Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (SCSR), Challenges & Benefits

According to Chandler (2001) corporate social responsibility refers to transparent business practices that are based on the ethical values, compliance with legal requirements and respect for people, communities and the environment. In other words beyond making profits, companies are responsible for the whole impact they create on people and environment. Nowadays stakeholders expect that companies should be more environment friendly and socially responsible in conducting their business.

What is Triple Bottom Line ?

Figure 1-Corporate ethics and social responsibility

In traditional business accounting and common usage "bottom line" refers to profit or loss. Nowadays most of the companies adopted the TBL framework to evaluate the performance levels in a broader aspect to create a great business value. According to Elkinton (1998) triple bottom line consists of 3 stages and commonly known as 3P's

1. Profit - Refers to the economic value created by the organization after deducting the cost of all inputs.

2. People - Refers to fair business practices toward labors, community and region which conducts the business.

3. Planet -  Refers to sustainable environmental practices as environmental sustainability is the more profitable course for a business in the long run.


Strategic CSR & It's Activities  

It is about deciding to which extent the firm should be involved in social issues and creating a corporate social agenda considering current social issues.
According to Porter & Crammer (2006) through strategic CSR, organizations can create a huge social impact to gain a great business benefits. They further clarified that strategy is always about choice and  organizations which make the right choice, build focus and social interactions can increasingly separate them from the rest of the organizations.

According Mcwilliams et al (2006) CSR activities can include social characteristics into products and manufacturing process, addressing higher levels of environmental issues through recycling and minimizing pollution and advancing the goals of community. 

For example, Google Green is a corporate effort to use resources efficiently and support renewable power. But recycling and turning off the lights does more for Google than lower costs. 

Benefits of CSR

CIPD (2013) stated that, through CSR activities organizations can build its credibility, positioned higher in the market, protect the reputation and ultimately securing the company's license to operate the business. Therefor most of the companies are adopted to TBL framework while they are more concerned about CSR activities.


References 

Chandler, G. (2001). Defining Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethical Performance Best Practice.

CIPD (2003). Corporate Social Responsibility and HR’s Role, London

Elkinton, J. (1998). Cannibals with forks : The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business

Mcwilliams, A., Siegal, D. and Wright, P. (2006). Corporate Social Responsibility : Strategic
Implications

Porter, M. & Kramer, M. (2006). Strategy and society: The link between competitive advantage
and corporate social responsibility, Harvard Business Review, pp 78

Benefits and Compensation : Issues And Challenges

Companies provide a variety of compensation and benefits to employees for performing their jobs as success or failure of these companies are largely depends on the performance of their employees.

The Society for Human Resource Management (2012) has defined compensation as a systematic approach to provide a financial value in exchange of work performed by the employees. Financially, salaries must be competitive and fair according to employees' contribution.

Compensation & Job Satisfaction

Armstrong (2006) defined "job satisfaction" as positive and favorable attitudes people have towards the job and it is commonly believed that job satisfaction and morale are affected by compensation. Therefor compensation is a primary motivation factor for any kind of employee.

Janelle Gale, VP of HR at Facebook stated that compensation fairness is a important factor & they are spending quite a lot of time on deciding them to keep employees happy & motivated.

Figure 1-How Facebook Decides an Employee's Salary

According to MBAskool magazine(2011) there are 4 components of compensation and benefits.

1. Fixed Pay - This is clearly stated in the employment contract and it is considered as basic salary or wage paid to the employee irrespective of any other factor.

2. Variable Pay - It is an additional compensation paid to the employee based on the performance levels of the employee & employer.

3. Equity Pay - Employees are awarded shares of the company at a discounted prices and they can make money out of them with the appreciation of  stock prices.

4. Other Benefits - Benefits such as medical facilities, insurance facilities, company owned car or flat are included to other benefits category.

As per Mulligan & Finkelstein, (2007) employee pay levels may vary across national borders due to the market and industry factors,  traditional practices and values included in the concept of salary. Nevertheless, compensation and benefits are regularly among the top three factors, affecting employee job satisfaction across the world. Therefore,it is commonly believed that offering a competitive salary and benefits or reducing the gap between employees' salary expectations will immensely help to upkeep the valuable human resource and attract more diverse people to the organization.

