Hr Handout

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KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

(COLLEGE OF ART AND SOCIAL SCIENCES)

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

(DEPARTMENT OF MANAGERIAL SCIENCE)

COURSE: MAS 553 - HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

RESOURCE PERSON: MR. J.K. TURKSON

(SENIOR LECTURER)


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COURSE OUTLINE

UNIT 1- INTRODUCTION

History/evolution of Personnel/Human Resource Management;

Factors that have affected the growth of Personnel/Human Resource

Management;

Some perceptions about Personnel/Human Resource Management.

UNIT 2- DEFINITIONS OF PERSONNEL/HUMAN RESOURCE

MANAGEMENT

Difference between the two; Controversies in HRM; Scope/Content of

HRM General Managerial Scope/Content; General operative scope/

Content

UNIT 3 STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Strategy; DefinitionUNIT 4 HUMAN RESOURCE (MANPOWER) PLANNING

Definitions; Key issues in human resource planning; Elements of

Human resource planning future labour requirements, acquisition

ability, retention ability.

UNIT 5 RECRUITMENT

Process of Recruitment

Job Analysis job description, job specification, job classification,(Other dimensions/components of job)

Sources of recruitment internal and external Application forms/blanks (Curriculum Vitae)


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UNIT 6 SELECTION

Process of selection

Screening/shortlisting Test administration the various types Medical examination Interviewing objectives, types, problems, guide to good interview practice Background investigation Medical report Final selection Job offer/appointment letter/contract of employment

UNIT 7 POST EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES

Assumption of duty Induction/Orientation/Indoctrination coverage Placement Follow up Transfer reasons for it Promotion and demotion reasons for them, why some people

refuse promotion Termination, dismissal and vacation of post {Refer to the Labour

Act 2003 (Act 651)}.

UNIT 8 EDUCATION, DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING

Definitions and relationships among education, development andtraining

Management development methods of developing managers Career development Training policy, needs assessment, performance gap, training

cycle, benefits, transfer of knowledge from training, trainingevaluation, types/methods of training


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UNIT 9 COMPENSATION AND REWARDS

Difference between wages and salaries Methods of paying wages/salaries Various forms of incentives/rewards/fringe benefits etc. Considerations/factors in payment of wages/salaries Job analysis Job evaluation systems/methods Performance appraisal

UNIT 10 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Definitions Phases Workplan Corrective action plan Performance management process planning, execution,

Assessment/review Employee Performance appraisal purpose/benefits, steps,

methods/types, weaknesses/problems.

UNIT 11 HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE

Issues relating to employees health, safety and welfare. Refer to theLabour Act 2003 (Act 651).

UNIT 12 OTHER MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS IN HRM

Labour turnover, absenteeism, tardiness, lay-off, recall, redundancy

OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE

The following are the main objectives of the course:

1. To expose postgraduate students, particularly, the non-HRM students togeneral issues in human resource management.


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2. To enable postgraduate students in human resource management appreciatethe fact that human resource management is a course that permeates everyaspect of functional management. Therefore, every functional manager,

irrespective of his department needs it, hence being a core course for allMBA and other postgraduate programmes at the university and other tertiary institutions.

ASSESSMENT FORMULAR

1. End of semester examination 60 marks2. Continuous assessment (40 marks). This may cover the following:

(a) Project work/Term Paper/Assignments/Quizzes etc. 35 marks(b) Class attendance/Class contributions etc. 5 marks

NB. Every absenteeism constitutes one mark reduction from the marks(5) allocated for attendance.


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UNIT 1

INTRODUCTION

All organizations, whether industrial, commercial, educational or social are made

up of people who have different aspirations and sentiments. For this reason, it isnecessary to have in such organizations trained personnel who are knowledgeablein human relations or personnel matters who will ensure that there is cordialinteraction among the people in such organizations or institutions. Because of this,Personnel/Human Resource Managers are needed not only in businessorganizations but also in other organizations where people come together tointeract among themselves to achieve organizational objectives. Accordingly it isimportant for organizations such as the Ghana Armed Forces, Achimota College,

the Lions Club of Ghana, the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and KumasiAsante Kotoko Football Club to have Personnel/Human Resource Managers.Personnel/Human Resource Managers in such organizations are expected to ensurethat there are harmonious human interactions and relationships. The presence of

people in such organizations requires a sound human relations practice to beaddressed by Personnel/Human Resource Mangers.

