BUSI 642 HRRP belinda wells.pdf

Running head: HUMAN RESOURCE RESEARCH PAPER

Human resource research paper

Belinda Wells

Liberty University

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Abstract

It is important that a successful business have rules and regulations in place that align

with the labor laws whether the company has twenty-five employees or two thousand. It is

imperative that companies are aware of any changes in the laws regarding all aspects of human

resources relating to recruiting, hiring, benefits, and discrimination. No two companies operate in

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There are many descriptions for human resources. Simply stated, human resource is the

department that oversees hiring, taking applications, developing and tracking skills,

administering of benefits, and making sure that the company complies with labor laws and

government regulations (Werner, 2014). The policies that are developed the human resource

department set the expectations that employees are to abide by. Therefore, the company is

required to provide a copy of these policies during orientation and have the employees sign off

that they have been give a copy of the policies and that they agree to abide by them. It is

extremely important that once the policies or adopted that the company enforces in a fair and

efficient manner (Werner, 2014).

success of the company and its employees. Ecclesiastes 11:6 states, “In the morning sow your

seed, and at evening withhold your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or

Regarding equal employment opportunity, there are many factors that must be

considered. Equal opportunity refers to race, gender, sexual preference, and religion to name a

few. With there being so many facets the information and the laws involving these topics can

easily be manipulated and taken out of context. A set of guidelines known as the U.S. Equal

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Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was established to provide a set of guidelines

that companies are to follow to ensure that discrimination is prevented and that the company acts

in accordance with the laws (Marlow & Patton, 1993). Many of the laws and policies that cover

discrimination are included in Title VII of the Civil Rights act. As previously stated it states that

discriminating anyone based upon race, color, gender, ethnicity, or religion is illegal. The act

also goes on to prevent retaliation on any person that reports someone for discrimination.

Employers are also required to make job accommodations for employees based upon religions

practices unless it is detrimental to the success of the company (Cardon & Stevens, 2004).

world. One example that resulted in a change was when women started working outside the

home. The laws had to be changed and thus developing the Pregnancy Discrimination act in

with regards to discrimination than larger companies and they are less prepared (Boxall &

Purcell, 2000).

Employee relations

Employee relations refers to the rules that the company has adopted and that the

employees must follow. These rules are independent from other companies as they are

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individualize based upon the companies needs. Such policies include attendance, dress,

disciplinary process, and work place violence. It is important for a company to set these

guidelines in place from the very beginning and remain consistent with the enforcement of the

policies. This allows employees to have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and

know that if the policies are not followed how they will be disciplined. However, if the

disciplinary process is not followed for all employees that employee moral will go down

(Delaney & Huselid, 1996). Having these guidelines in place are just as important in the small

companies as well as the large.

correctly it can help in the growth of the employee and making them a more vital part of the

company (Delaney & Huselid, 1996). The appraisal process also helps in making decisions that

to move on to new roles or new companies, it is imperative to have personnel that is equipped to

step in and take over those roles (Lengnick-Hall & Beck, 2011). Career development also helps

in retaining employees as it creates an environment in which employees feel that they can think

outside of the box and create new and exciting things which leads to synergy and high morale

within the work place.

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Employee relations plays a significant role in the overall success of the company as it

lays the blueprint of guidelines that the employees are to abide by. It gives the employees a clear

expectation of how the disciplinary process works and how they will be appraised. Having this

knowledge from the beginning leads to a well-oiled organization in which everyone is on the

same page and focused on obtaining the same goals (Renwick, Redman, & Marguire, 2013).

Having these guidelines in place also helps to protect the company if an employee were to bring

a law suit against the company. In over two hundred court cases the judge ruled in favor of the

company as they were able to provide a copy of the employee relations handbook they explained

the company’s policies and procedures, disciplinary actions and steps, and the appraisal process.

Compensation and benefits

much easier for larger companies to offer higher pay and more benefits than a small company

can, therefore most workers prefer to go to the larger companies. Therefore, small companies

2001). Because of the cost of health care insurance on the employer’s part, a lot of the smaller

companies off plans that cost the employee a lot more out of pocket expense. This could be with

regards to higher deductibles and cost for treatment. Many of the smaller companies choose to

use a health savings account to cover medical cost which is all the employee’s money that they

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deposit into the account that is not taxed. When needed, they are then able to use these funds to

cover out of pocket cost to them for treatment and deductibles.

Pensions and 401(k) are contribution plans that the employer, employee, or both

contribute to help in planning for retirement. Pension plans are fully funded buy the employer,

while 401(k) plans could be employee only or both at some predetermined percentage. Again,

think outside of the box to be able to attract the right talent.

Harassment

There are several types of harassment, however one of the most common is sexual

harassment. Currently, there has been a lot of people come forward in the theater business with

allegations of harassment of how they were treated in the “Me Too” movement. However,

companies must be mindful of all types of harassment that can happen. The definition of

pointing out someone specifically because of race, color, creed, religion, origin, age, marital

status, gender, criminal record, sexual orientation, or military service (Renwick, Redman, &

Marguire, 2013). The second situation discusses the actions of how the harassment can take

place. Whether it be sexual in connotation, derogatory remarks, or other statements that can be

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deemed as remarks against age or one of the above listed topics (Renwick, Redman, & Marguire,

2013). Harassment of any type is not allowed in the workplace. It is the responsibility of the

human resource department that any report of harassment is dealt with immediately to ensure

that they create a work environment that everyone is comfortable working in.

Conclusion

keeps the company compliant and protected in the case of law suits. With there being so few

employees in a small company it is easier for them to establish a close bond, almost like family

connection so you must ensure that boundaries are not crossed. Being the owner of the company,

or the head of the family, it is his responsibility to protect the family as stated in 1 Timothy 5:8

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References

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from and where should we be going? International Journal of Management

Reviews, 2(2), 183-203.

Cardon, M. & Stevens, C. (2004, Sept). Managing human resources in small organizations: What

do we know? Human Resource Management Review, 14 (3), 295-323.

Chen, A. S., Hou, Y., Wu, I. (2016). Handling conflict at work – the impact of active and

agreeable conflict styles. International Journal of Conflict Management, 27 (1), 50-61.

Delaney, J. T., & Huselid, M. A. (1996). The impact of human resource management

through strategic human resource management. Human Resources Management Review,

21(3), 243-255.

Marlow, S. & Patton, D. (1993, July). Managing the employment relationship in the smaller firm:

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Renwick, D. W., Redman, T., & Maguire, S. (2013). Green human resource management: a

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