References

Armstrong, M.(2006). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, London: Kogan Page

Society for Human Resource Management (2012). Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement. Available at :
www.shrmstore.shrm.org.

MBASkool (2011).Human Resources Terms. Available at :
https://www.mbaskool.com/ (Accessed on 01st July 2018 at 4.30pm)

Mulligan, I. & Finkelstein, D. (2007). Innovations in International HR. Available at :
https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.shrmmorrisnj.org/resource/resmgr/imported/globalcomp[1].pdf

Employee Relations and It's Impact on performance

According to Armstrong (2014) an organization consists of people who work together to achieve the organization's goals. Employee or employment relations are concerned with managing and maintaining the relationship through their trade unions or individually. In other words how management and employees live together and what they can do to achieve their goals.

Figure 1-The Key To Improving Employer-Employee Relations? (2018)

Further he explains that many employers simply want employees to do what they assigned/communicate without costing too much. On the other hand employees are also expecting a fair salary, security of employment, good working condition, safe working environment etc.. Due to this, conflicts can occur between the employer and employee. Employee rights / policy documents, HR policies, Code of ethics & union agreements are implemented to maintain this relationship between the two parties

According to the Global Competitiveness Report of (2017-2018), South Africa has the worst labor-employer relations in the world and it won't be changed unless the trust levels between employers and employees in the country improves drastically

Employee Relations Impact on performance

As per Bahreini(2017) maintaining a healthy employee relationship is essential to organization's success. Employee relation is mostly required, not only for retaining staff but for high productivity and human satisfaction within the organization. If there is a strong relationship between employees, the place will be more productive, less quarrel and will be more loyal.

According to Bahreini(2017) there are 4 tips for improving employer-employee relationships through technology.

1. Track Goals With Performance Analytics - Employee's performance tracking can be done through real time systems and reports can be shared on same day in order to have a better product positioning

2. Communicate better via video - Communication tools like video platform enables employers to build more confident & employees' believe that their performance would improve through corrective feedback.

3. Provide training on demand in the cloud - Cloud based services have given employers the ability to equip their staff on real time training materials & interactive web based training activities. This is especially helpful in ensuring compliance across the organization

4. Prioritize with digital checklists - Since paper lists are outdated, equip staff  with digital check lists. So they will success in meeting initiatives, company standards and instantly prioritize the tasks too.


CIPD Annual survey report (2015) explains that business, commercial awareness and the ability to work with cooperation are the key elements to success in L&D process


Referances

Armstrong, M. (2014). Armstrong's Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 13th Ed

Bahreini, S. (2017). Four Tips For Improving Employer-Employee Relationships Through Technology
Available at : https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2017/08/23/four-tips-for-improving-employer-employee-relationships-through-technology/#5eb7a3de6f01

CIPD (2015). Learning & development Annual survey report.
Available at : https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/learning-development_2015_tcm18-11298.pdf

The Global Competitiveness Report (2017-2018)
Available at : https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-competitiveness-report-2017-2018

Aligning Learning & Development Strategy with Business

Figure 1-Learning and Development Tutorial

Learning & development aims to ensure that people in the organization gain and develop the knowledge, skills and competencies they need to carry out their work efficiently & effectively for the betterment of the organization & employees'.

Armstrong (2014) learning & development defined as the process of ensuring that the organization has the knowledgeable, skilled & engaged workforce it needs.

* Learning is the process which a person acquires and develops knowledge, skills, capabilities, behaviors and attributes as per the job requirement.

* Development is the growth or realization of a person's ability and potential gain through continues learning and educational experiences.

Aims of strategic L&D

Strategic learning & development aims to produce a consistent and broad framework for developing people through a learning culture. It is therefore developing the intellectual capital required by the organization, ensuring the right quality people are available to meet present and future needs.

Figure 2-Armstrong, M.(2014). Armstrong's Handbook
of Human Resource Management Practice

Aligning L&D to the Business Strategy 

According to Dessler (2013) employers strategic plans should ultimately align with its training goals to identify the employee behaviors. Through that employer can execute its strategy & deduce what competencies employees will require to meet the present & future job requirements.

According to a survey done by Reiser (2007) establishing a linkage between learning and organizational performance was the number one issue faced by the training professionals. Training has a major impact on influencing performances of an organization.