An expert (Owiredu Yeboah 1983), in Personnel Management once remarkedThere is a misconception of the role of Personnel Administration in Ghana to theextent that even some heads of department and organizations do not exactly knowthe value or accept Personnel Administration as an integral part of anadministrative set up .

It is now a misconception to regard Personnel/Human Resource Manager as a person who only provides jobs through recruitment and selection, administerswages and salaries, liaises between labour and management and performs other traditional functions associated with the position of Personnel/Human ResourceManagement. This has led to some misunderstanding between PersonnelManagement and Human Resource Management. Technological development has

brought about the need for qualified and well-trained personnel to handle personneland human resource-related issues. This has led to a functional shift from thetraditional functions of Personnel Management to that of Human ResourceManagement. For this reason, the term Human Resource Management has become


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preferable to Personnel Management. This is because Human ResourceManagement is not only concerned with the traditional functions of a PersonnelManager or a personnel department, neither is it concerned with the head count of the number of people in an organization but it also deals with the management of

human resources in an organization. That is Human Resource Management isconcerned with the management of human attributes or human assets such as skills,abilities, physical strength, knowledge, intelligence, talents, initiative, innovations,creativity and other intangible assets inherent in human beings.

History/Evolution of Personnel/Human Resource Management

Personnel/Human Resource Management has existed since the inception of theindustrial revolution. The need for PM/HRM becomes very paramount when

people of diversity come together in a work environment to collectively work towards the accomplishment of organizational objectives. History or evolution of anything tells what has happened before the changes that have taken place.

Every academic subject has a history and evolves over time. Even the subjectHistory has a history since it has evolved over time. The same historical andevolutionary principles apply to Personnel/Human Resource Management as asubject.

The history of Personnel/Human Resource Management deals with the variouschanges that have taken place in the field of Personnel/Human ResourceManagement. The history of Personnel/Human Resource Management is analyzedunder the following four time phases.

1. Late 19 th Century (1875)

During this period, PM/HRM activities were haphazardly carried out. There wasnothing like Personnel Management or Human Resource Management. All issuesthat related to PM/HRM were not given any important attention like the other areasof functional areas of management. Consequently, labour-managementrelationship was full of antagonism and misunderstanding. Disputes andgrievances were the order of the day without any effective system or mechanismfor resolution. Working conditions were not attractive and there was no avenue for redress. There was lack of co-operation between the government and the labour.


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This led to frequent confrontations among the three actors of labour labour,management and the government. The collective effect of all the undesirableworkplace practices was low productivity.

The role of Rober t Owen (The Foun der of Personnel M anagement Robert Owen, who was regarded as the Founder of Personnel Management showed concern for the unhealthy and appalling practices within the industrialsetting and fought against them. He started by conducting some experiments onhow best to eliminate or minimize the problems that frustrate effective PM

practices.

2. First Quarter of the 20 th Century (1925)

This period saw the emergence of trade union activities. The emergence of tradeunion activities gave new dimensions to PM/HRM. The century saw newdevelopments in the field of PM/HRM. F. W. Taylor who was regarded as the

Father of Scientific Management emerged on the scene.

The role of F reder ick Wi nslow Taylor (The Father of Scienti fi c Management)

(a) Trade unions emerged through the role of F.W. Taylor which gave a newdimension to Personnel/Human Resource Management.

(b) Taylor was concerned with making effective use of human resources andother resources.

(c) Was also concerned about critical, scientific and objective way of doingthings.

(d) Also advocated for one best way of doing things and providing attractivecompensation package.

The century also saw the emergence of large industrial organizations which ledto work complexities. This also led to the need to find the most effective way of

managing labour.


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It is worth noting that all the personalities who made contributions to thedevelopment of PM/HRM were concerned with improving on what had been done

by their predecessors. In this direction, Taylor improved upon the existingcompensation package with a view to motivating workers to work hard. The

century saw the emergence of large industrial organizations. This led to work complexities and the need for effective PM/HRM became paramount. Labour

became very difficult to handle. This also led to the need to find the most effectiveway of managing labour.

