The Emerging Challenges in HRM
HR Managers face numerous problems in the current company
climate, including globalization, workforce diversity, technological
advancements, and changes in the political and regulatory environment.
All of these obstacles put more pressure on HR managers to
find, keep, and develop outstanding employees. HR professionals must not ignore
these issues; rather, they must devise and implement innovative processes for
improving human resource skills and competences in order to prepare people to
meet new challenges.
Ø Globalization
Globalization is the process of denationalization of markets,
politics, and legal systems on a political and economic level, i.e. the use of
the so-called global economy.
Globalization refers to the expansion of market forces that
have existed for centuries at all levels of human economic activity (village
marketplaces, metropolitan industries, and financial hubs) across national
borders.
It means that global trade and financial markets are becoming
increasingly intertwined. The growing globalization of company has
ramifications for HRM in terms of unfamiliar laws, languages, practices,
competitions, attitudes, management styles, and work ethics, among other
issues.
HR managers face a difficulty in dealing with more functions,
more diverse functions, and greater participation in the personal lives of
employees.
Ø Workforce Diversity
According to Thomas (1992), dimensions of workplace diversity
include, but are not limited to: age, ethnicity, ancestry, gender, physical
abilities/qualities, race, sexual orientation, educational background,
geographic location, income, marital status, military experience, religious
beliefs, parental status, and work experience.
The capacity to manage a varied body of personnel that can
contribute fresh ideas, perspectives, and opinions to their work is critical to
any organization's future success.
If a business can leverage on this melting pot of varied
skills, the challenge and challenges of workplace diversity can be turned into
a strategic organizational benefit.
An organization can respond to business opportunities more
quickly and creatively with a mix of talents from various cultural origins,
genders, ages, and lifestyles, especially in the global market.
Ø Technological advances
The effort of adapting the workplace to rapid technology
advances that alter the nature of work and cause obsolescence is difficult.
The move from touch labor to knowledge work has tended to
diminish the number of jobs that require little expertise and increase the
number of positions that demand great competence. There is cutting-edge
operating technology available.
Organizations must adapt their technologies in this
environment. New technology promotes joblessness, but it also creates a
scarcity of skilled labor. Similarly, technology progress creates
organizational obstacles and challenges.
Ø Changes in the Economic
Environment
This includes looking at the effects of various factors on
production. Scarcity of raw materials and other inputs, such as power and
electricity, encouragement of consumerism, increasing consumer awareness and
demand for quality products, continuing upward trend in inflationary pressures
with decrease in the purchasing power of the rupee and its spiraling effects in
the ever-increasing aspirations of workers for higher wages and other material
benefits, and mounting costs on the employee welfare system are just a few of
the key factors.
In an inflationary economy, resources become scarce, and
machine, material, and labor costs rise dramatically. These factors raise
capital and operating costs.
Ø Changes in political
and legal environment
Changes in the political and legal environment result in
changes in political parties and rules regulations, resulting in new laws that
must be followed when doing business.
Many changes are taking place in the legal and political
framework in which the country's industrial relations system now operates.
Human resource and labor relations executives must thoroughly
study the implications of these developments and make required adjustments
within the firm in order to maximize human resource utilization in the future.
Human Resource managers are responsible for anticipating
changes and preparing the organization to deal with them without disrupting
routine operations.
Ø How can we overcome
these obstacles?
1. Cross cultural training of HR personnel so that they
understand other cultural people
2. Motivate Professional personnel more and more so that do
not change organization more frequently financial motivation is not always
required you can motivate through non-financial motivation like encouragement,
training of employee, job satisfaction
3. HR should adopt the change at internet speed.
4. Shifting HR strategy with changing economy – strategy of
HR should be agile, capable of flexing and adaptive to changes in the economy.
5. Technical changes in the workplace often require the
implementation of additional training for workers. As training and development
is generally the realm of the HR department, this creates yet another challenge
for human resource managers. HR must first determine what training is necessary
and then implement training measures to ensure all workers can keep up with
technical changes. Human resource managers must also determine when it may
train existing employees, and when it must search for new workers to fill
technical positions within the organization
6. Training of HRIS – Human resource information system
should be given to the HR managers or HR professional so that they can overcome
Information Technology challenges.
7. Proper performance evaluation system and proper career
development plans should be used in the organization to reduce professional
mobility.
References
1. http://www.fibre2fashion.com
2. http://www.scribd.com/ritesagarwall/d/19269071-
Human-Resource-Mgmt
3. http://www.slideshare.net/birubiru/emerging-challenesin-hrm-7623957
4.http://www.citeman.com/12486-factors-influencing-thepersonnel-function.html#ixzz2jMX5dIrC





