HRM554 Health and Safety Practices Plan W2

HR Approach

Strategic HR Approach

Name

HRM522

Date

Professor

Strategic HR Approach

Human resource is a department in a business whose job is to take care of administrative duties and manage the workforce. The human resource department attracts, hires, and trains the employees of the business as well as ensures, employees receive performance appraisals and the appropriate benefits and compensation. The human resource management is responsible for overseeing safety measures and the welfare and health of employees. This department is essential to establish good employee relations and employ the tools needed to motivate employees to reach employees goals and support company success. Human resource establishes the right conditions for employees to thrive.

Scenario One

In scenario one an employee of 25 years received cancer treatment and was hospitalized for two months. The employee is now asking for additional money to help pay medical bills. The goal of the human resource director is to ensure the employee is provided with the right information to make an educated decision. The HR director should explain the benefits the health insurance policy offers as far as providing income to the employee while they are receiving cancer treatment and cannot work. The health insurance police of the employee may offer income for employees that become ill and cannot work, such as a short term disability policy.

Secondly the HR manager could organize a fund raiser for the employee. This will show the employee with cancer as well as other employees in the business that their employer is willing to provide assistance to them in the event they are struck with an unexpected situation that causes them to be out of work. Other employees may be willing to donate to the cause or may have creative ways to make money that would provide great assistance to the employee. Any help human resource can provide to the employee will assist them during their hard times.

An employee wellness program is an effective method to promote health and wellness amongst the members of your staff (Reynolds, 2013). While there is only one employee with cancer it is important to educate employees on the illness of the employee as well as provide them with valuable health and wellness information and ways to promote health in the company. Promoting health amongst employees creates a more productive work environment and show support to the employee with cancer.

Scenario Two

In the second scenario accidents have been occurring in a department of 10 employees under a new supervisor. Employees that have been with the company for some time complain that the new manager micromanages and does not just allow them to do their jobs. The new manager is complaining to the HR director as well claiming he is not getting respect from senior staff members and the work they are providing below average work. When there are conflicts amongst employee and managers, the HR director plays an important role in smoothing over any hard feelings to ensure employees can be high functioning and high performing.

One important strategy to deal with the current situation is to assess the safety measures in place at the manufacturing company. All business must be compliant with OSHA regulations in order to reduce accidents and to ensure a safe work environment. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 require employers to provide a workplace that is free of hazards and to comply with occupational safety and health standards (Clark, 2008). If there are a high number of accidents in the workplace the new manager and the employees should be required to go through OSHA compliance training to ensure everyone is aware of the safety requirements and understands OSHA standards.

The second strategy will address the conflict between the new manager and the employees. When conflict emerges in the workplace the HR director is responsible for mediating a solution immediately. If conflict is allowed to fester it will only get worse. The strategy of the HR director is to mediate a solution that will appease both the new manager and the senior employees. The HR manager will gather facts about both sides of the conflict by allowing both parties to express their feelings.

Clear communication can resolve conflict when both parties air their grievances and a solution is developed that satisfies the underlying need of both parties. In this case the new manager wants to be respected and the senior employees want their experience to be acknowledged and not to be micromanaged. In order to appease both parties the HR manager will need to find common areas of agreement and then outline the actions that will be taken. In this case the new manager and senior employees will have a meeting and establish new boundaries. The employees will show the new manager respect and the new manager will allow the senior managers to perform with less supervision.

In order to address the concern of the new manager about the less than stellar performance of employees a performance evaluation of employees needs to be conducted using another senior manager. This manager will have the experience to assess the performance of the employs and determine if any changes need to be made or if the new manager is being overly hard on the employees. If the employees are not providing quality work the HR director will create a strategy to improve the quality of their work. In this case all three strategies should be employed to resolve the conflict.

Scenario Three

In the third scenario a high-performing employee just had a baby and returned to work 3 weeks later. Since then, her performance has been low, but it is assumed she would be back to normal after a couple months. After 6 months, her performance level is below average, and her appearance has been messy. When coworkers talk to her, they say her attitude is depressing and she does not want to engage in conversations. The HR manager does not just fill out paperwork they are also responsible for addressing health and well being issues that emerge with the employee.

In this case the HR director needs to take time to speak with the employee and ask if there is anything they can do to assist her. She maybe be experiencing problems at home with the new baby or suffering from post partum depression. The HR director needs to offer support to the employee and explain what programs or services are available to assist her in recovering her health and well being. Many HR departments hire the services of psychologists in order to assist employees in overcoming any hardships. In this case the HR director should offer support and allow the employee to explain the issues so steps can be taken to help the employee overcome her personal problems so she can improve her performance.

Pull the employee aside and explain the companies concern about her lowered productivity. The HR director should explain the goal is to provide the service needed to get the employee back to their previous high performance but also be clear about the company’s expectations which are for the employee to improve her productivity (SHRM, 2012). This could encourage her to address the emotional problems causing interruptions in her productivity. Lastly the employer could require the employee to seek out the services of a psychologist or risk losing their job. If the employee has no choice but to see a psychologist they may improve their productivity. In this case the best strategy would be to pull the employee aside and offer her assistance in improving her mental health or in addressing any other personal problems. The HR director should be clear the employee needs to address her issues but she will receive support and understanding from the company.

References

Clark, A. (2008). OSHA's Role in Workplace Safety. Retrieved July 10, 2014 from

http://ezinearticles.com/?OSHAs-Role-in-Workplace-Safety&id=1671299

Reynolds, S. (2013). Employee Wellness Program. Retrieved July 10, 2014 from

http://wellnessproposals.com/wellness-articles/employee-wellness-program/

Society of Human Resource Management. (2012). Counseling: What should we do when an

employee’s personal problems affect job performance, mood and behavior at work?