3. Second Quarter of the 20 th Century (1950)

This period witnessed a remarkable improvement in the field of PM/HRM due to

the contributions of Robert Owen and F.W. Taylor. The World War II did adevastating blow to labour. As a result, revolutionary changes were carried out torepair the damage done to labour. Such changes included the formulation of rulesand regulations to guide the actions and behaviours of workers, management andgovernments at workplaces. The introduction of rules and regulations to a largeextent minimized industrial disputes and conflicts.

The period also saw the introduction of policies in the key areas of HRM/PM. For example, the need for policies to guide the proper selection of employees throughscreening, tests and interviews was emphasized. This paved the way for universalistic ethos of meritocracy rather than particularistic criteria . Emphasiswas also placed on good human relations as a way of promoting harmony betweenlabour and management. The period witnessed dramatic increase in industrialdisputes. Governments and business owners recognized labour unions asformidable forces to reckon with.

This period also saw the emergence of Elton Mayo F.J. Roethlisberger andW.Dickson

The role of Elton Mayo, F.J. Roethlisberger and W. Dickkson (1939)

(a) They conducted the famous Hawthorne Experiments.i. The experiments changed the commodity concept of labour to that

of social concept. The commodity concept of labour literally


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implies regarding labour as any ordinary commodity that could be bought on the market with money and used anyhow without anyhuman feeling or touch. The social concept treats workers as fellowhuman beings who have to be treated with care and empathy.

ii. The experiments also highlighted on the importance of informalgroups, decent and humane leadership.

iii. The experiments further revealed that employees feelings, emotionsand sentiments were strongly affected by such work conditions asgroup relationships leadership styles and support from managementand such feelings could have significant impact on productivity.

iv. Furthermore, the experiments delved into the impact of illuminationon worker performance and productivity.

In spite of the efforts by the pioneers in the field of PM/HRM, the period witnesseda dramatic increase in industrial disputes. This was, as already stated, due toindustrial complexities and the fact that workers became enlightened and resistedthe arbitrary boss whose aim was to marginalize the worker in crucial decisionmaking processes which affected the worker. Workers also resisted all forms of cheating. As a result, government and business owners recognized labour unionsas partners and formidable forces in promoting industrial democracy

NB. Read on the details of Hawthorne Experiments in any management book 4. Present Era (After 1950)

The period after 1950 has seen a tall list of contemporary practitioners in the fieldof PM/HRM who have built on the works of the pioneers. For example, MichaelArmstrong is one of such contemporary personalities who have made great stridesin the field. The period equally experienced a proliferation in industrial disputes

between labour and management. Since PM/HRM is considered to be the frontlineamong all the functional areas of management in resolving industrial conflicts anddisputes, it became a very important course to be pursued in educationalinstitutions.

The course also assumed inter-disciplinary dimension borrowing ideas from Law,Sociology, Psychology, Economics and other fields of social science. The


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implication is that PM/HRM practitioners should have basic knowledge in theabove areas to be able to perform creditably.

From 1950, the industrial revolution led to the growth in the size of labour force.

This posed a great challenge to HRM/PM practitioners as a result of multiplicity of industrial disputes and conflicts. This also led to the proliferation of trade unionssince workers began to assert their rights within the labour front. Thesedevelopments required a new approach to PM/HRM in dealing with labour-management problems

Factors that have affected the growth of Personnel/Human ResourceManagement

(a) Increased complexities of organizational set-ups and their activities.

As already stated above, the industrial revolution brought in its trail, a myriad of labour-management problems which required a new approach to dealing with such

problems. Since it is PM/HRM that is capable of dealing with such problems, thegrowth and importance of PM/HRM became obvious. It is for this reason that thecourse PM/HRM has become one of the important functional areas of managementwhich people pursue in educational institutions.

(b) Proliferation of trade unions and federations.

Effective PM/HRM thrives on the existence of trade unions and federations of labour and the role of the government since the three are the key actors in thelabour front. Trade unions and federations are the means through which workerscan asset their influence over decisions that affect their collective interest. Whenworkers come together to form trade unions and federations, the establishment of aDepartment on Personnel Management or Human Resource Management promotesrole complimentality in fostering cordial labour-management relationships.

(c) Revolution in the industrial sector

As already stated, the industrial revolution led to the establishment of many productive work related activities. This required the intervention of people whohave the skill in dealing with human related problems that arise out of revolution inthe industrial sector.


