities. But here’s the real question we haven’t tackled yet: does cross-functional training actually promote loyalty? The Connection Between Cross-Training and Loyalty: According to an article by Harvard Business Review, 75% of all cross-functional teams end up failing. There are a number of factors behind them, and some of them are present in all projects: serving customer needs, staying on the schedule and budget, and sticking to specifications. Most of the troubles experienced by cross-functional teams come from departmental silos. People have a tendency to be in a group with similar people who has the same thinking that they do. And just like regular teams, cross-functional teams also require someone with strong leadership traits and communication skills. So why bother anyway when it has a higher chance of failing? It’s because cross-functional communication is a form of art. As long as leaders can get it right with their time management and leadership skills, they can expect significant improvements in revenues, product appeal, and even brand loyalty. As long as leaders build trust with their team members, cross-functional training will have a higher likelihood of succeeding. Achieving Positive Results: As mentioned earlier, one of the reasons why most cross-functional teams end up failing is due to departmental silos. For example, designers don’t do well when paired with engineers, and so on. One solution to this problem is to encourage your project managers to lead by example. This could include demonstrating active listening skills, meeting deadlines, and upholding promises. As team leaders, they should set the bar for their members. On the other hand, you can show trust in your project managers by giving them critiques in private then encouraging them to try new ideas. It also helps to give them permission to fail. As the head above it all, you should also possess some form of a leadership skill which can be any of the following: Servant leadership Transformational leadership Situational leadership Transactional leadership Democratic leadership During cross-functional training, you can encourage everyone to communicate more openly with each other. You can also schedule meetings to allow different teams to interact with each other, share each of their progress, and even share new ideas. By doing so, your company can benefit from such a form of training (even if it ends up failing) by just gathering people from various departments all in the same room. The Bottom Line: Everyone in a company should feel the satisfaction of pouring their effort into a business initiative while gaining the recognition they truly deserve for all the hard work they’ve done. You might think that it’s not really that necessary, but for cross-functional teams, getting the glory they rightly deserve for successfully completing the challenge of inter-departmental collaboration is a big deal, and it’s one that can certainly create a sense of loyalty for your company.

We are excited to announce that Human Resource Management Essentials You Always Wanted To Know was recently presented with the 2020 NYC Big Book Distinguished Favorite Award in the Business – General category. The NYC Big Book Awards announces its awards every year. This award is presented to independent authors and publishers; as well as big and small presses. The objective of the award is to help find the audiences these books were made for. The books for this recognition are judged on presentation, editorial quality, and audience appeal.     GRAB YOUR COPY NOW  

These days, it’s not unusual for older adults to retire, only to re-enter the workforce in their golden years. More often than not, this can be attributed to economic needs. After all, living on retirement savings and other benefits can make seniors feel the crunch, especially with rising medical expenses and a higher cost of living at present. Not only that, but some seniors also find their newfound free time boring and lonely, so they crave the stimuli of productive work. Thankfully, there are ways you can return to work as a senior. The best part: there are opportunities you can take where you won’t even need to sacrifice your freedom so you can still enjoy the flexibility that comes with retirement. Below are some of the best options. Leverage Your Expertise You’ve already put in years — decades, even — into your industry, so by the time you retire, you’re already a walking encyclopedia of expertise and have many references you can call upon. As such, it’s a good idea to make use of what you already know by re-entering your field as an independent consultant. This is one of the best things you can do post-retirement, especially if you have a special skill and/or a valuable network, as it can be very lucrative, while also offering you a chance to do what you love. Alternatively, one other great way to make use of what you already know in retirement is to go into teaching or research. This is a particularly viable option in a highly specialized industry like the sciences, and it’s a great way to remain active in the field without making it a full-time job. Consider Remote Work These days, the gig economy is thriving, and there’s no reason that you as an older adult can’t get in on it. In fact, thanks to modern technology, finding remote work is a real breeze these days. The best part is, there are many gigs you can do on your own time in the comforts of your home — all the better to keep up your retiree lifestyle. Start by looking to freelance job boards for opportunities in customer service, sales, marketing, writing, and more. Most of these job boards even have nifty apps to help you in your search. So, as a rule, make sure to highlight your strengths, skills, and experience to create a profile that really stands out. If you’re going to be working from home, you need to have a home office that allows you to maximize your productivity. If possible, try to locate your office away from high-traffic locations in your home. Make sure you have enough outlets to plug in any equipment you may need. When choosing an office chair, look for an ergonomic model, which is especially important if you suffer from joint pain. Find Out What Your Community Needs Going back to work after retirement is also the perfect opportunity to do something different and meaningful, so if you’re craving a change of pace, you’re definitely in a good place to pursue it. Indeed, there are a lot of retirement jobs that you can consider that serve your community. For instance, seniors are often a real hit as babysitters, petsitters, or housesitters because of their trustworthiness and experience in the matter. Or, if you have a particular talent or passion, like dance or arts and crafts, why not teach it part-time? Working in retail is also a feasible option that’s worth considering. There are many stores that hire senior workers, and these jobs can provide you with a great avenue to make use of your people skills. Ditto with sales jobs in various industries, such as insurance, which will undoubtedly offer you the challenge and engagement that you need. It’s a good idea to research the most senior-friendly companies in your area to see if you’re a good fit before preparing to get interviewed. Suffice it to say, life after retirement need not be a dead end. Rather, it’s a time that’s filled with opportunities that are as fun and rewarding as they are lucrative. So go ahead, update your CV, and let the job hunt commence!   GRAB YOUR COPY NOW