Learning Objectives
- Outline the steps of human resource management
Human resource management must take various steps in order to properly execute their jobs in building a productive workforce for their retail business. A new employee would witness HR from the outset recruiting new employees and then hiring them. As a new employee goes through the processes of their particular job within their retail company they would expect to be properly trained, supervised and then compensated for their work. Some of the more modern methods of recruitment for HR teams consist of using social media to get the word out about vacancies within a retail company. Websites like LinkedIn and Facebook are excellent tools for the creation and circulation of job postings. Other methods include online postings with websites such as Indeed and Monster.
Online recruitment is not necessarily inclusive for finding new hires. Another approach would be to conduct a hiring seminar or job fair which provides the potential new recruits face-to-face interaction and a more personal experience. Once a new employee has been recruited, the HR team will interview and then hire the prospective employees they believe would be the best fit within their retail team. During the interviewing and hiring process it is important for the HR manager to accommodate the qualified candidates and provide them with a positive hiring experience. This will make for a cohesive transition into the company and can reduce possible turnover in the future.
Training and Supervision
The next step for HR management once new-hires have been established and begin their experience within the retail market, would be to ensure their employees are properly trained so that they may perform their jobs capably. New-hires and newly promoted candidates will need some form of training to perform their jobs and in some instances to develop their performance and productivity. The first step for HR would be to establish what type of training each individual employee might need. Orientation, on-the-job training and programmed instruction are types of training which might be conducted in a retail setting. HR oversees what needs there are for training by ensuring each individual employee receives that particular training (whether it is in the form of on-the-job training, attending sessions or classes or ascertaining certifications for their particular job). Once a candidate is hired or newly-promoted, they would expect some form of supervision while working so that there is some element of critical learning. HR should establish an appropriate balance of supervision at the outset so as to ensure proper performance but also to have a positive effect on job satisfaction.
Compensate
Once an employee is hired and trained HR’s job is not over. They must continually constitute determining factors for employees. One such factor HR deals with is compensation. In most cases in retail organizations, part time employees are paid hourly and are typically not offered the same benefits that full time employees are eligible. “Compensation and benefits comprise the total rewards package that an employee receives for performing a job. Compensation is considered direct pay, since it is the amount of money the employee receives. Benefits are indirect pay, since they are monetary equivalents that can be converted later into cash or used to pay for selected expenses.”[1] HR management teams will determine at the outset what each individual employee will be paid and communicate that directly with bookkeepers and payroll in order to ensure employees receive the correct compensation and benefits to which they are entitled.
Practice Questions
- Abbott, J. B. (2011). Compensation and Benefits. In W. D. Folsom (Ed.), Facts on File Library of American History. Encyclopedia of American Business, Rev. ed. (Vol. 1, pp. 128–129). New York: Facts on File. ↵