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relationship. This to a large extent accounts for the numerous strikes that oftencharacterize many organizations. It is for this and other reasons that students who

pursue non-management programmes, among other courses in higher institutionsof learning are exposed to basic principle of Human Resource Management. This

practice is absolutely desirable because all functional managers require basicknowledge in Human Resource Management since they deal with human beings.Also such functional managers need basic human resource management issuessuch as human resource planning, performance management, motivation, trainingand development and welfare issues in their respective departments. It is for thisreason that the course has been designed in such a way to address such criticalissue.


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UNIT 2

SOME DEFINITIONS OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT AND HUMANRESOURCE MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION

One of the controversies in the field of Management is the difference betweenPersonnel Management and Human Resource Management. Various authorities inthe field have made many attempts at distinguishing between the two. In somecases, the attempts have led to confusion.

Some defini tions of Personn el M anagement

Dale Yoder It is that phase of management which deals with the effectivecontrol of manpower as distinguished from the other sources of power.

Adwin Flippo Personnel function is concerned with the procurement of the personnel of an organization in major goals and objectives.

E.F.L Brech Personnel management is that part of management process whichis primarily concerned with the constituents of an organization.

Society of Personnel Management (America) The art of acquiring, developing

and maintaining the competent workforce in order to achieve and accomplish theorganizational goals with maximum efficiency and economy

Institute of Personnel Management (UK) Personnel management is that partof management concerned with people at work and their relationship within anenterprise.

General definition That aspect of functional business management which seeksto maintain human relationships in a favourable atmosphere and ensuring the

physical and social well-being of all categories of employees so that they can givetheir maximum contribution to the objectives of their organizations.

Missing link in all the above definitions


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No mention is made of human assets skills, talents, abilities, knowledge,energy, intelligence, capability, initiative, innovation, creativity and other intangible human attributes. It is the proper utilization of these assets for theachievements of organizational goals that completes the definition of

Personnel Management. Almost all the above definitions have ignored the important assets embedded

in human beings.

The above missing link has made Human Resource Management (HRM) a more preferred concept since it takes care of all human assets.

Some defini tions of H uman Resour ce M anagement

Byars and Rue (1994) Human resource management enco mpasses thoseactivities designed to provide for and co-ordinate the human resources of anorganization.

Donnelly, James H. Jr. et al (1992) The process of accomplishing objectives by acquiring, retaining, terminating, developing and properly using the humanresources in an organization.

Armstrong, Michael (2006) A strategic and coherent approach to themanagement of an organization s most valued assets the people working therewho individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectivesof the business.

Schuler (1995) cited in IEBM Handbook of HRM (2001), HRM is the use of several activities to ensure that human resources are managed effectively for thebenefit of the individual, society and the business.

The importance of human beings is addressed by the following statements bytheir respective personalities:

Thomas J. Watson You can get capital and erect buildings, but it takes people to build a business.

A leading American industrialist We do not manufacture automobile,areoplanes, refrigerators, radios, televisions but we manufacture men and themen in turn manufacture the goods.


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Ms . Obiogeli Ezekwesili (World Bank Vice-President for Africa) thesuccess of the country (Ghana) in the 21 st century does not lie in the oil andgas or any other mineral resource but in developing the human resourcecapacity to help improve the economy. ( Source Daily Graphic No. 18695

of 19 th November, 2011 p.13)

These statements and several others indicate the importance of human beings.

Difference between Personnel Management and Human ResourceManagement

It has already been established above that the emphasis on Personnel Managementis on the physical being and what he does. However, Human ResourceManagement emphasizes on the resources human beings have.

The definitions of Personnel Management do not emphasize on humanassets skills, talents, abilities, knowledge, energy, intelligence, capability,initiative/innovation, and other intangible human assets

Personnel Management emphasizes on the management of the physical being.

Human Resource Management emphasizes on the human assets identifiedabove in addition to the normal scope of meaning of Personnel Management

Human Resource Management is an all-embracing term of which PersonnelManagement is a constituent part (Byars and Rue 1994).

Torrington and Hall regard Personnel Management as workforce -centreddirected mainly at an organizations employees and Human ResourceManagement as resource -centered directed mainly at management needsfor human resources to be provided and deployed as cited by Mullins (1996).

Human Resource Management is an all-embracing concept dealing with theoptimum number of employees, their functions and most importantly the proper development and utilization of human assets inherent in people. PersonnelManagement on the other hand is mainly concerned with the general managementof people and the conditions in which they work but Human ResourceManagement goes further to develop all the human attributes and talents. Indeed,Human Resource Management is broader in scope than Personnel Management


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Some controversies in Human Resource Management

Whether HRM should be integrated into all departments or should be given adistinct department.