"ADDIE" is the gold standard training model that training experts have used for years.

A - Analyze the training need
D - Design the overall training program
D - Develop the course.
I  - Implement training ( Ex - On the job or online training)
E - Evaluate the course's effectiveness

According to CIPD spring 2015 Employee Outlook survey, most frequently used & most effective L&D practices are,

*On the job training (Selected by 50%)
*Online training (29%)
*In house development programs (25%)
*Learning from peers( Through face to face interactions or online networks) (25%)
*External conferences, workshops & events (15%)

According to the above survey, on the job training was considered to be the most effective learning practice while online learning, mobile learning, external events and instructor led training off the job were among least effective.

References 

Armstrong, M.(2014). Armstrong's Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 13th Ed

CIPD. (2015). Learning & development, Employee Outlook survey 2015

Available at : https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/learning-development_2015_tcm18-11298.pdf

Dessler, G.(2013). Human Resource Management. 13th Ed

Reiser, R. (2007). Trend  and  Issues  in  Instructional

Managing Diversity of Workforce

A diverse workforce is a reflection of a changing world and market place. The world's increasing globalization requires more interaction among people from diverse cultures, beliefs, backgrounds and they are now part of a worldwide economy. In this highly competitive market organizations need to become more diversified to remain competitive

Flagg (2002) stated that organizations need to learn how to manage diversity in the workplace to be successful in future as diverse work teams bring high value to the organization.

Figure 1- workforce diversity driving company performance, innovation,
and profitability-transcript by New Work & Digital Education (2018)

Diversity Defined

According to Esty(1995) diversity defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing and celebrating differences among people irrespective of their age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice and public assistance status.

Challenges of Diversity in the workplace

Diversity issues are now considered important and are expected to become even more important in the future due to increasing differences in organizations. (SHRM, 1995)

Some of the diversity issues at workplace are :-

* Respect 
The key component in achieving a favorably diversified workplace is establishing teamwork and mutual respect among staff members.

* Generation Gaps
In larger diversified corporations, staffs are often made up of workers who range in age from teenagers to senior citizens & generation gap could become an issue.  

* Communication
Even when no prejudice exits, a diversified workplace can bring about certain communication issues.

Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace

According to Kurek (2018) when an organization has a diverse workforce, they're getting more perspectives involved and it directs to more debates, better decision-making. Further it leads to have a better understanding about diverse group of customers.

Managing Diversity effectively through the use of technology

According to Chandler Macleod magazine (2016) there are 4 technological elements that can use to manage diversity effectively. 

* Automated hiring processes
By automating elements of the hiring process, like initial candidate screening, bias can be reduced or eliminated, making selection a fairer and more objective.

* Increased accessibility 
Some organisations have integrated specialist translation software for people who may not be especially strong in English

* Effective communication
With technological advancements, management teams can tailor their communication efforts to suit the needs of individual team members

* Global connectivity.
It allows organisations to develop high performing teams without necessarily needing them to be in the same office


References

Chandler Macleod Magazine (2016) How technology can help unleash diversity
Available at : https://www.chandlermacleod.com/blog

Esty, K. Griffin, R. and Schorr-Hirsh, M. (1995) Workplace diversity. A managers guide to solving problems and turning diversity into a competitive advantage.

Flagg, A. (2002) Managing diverse work groups successfully

Kurek, E. (2018) Workforce diversity driving company performance, innovation, and profitability - transcript

Society for Human Resource Management (1995) 
Available at : http://www.shrm.org

Strategic Employee Resourcing & Talent Management

Strategic Employee Resourcing

Employee can be regarded as the prime asset of an organization, and businesses strategically need to invest in that asset to ensure their survival and growth. Constantly changing business environment presents organizations/companies with a complex challenge on how to meet staffing needs while preparing for strategic future needs of the organization. 

Figure 1-Strategic Employee Resourcing

Armstrong (2012) remarks that "strategic resourcing" is a key element of strategic human resource management & matching human resources to the strategic & operational requirements of the organization is important to fully utilize the resources.

Further he explains that it is concerned not only with hiring & keeping the number and quality of staff required, but also with choosing & promoting people who "fit" the culture and the strategic requirements of the organization.

