1.3 Case Study/Exercise

Exercise 5. Scanning the Contemporary Work Environment: Shifting Demographics

objectives

The purpose of this exercise is to help you understand the potential influence of trends and changes in the external environment on the design and implementation of human resource management practices.

out-of-class preparation time: None

in-class time suggested: 20–30 minutes

procedures

This exercise should be done in groups of four to five students.

After completion of the exercise, each group will present its ideas to the rest of the class.

Listed below are some of the major predictions about changes or trends in the labor/employment environment that will take place. Read each trend and list some ideas about the impact of these trends on the major human resource management functions: staffing and placement, training and development, salary administration, performance evaluation, job design, promotions, and career planning. That is, what human resource issues will organizations face because of these changes?

Trend Impact on HRM

Increasing government regulation of health care

Aging of the workforce

Increase in outsourcing, offshoring, and employee leasing

Increasing diversity of the American labor force (e.g., women and minorities in the labor force)

Multigenerational workforce

Increasing use of social networks

Increasing number of foreign-born employees

Global warming and growing environmental awareness

Labor shortages at all skill levels

Threat of stagnant economic growth in United States and globally

Suggested Internet Resources

U.S. Department of Labor http://www.dol.gov

EEOC http://www.eeoc.gov

Society for Human Resource Management http://www.shrm.org

Conference Board http://www.conference-board.org

OSHA http://www.osha.gov

U.S. Census Bureau http://www.census.gov

United Nations http://www.un.org

International Labor Office http://www.ilo.org