Whether HRM should deal with the physical being or the intangible humanassets/attributes

Whether HRM is a science or an art Whether HRM is a line or staff function

The above controversies sometimes make people marginalize or disregard the

importance of HRM. This is because, some people sometimes perceive HRM to bean activity that could easily be performed by other functional/departmentalmanagers such as Finance Managers, Production Managers, Marketing Managersetc. This accounts for the numerous labour-management antagonisms leading tostrikes and demonstrations. This is because such non-HRM experts do not havethe competencies to deal with human-related problems.

Scope/Content of HRM

Scope or content of HRM basically deals with the coverage of HRM The scope is so wide that it requires people who have knowledge in many socialscience subjects such as Sociology, Economics, Psychology, Anthropology,Labour Law, Principles of Management etc.

The scope knows no bound so far as human relations and development areconcerned

The scope also covers the following:

General managerial scope Planning, Organizing, Directing, Controllingetc.

General operative scope:- Policy initiation/ formulation- Control over other departments on human resource matters- Advisory services to the other departments


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- Auditing services enforcing compliance to human resource rules andregulations

- Service functions to the entire organization. The functions are basicallythe key roles every HRM plays Human resource planning, Recruitment,

Selection, Training and Development, Wage and Salary Administration,Performance Management, Health, Safety and Management, etc.


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UNIT 3

STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (SHRM)

Introduction

The success story of every manager, whether in human resource, marketing,finance/accounting, production/operations etc. depends on the managers strategiesin getting things done. Successful managers have ways and means of gettingthings effectively done . This has brought to the fore the subject StrategicManagement. Every manager needs Strategic Management to be able to strategize to achieve success in his field. This makes strategy every managers game plan.Without a strategy, a manager would not have a road map to follow and no action

plan to produce the desired results. To understand the concept of Strategic HumanResource Management, it is necessary to understand the principle of strategy.

Strategy

According to Johnson and Scholes (1993), strategy is The direction and scope of an organization over the longer term, which ideally matches its resources to itschanging environment, and in particular, to its markets, customers and clients tomeet stakeholder expectations. A strategy is the pattern or plan that integrates anorganizations major goals, polic ies and action sequence into a cohesive whole. Awell-formulated strategy helps marshal and allocate an organizations resourcesinto a unique and viable posture based on its relative internal competencies andshortcomings, anticipated change in the environment, and contingent moves byintelli gent opponent (Quinn 1980). According to Armstrong (2006), strategydetermines the direction in which the organization is going in relation to itsenvironment. It is the process of defining intentions ( strategic intent ) andallocating or matching resources to opportunities and needs (resource-basedstrategy). Business strategy is concerned with achieving competitive advantage.

The effective implementation of strategy depends on the strategic capability of theorganizations managers. This requires the capacity to create an achievable visionfor the future, to foresee longer-term developments, to envisage options (and their

probable consequences), to select sound courses of action to rise above the day-to-day detail, to challenge the status quo. Strategy is expressed in strategic goals and


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developed and implemented in strategic plans through the process of strategicmanagement. Strategy is about implementation, which includes the management of change, as well as planning (Armstrong 2006). An important aspect of strategy isto achieve strategic fit.

A strategy whether it is a human resource strategy or any other kind of management strategy must have two key elements: there must be strategicobjectives (ie things the strategy is supposed to achieve), and there must be a planof action (ie the means by which it is proposed that the objectives will be met).Application of any strategy should be linked to the defined vision, mission and theobjectives of the organization.

Definitions of Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Making those decisions that define the overall mission and objectives of theorganization, determining the most effective utilization of its resources, andcrafting the executing the strategy in ways that produce the intended results.(Grobler et al, 2005)

Hendry and Pettigrew (1986) have provided the following four meaningsfor SHRM:

(a) The use of planning;(b) A coherent approach` to the design and management of personnel

systems based on an employment policy and manpower strategyand often underpinned by a philosophy;

(c) Matching HRM activities and policies to some explicit businessstrategy;

(d) Seeing the people of the organization as a strategic resource for the achievement of competitive advantage. Cited from Armstrong(2006).