Talent & Talent Management

By managing talent strategically, organisations can build a high performance workplace, encourage a learning organisation, add value to their branding agenda and contribute to diversity management.

* What is talent ?

A comprehensive perspective on how an organisation could segment its workforce to ensure broadness of talent development was offered by Ulrich and Smallwood in 2011. They worked on the assumption that everyone who work in the organisation should be considered to be a talent. 

Figure 2-  What is Talent?  (Ulrich and Smallwood 2011)

According to Tansley (2007) "Talent" consists the employees who can make a difference to organizational performance either through their immediate contribution or in the long term, by demonstrating the highest level of potential.

* Talent Management

According to Silzer (2010) Talent management is an integrated set of processes, programs & cultural norms in an organization designed & implemented to attract, develop, deploy and retain talent to achieve strategic objectives & meet future business needs. Further he explains that talent management is simply a matter of anticipating the need for human capital in order to fulfill current & future business operations in the organization. 

Connection between the Strategic Employee Resourcing & Talent Management

Resourcing strategy ensures that the organisation obtains and retains the people it needs and employs them efficiently. The objective of resourcing strategy is to find the most suitable workforce the organisation needs, with the appropriate qualities, knowledge, capabilities and potential for future training. The aim of this strategy is to ensure that an organisation achieves competitive advantage by employing more capable people than its rivals (Cristian, 2007)


References

Armstrong, M. (2012). Armstrong's Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 12th Ed. UK

Cristian, M. & Stefania, R. (2007). Human Resources Strategies 

Silzer, R. & Dowell, E. (2010). Strategy Driven Talent Management

Tansley, C. et al (2007) Talent Strategy, Management Measurement. CIPD, London

Ulrich,D. and Smallwood,N. (2011) What is talent, Michigan Ross School of Business, Executive White Paper Series.

Employee Recruitment & Selection challenges

According to Armstrong (2009) recruitment is the process of finding and engaging potential candidates at a minimum cost to fill the vacant positions in an organization. Selection is a part of the recruitment process concerned with deciding which applicant should be appointed to jobs.The recruitment and selection process consists of 4 stages.

 1. Defining recruitment -  Preparing job role and specifications, deciding terms and conditions of employment.
2. Planning and recruitment campaigns - Organizing/planning campaigns to find suitable candidates/applicants.
3. Attracting candidates - Evaluate the alternative sources of applicants, advertising, e-recruiting
4. Selecting Candidates - Interviewing, testing, shifting applications, offering employment, obtaining references, preparing contracts for employment.

Figure 1-Why is it Important to Have an Effective Recruitment
& Selection Process (2016)

Richardson (2003) explains that poor recruiting decisions can produce long term negative effects such as high training and development costs, impact on production of goods and services, and ultimately  the organisation can fail to achieve its objectives due to the poor recruiting.

Global HR Challenges to the Recruitment and Selection process 

1. Labor Market Conditions

According Gusdorf (2008) strength of the economy and labor market conditions will have a significant effect to attract and retain top-level employees. In a strong economy with little unemployment, organization will have to offer higher incentives, compensation or benefits to attract quality applicants.

2. Promotion From Within

Most of the companies use internal promotion process as an employee motivational tool and a rewarding scheme for good work and long term relationship. Internal promotion process creates a staffing gap in their former position and it still creates a position to fill. However that gap is likely to be filled by a lower, less-skilled employee and it has become a challenge for the companies.  

3. Nepotism

Nepotism is hiring of relatives. When hiring relatives most employers require a family members to work in different areas of the organization to prevent favoritism issues and moral problems among employees.

Equal Employment Opportunity Versus Affirmative Action

According to Dessler (2013) equal employment opportunity aims to ensue that regardless of age, national origin, sex, disability, race or color they have an equal opportunity on selection processes such as recruitment, hiring, promotions and compensations.

Affirmative Action is a management tool designed to ensure the equal employment opportunity among employees.
* As an example, a contractor monitors, its employment decisions and compensation systems to evaluate the impact on women and minorities in the organization is an affirmative action.

References

Armstrong, M.(2009). Armstrong's Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 11th Ed

Dessler, G.(2013). Human Resource Management, 13th Ed

Gusdof, M. (2008). Society for Human Resource Management

Richardson, M. (2008). Recruitment Strategies - Managing & Effecting the Recruitment Process