HR POLICIES

HR Policies within Small Firms and their 'Perceived' Impact on Employees in the UK

INTROCUTION3

Background3

Aims and Objectives4

Research Questions5

Structure of Dissertation5

LITERATURE REVIEW7

Theoretical Framework7

Systems Thinking7

Individual Difference Theory8

HR Merit based Policies8

Employee Training and Development10

Challenges in Employee Management12

METHODOLOGY14

Research Method14

Research Technique Used14

Research Philosophy15

Research Ethics15

Project Timeline16

REFERENCES17

INTROCUTION

Background

Employee job related polices in small and medium enterprises have been studied for many years (Aamodt, 2007). Employee satisfaction and HR policy at an organization are the two most commonly studied topics. These two attitudes are important to organizational success and sufficiency. They focus on how productive and involved the employee will be with their work as well as their longevity with the organization (Aamodt, 2007). The motivation for these two attitudes could potentially have a positive impact on HR policy initiatives. The problem is that strategic HR policy making may have a direct impact on job satisfaction, employee engagement, and organizational commitment. Another job related attitude with the potential to impact HR policy is employee engagement (Aamodt, 2007). This concept focuses on how engaged employees are with their work.

Research has demonstrated a positive relationship between employee engagement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. An engagement survey conducted by BlessingWhite, Inc. (2008) suggested the more engaged an employee the more likely they will be satisfied and committed. Additionally, Trahant (2007) noted an engaged employee leads to an effective organization and a more productive employee policy. Daniel (2006) noted how an organization's commitment to workforce development impacts HR policy making, morale, loyalty, retention, and effectiveness. Development of employees can potentially increase satisfaction as they are being equipped with tools and confidence that can make them better workers in the future.

Employee management, as defined by Bogardus (2004), is the practice of developing policies, organizing operations, directing employees, controlling outcomes, and coordinating work processes to achieve a desired result (p. 216). Employee management includes workforce policies which provide an opportunity for the locality to identify its greatest staffing challenges, expose talent within the employee base, and clarify priorities for employee and organizational development. Workforce policies are an issue that many government agencies will face. As the workforce transforms from transactional to high performing, it will be necessary to incorporate a policy to maintain sufficient and efficient staffing. A workforce policy provides a systematic assessment of organization staffing needs and actions necessary to address these needs. The policy includes demographic information, analysis of trends, analysis of staffing gaps, and identification of policy actions.

Workforce policies can be used to assist with the development and implementation of organizational strategic goals, as well as outline the current and future needs. It can also help with ongoing review of the organization's staffing needs, as well as create an action policy that can be utilized by management. That action policy is known as succession policies, and its purpose is to focus on employee development, retention, and placement of the right skill set with the right position to produce better results throughout the organization. Government agencies should begin to review, update, or create succession policies initiatives to handle their staffing ...