Formulating and executing human resource policies and practices that produce the employee competencies and behaviours which the companyneeds to achieve its strategic aims (Gary Dessler, 2008, 11 th Ed.).

Definition (c) by Hendry and Pettigrew above addresses the real import of SHRM.The definition ensures that all human resource activities dovetail or synchronizeinto the overall activities of the organization. That is, all activities and programmes


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in the HR Department should aim at facilitating the achievement of the overallcorporate objectives. In the opinion of Dessler (2008) Strategic Human ResourceManagement is Formulating and executing human resource policies and practicesthat produce the employee competencies and behaviors the company needs to

ahieve its strategic aims. It also implies that all the sub-strategies of the HR Department should fit into the overall strategic plan of the organization. It is notonly HR strategies that should fit into the overall strategy of the organization butalso the strategies of all the functional departments such as Finance/Accounting,Marketing, and Production/Operations etc. should fit into the general strategy of the organization.


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UNIT 4

HUMAN RESOURCE (MANPOWER) PLANNING

Introduction

At certain stages of every organizations development, there are changes in thestructure of its employee base. The changes can take the form of employment of new employees; development/training of the new and existing employees;measures to maintain employees through attractive motivational factors; andexisting out the employees when they become less productive. A common featureof many organizations is that many people are underutilized leading to redundancy.From another dimension, there are shortages of labour to deal with a large volumeof work leading to work overload for some staff. These and other related mattersrequire human resource planning which is a human resource management activityaimed at ensuring that human resources/assets are effectively utilized.

Human resource planning ensures that plans are made for the recruitment andselection of the required number and type of people at the right time. It alsoinvolves the analysis of the skill, selection and employment of human resourcerequirement of an organization or the economy as a whole. Unemploymentsituation in every economy may be how human resource planning is carried. Policy

directions from the government is important in ensuring that educationalinstitutions admit students into programmes such as medicine in which there isshortage of personnel. Admission of students into programmes that would breedunemployment should also be discouraged.

Definitions

Human resource planning determines the human resources required by anorganization to achieve its strategic goals (Armstrong, 2006). It is the process for ensuring that the human resource requirements of an organization are identifiedand plans are made for satisfying those requirements (Bulla and Sco tt, 1994). HR

planning is based on the belief that people are an organizations most importantstrategic resource. HR planning also deals with issues relating to the was in which

people are employed and developed in order to improve organizational


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effectiveness. It is also the process of anticipating and providing for the movementof people into, within and out of the organization (Snell and Hohlander 2010).

Human resource planning answers questions such as:

What type of skilled labour is needed to do this particular work? Where should the particular type of skilled labour be found? What type of training /development/education should be adopted to develop

the labour force? For how long will a certain category of labour force be required? What sort of compensation should be given in case of premature termination

of appointment? If a certain category of labour will not be required after a certain period, can

it be easily redeployed?

The above questions and issues should form the recruitment, selection andemployment policy of an organization for the purpose of addressing the benefitsthat should be derived from employees. This approach is referred to as a dynamicor a systematic approach to human resource planning as opposed to the staticsystem which does not take into account all the above questions and other relatedissues

If we know that, by a particular target year such as 2015, we shall require a certainnumber of people in each of a number of crucial employment categories, and if wemake certain assumptions about the duration and type of education required for each category, the we can theoretically set about adjusting the education system toensure that the required labour force will be available at the appropriate time. Thismeans that human resource planning is very crucial at the national level in relationto the educational system.

Ghanas bold attempt to restructure her educational system particularly at the primary, junior and secondary levels to suit the social-economic conditions is quitelaudable. At the macro level, it is very much essential for the government ministryin charge of human resource planning to set in motion an effective and dynamicmanpower planning strategies to ensure that there is optimum utilization of labour force at the national level.


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Elements of human resource planning

Human resource planning involves three main activities or elements. These arestated below.

(a) F utur e labour requir ements

Future labour requirements of an organization depend on such factors as:

Mark et demand for an organizations product Intention to expand by adding another product line to the existing line Intention to reduce the volume of operation by deleting a product line Technological changes which may demand the employment and deployment

of a new type of labour

(b) Acquisition abili ty

Acquisition ability refers to the capability of an organization to employ the righttype of labour force. The success of this depends on speculative factors such as:

Availability of alternative jobs elsewhere Opportunity for advancement Compensation package

Structure of the population as regards age group, ratio of male to female Structure of the organization if it is the tall organization structure type,there appears to be hope to rise along the organization ladder.

