masters level forum 1)   Discuss the role and importance of HR Policy in strategy. 2)   Identify one HR challenge you face either personally or in your organization, which you believe to be a strategy

• Welcome to Week 1

This week will cover material about HR Strategy & Organizations. 

Course Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this week, you should be able to:

• • Explore the importance of human resource business partnership with organizational leaders to ensure effective implementation of policies and procedures

  • Discuss HR policies and strategies and the impact on current issues and topics in the workplace

In this lesson, we will discuss:

• • Evolution of HR

  • Why Develop HR Policy

  • HR Policy and Understanding Other Departments

• READING AND RESOURCES

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Week 1 – HR Strategy and Organization

Ravand, M., & Saremi, R. L. (2015). Integrated human resource supply chain management: a model for organizational excellence. Advances in Environmental Biology, 185+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=udel_main&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA417570372&asid=67d5909eb6322899ef2cc38988066398

Estrada, I., Martin-Cruz, N., & Perez-Santana, P. (2013). Multi-partner alliance teams for product innovation: the role of human resource management fit. Innovation: Management, Policy, & Practice, 15(2), 161+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=udel_main&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA337288506&asid=81dd9f7585eb964731d020701d531300

Tavis, A. (2012, December). Perspectives. People & Strategy, 35(4), 4. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=udel_main&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA324980921&asid=f50332708c17c64f8aeb959fc3068d33

Ahmed, A., Ali, A., Hussain, J., & Ansar, N. (2015). Managing global human resources - recommending an effective set of instruments. Journal of Business Strategies, 9(2), 13-22. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1777257222?accountid=10457

• LESSON

• Evolution of HR

• Why Develop HR Policy

• Reasons for HR Policy

• HR Policy and Understanding Other Departments

This lesson will cover material about HR Strategy and Organizations. The goal is to understand the linkage between policy and strategy. We need to have reason and rationale for every policy developed and implemented. Let’s look at a couple of reasons to develop HR policy and why it should be linked to the overall strategic plan.

In a not too distant past, Human Resources (HR) personnel were considered to be the people in the back office. Most employees had no idea what went on in the HR office. The perception was the HR personnel just did the paperwork for our paychecks and benefits. The first time you would see them was after you were selected for employment and then after that, you did not want to be called into the HR office because if you went to see HR, it meant you were going to be fired or you did something wrong.

Up until the last 20 years or so, the field of HR was not even viewed as a profession, but just a part of the administration. In some organizations today, people still do not know what HR does back in those offices but in many successful organizations, HR professionals are leading from the front.

The days of each department operating in a stovepipe, or staying in their own lane have come and gone. In successful organizations today, HR spans across every department. The strategic HR professional understands the business, how it operates, and the financial situation that drives the business. The HR professional today knows the demands can change daily which brings increased opportunities and requirements (Losey, Meisinger, & Ulrich, 2005).

Understanding the business from a strategic level is essential for HR to link policy that supports the overall organizational goals, mission, and vision.

Perhaps there are legal reasons for a policy. Oftentimes, we may not have much latitude in the development or implementation of legal matters. On the other hand, an employee handbook should reflect the culture and expectations of the organization. Is an employee handbook policy? In most cases it is. In regards to this, we could consider each chapter or topic a stand-alone policy.

From an HR perspective, everything we do should directly or indirectly support the overall organizational goals. If we develop a policy and cannot answer the question on how it relates to the organizational goals or business strategy, then we need to ask ourselves why we developed the policy. We should ask ourselves a few of questions; what is the driver behind the policy; why do we need it? Who is affected as a result of this policy? What result and/or change in behavior do we expect from the policy? How do we enforce or monitor the policy? Does the policy cause disparate impact? Could the policy stand on its own merits in a court of law?

Perhaps you never stopped to think about why leadership in organizations develops and implements policy. Let’s reflect on that for a minute.

Without a written policy, there could be confusion. How many vacation days do you earn each month or each year? Is this in a written policy? Most likely, the answer is yes. In the example here, the vacation policy provides clear guidance on how many days of vacation you earn. The number of days earned could be based on longevity with the company or perhaps it was negotiated upon hire. In either case, the vacation policy should clearly state how many days or hours you earn, any restrictions on using it, how much you can roll over to next year, what happens if you retire, leave for another job, or are let go. A policy should be clear and concise.

Perhaps your organization wants to implement flex time into the organization. This could be a major change in the culture, and it could have ramifications on several other policies. What if there is a late policy in place that clearly states each employee must be at work, ready to start by 8 am and if not, this or that is the result. Many organizations have a late policy. If you are implementing flextime or a flex schedule into the workday, it could be incongruent with the late policy.

The point is, a policy should be able to stand alone, but it could also affect other policies already in place. Regardless of the subject the policy relates to, it should support the strategic goals of the organization and not contradict other policies.

As a Human Resource Professional, it is important to have positive relationships with your peers in the other departments. It is important that you have an understanding of what they do and how those departments operate. Can a business operate without an interconnection and relationship between departments? Sure it can, but not nearly effective as it could if departments worked together instead of independently. This is not in the context of HR working in Marketing and Finance working in HR but in the context of the HR professional understanding the financials of the company, the drivers in the marketing department, the stressors in productions, and so forth.

Often, a policy or procedure will affect most people within an organization. If policy is drafted in a vacuum, then forced on the employees, the results are usually less than favorable. It is our nature to want to know the “why” of things that affect our lives in the workplace. This is why the relationships across departments and the understanding of what is going on throughout the organization are so critical to linking HR strategy to policy.

This lesson illustrates that HR policy and procedures serve a purpose in an organization. Employees want to understand why a policy is needed and how it will affect them. A policy should be clear and concise and alleviate any confusion. The strategic qualities of a well-written and fully implemented policy will align with organizational goals and support the overall mission and vision of leadership.

The linkage between policy and strategy has never been more important. The challenges faced by business and HR professionals are continually changing and with that, policies may need to be added, updated, or removed. The legal landscape is changing, the global landscape is changing, and therefore, the business landscape is changing. As an HR professional, we need to be ready and armed with knowledge and know how to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Losey, M. R., Meisinger, S. R., & Ulrich, D. (2005). The future of human resource management: 64 thought leaders explore the critical HR issues of today and tomorrow. Alexandria, VA: Society for Human Resource Management.