What are the main building blocks of the HR Strategy?
The key building blocks of HR strategy are as follows,
- the decision devoted to those who are going to be involved in HR strategy building,
- business strategy definition,
- analysis of the context,
- the identification of the business needs,
- identification of the key HR issues,
- the development of the strategic framework,
- definition of the specific HR strategies,
- assessment of HR capabilities and the statement of the required resources,
- the preparing of the action plans (CIPD 2005).
How can you build an HR Strategy in your organization that can contribute to business success?
It is obvious that there is usually a gap between the theoretical prediction and the real subsequence of actions (CIPD 2005). To build an HR Strategy that can contribute to the business, success, the manager should clearly state the objectives of HR strategy and make sure that they support the business strategy of the organization. Then, it is necessary to measure the level of employees’ professionalism and consider whether they can meet the HR Strategy requirements and accomplish it (Holbeche 2006).
How would you know if you are developing an effective HR Strategy?
To make sure that an effective HR Strategy is developed, it is possible to use the tips offered by Armstrong (2009). He offers to check the following issues, to make sure that everything is correct, and to change something if the planned perspectives are not met: strong leadership is applied, levers for change are visible, the change of management is concerned, the learning organization exists, reward system works, the strategies are adaptable, the emphasis on behavior is put, and the design is correct.
How you build an engaged workforce?
Having read CIPD’s factsheet on Employee Engagement (2010) and having listened to the CIPD Engagement Podcast (2009), I have created a personal opinion about building an engaged workforce. First of all, I would offer people opportunities to contribute to the general business. Employees should have an opportunity to be creative and become involved in the thinking process directed at the increase of the company profit. Second, to build an engaged workplace, policies should be developed. People should also know that their work is going to be rewarded. Training and the opportunity for continuous development is also a good contribution to the engaged workforce.
The outcomes of engagement
The main outcome of successful engagement is positive and can be explained as the additional motivation for employees to work more effective and productive. When people are engaged in the working process, they are more satisfied with the work they do and the results they observe. The company profit increases as a result of the successful engagement of employees.
The levels of engagement within ServiceCo and North Trust
Considering the engagement of ServiceCo’s employees, it should be mentioned that it is rather high. The main factors that influence this high activity are the opportunity to communicate with the managers and express a personal opinion about the situation, the high level of support among employees which is characterized by a good team, and a high level of commitment to the company. The employees of North Trust are also highly engaged in the working process as they are satisfied with the working conditions, have strict objectives, their skills perfectly meet the tasks they have to do, they are satisfied with the leadership and communication styles in the company (Alfes, Truss, Soane, Rees & Gatenby 2010).
Reference List
Alfes, K, Truss, C, Soane, EC, Rees, C & Gatenby, M 2010, Creating an engaged workplace, CIPD, London.
Armstrong, M. (2009) Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management in practice. 11th ed. London: Kogan Page.
CIPD 2010, Employee Engagement: Factsheet.
CIPD 2005, HR Strategy: Creating the framework for successful people management, London.
Employee Engagement 2009, CIPD Postcard Series.
Holbeche, L 2006, Understanding change: theory, implementation and success, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.