(c) Retenti on abil ity

Manpower retention ability refers to the ability of an organization to keep theexisting human resource. This also depends on factors such as:

Compensation package Avenue for promotion Rewards and benefits Opportunity for further studies

Some of the above factors for acquisition and retention and several others areapplicable to each other.


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Human resource planning has now become one of the important functions of everyHuman Resource Manager since it gives them the opportunity to forecast or projectfor the right number of people with the appropriate skills, knowledge and potentialto be employed to work at the appropriate time. Human resource planning also

helps management to satisfy its labour requirements promptly and with a minimumdegree of cost. It also helps an organization to carry out a systematic audit of itshuman resources with a view to maintaining an optimum number of qualifiedemployees needed by an organization. It also helps to tailor training requirementsto the labour needs of an organization. This will create a balance between inflowand outflow of human resources in an organization.

Succession planning

A very important aspect of human resource planning is succession planning. Moreoften than not, organizations do not put contingency arrangements in place to fillunexpected vacancies resulting from vacation of post, dismissal, retirement,incapacitation resulting from protracted sickness etc. Succession planning is

basically a plan for identifying who is currently at post and who is available andqualified to take over in the event of retirement, resignation, dismissal or sickness(Cole, 1993). The objecti ve of succession planning is to ensure that theorganization is prepared to fill key positions when the incumbents leave for any

reason (Jackson et al, 2009). For employees, succession planning provides usefulinformation about the direction their career is likely to take if they continue towork in the organization. According to Sneel and Hohlander (2010) succession

planning is The process of identifying, developing, and tracking key individualsfor executive positions.


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UNIT 5

RECRUITMENT

Introduction

Some people loosely refer to recruitment as employment. This is technicallywrong. Recruitment does not imply that employment has taken place. Recruitmentis an integral part of the employment process. The employment process istechnically made up of recruitment and selection. The process is so winding andcumbersome that few employers could take the pain to go through. Manyorganizations outsource their employment requirements to professionalconsultants.

Definitions

Jackson et al (2009) Recruitment involves searching for and obtainingqualified applicants for the organization to consider when filling jobopenings

Snell and Bohlander (2010) Recruitment is the process of locating potential individuals who might join organization and encouraging them toapply for existing or anticipated job openings.

The above definitions are clear indications that recruitment does not amount tohaving selected a job seeker to fill a vacancy but a facilitative process of ensuringthat a qualified person is employed.

Process of recruitment

The recruitment process involves a tall list of activities. The activities may cover job analysis (job description, job specification and job classification), identificationof the sources of labour, job posting, job bidding (invitation for application

forms/submission of curriculum vitae). The recruitment process ends at the stagewhere the job seekers have submitted their filled application forms or curriculumvitae.


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Job analysis

A job is made up of a collection of tasks. For example, the job of manufacturingsitting room furniture is made up of various tasks such as machining (cutting of

parts), sanding (smoothening), polishing and upholstering. Job analysis is made upof job description, job specification and job classification. Job analysis refers to thedetermination of the skills, talents, knowledge, abilities, qualifications,responsibilities, experiences, and other human attributes required to do a piece of work. It also helps to determine the working relationships among workers in termsof who should perform a particular type of work. It also helps to differentiate one

job from the other.

Components of job analysis

i) Job descriptionIt is a summary of all the basic tasks to be performed on a job. Jobdescription is regarded as task centered since the emphasis is on the jobrather than on the person doing the job or task. Jo description is the

process of determining what a job entails in terms of specific duties andresponsibilities, working conditions, how the job is to be done, title of the

job, location etc. According to Jenks (1991), Properly drawn jobdescriptions can help in the recruitment, selection and hiring of new

workers, supervisors, managers and technical personnel because theyspell out the exact qualifications, education, skills and experiencecandidates need in order to be successful on the job .

The major advantage of job description is that it avoids overlapping of jobs since each employee gets to know what is expected from him. Itmay also be used to give new employees orientation towards basicresponsibilities and duties.

The major disadvantage is that it may not give an accurate reflection of the jobs particularly at the higher level. Sometimes, a disagreement mayarise between superiors and subordinates on the content of a jobdescription.


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ii) Job specification

Job specification deals with the human or personal characteristicsrequired to do a particular work. It is thus regarded as person-centred.

Such human or personal characteristics include qualifications,educational and training attainments, experiences, interests, aptitudes, personality required, ambitions and other human traits.

iii) Job Classification

Another extension of job analysis is job classification which deals withcategorizing jobs into different grades and assigning appropriate wage or salary to each grade. For example, a job requiring a high degree of initiative and discretion may be grade as A. This is usually at themanagerial level. A job requiring middle level initiative may beclassified as B that is, sub -managerial or supervisory in nature. A jobrequiring middle level technical knowledge especially at the artisan grademay also be classified as grade C and a job requiring a low level of initiative and no technical knowledge may also be classified as D that isat the menial level.

Sour ces of r ecru itment

Sources of recruitment otherwise known as sources labour supply refer to thevarious avenues from which a Human Resource Manager may identify a person for employment. There are two main sources of recruitment. These are internal andexternal.

a) Internal

Internal source of recruitment deals with recruiting from within the sameorganization. The following are the main sources of internal recruitment:

i. Job posting

Job posting is concerned with prominently displaying current job openings to allemployees in the organization. It is usually done through bulletin boards, word of mouth, intranet, telephone, memorandum and other means of internal


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communication. When the job has been posted, the next stage is bidding that isapplying for it.

The main advantage of internal recruitment is that it boosts the moral of the

affected employee(s). It also reduces the hiring costs of new employees. Inaddition, the process is less winding compared to the external source and alsorecognizes the value of experience and the length of service an employee hasserviced.

b) External

External source of recruitment deals with recruiting prospective employees fromoutside the organization. The following are some of the external sources of recruitment:

i. Institutions of learning

Institutions of learning refer to educational institutions such as schools, colleges, polytechnics, universities and other institutions of learning. The main problem or disadvantage associated with this source is that prospective employees may lack the required working experience.

ii. Unsolicited applicants

Job seekers sometimes apply for non-existing jobs. There might not be anyvacancies for them to apply but they do apply. Application letters of such jobseekers when properly preserved, may serve as future source of externalrecruitment.

iii. Advertising

Advertising is the most popular source of external recruitment of labour. This isoften done through the print and the electronic media. Some advertisersstrategically conceal their identities by providing advertising number in the care of the advertising institution/consultant. The main reason among others is to prevent

people from making advanced contacts for employment favours.


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iv. Employee recruiting

Employee recruiting is sometimes referred to as employee referrals. It is anexternal recruitment practice where employees are encouraged to locate and

recommend qualified personnel to management for recruitment. This method of recruitment is selective since the exiting recruiting employee will inform only their friends and relatives to the detriment of non-acquaintances who may be better qualified and experienced. This method of recruitment is likely to breed clique andthis is s very dangerous to an organization.

v. Private employment agencies/consultants

In recent times there has been a proliferation of private employment agencies.Employers who cannot go through the cumbersome process of recruitment mayengage an employment agency or consultant upon the payment of the prescribedfee to do the recruitment on their behalf. In this case, the employer is required tosupply some vital information such as the required qualifications, years of experience, minimum salary and some basic conditions of service. With therequired information, the private employment agency or consultant will go throughall the recruitment and selection practices to get the required employee for theclient.

vi. Public employment agencyThis is a public institution established under an Act charged with the responsibilityof matching job seekers against employers who have vacancies to fill. In Ghana,the legal requirement is provided in the Labour Act 2003 (Act 651). In Ghana issource of external source of recruitment is patronized by artisans and other lowgrade job seekers. High profile job seekers such as Accountants, Engineers,Lawyers and the like will rarely seek for employment through this source.

vi. Notices at the main gates of factories, offices and shops

Some organizations post advertisements at their main gates to attract job seekers.Such job seekers may either walk in and make enquiries about the job vacancy andmay write applications for consideration if they are interested.


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vii. Internet (Online)

An emerging trend these days is for organizations to recruit through the internet or online. It is the most fastest and convenient way of getting an application to the

employer.Application form/blank or curr iculum vitae

When a job seeker has identified the appropriate source of recruitment, the nextstage is either to pick a blank application form from the organization intending torecruit, fill and submit or submit a curriculum vitae. The choice of any of thesetwo is a matter of policy and preference. However, it is possible for anorganization to demand the two for the sake of comprehensive data about the jobseeker.


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