Human capital is the most valuable resource in an organization, therefore, it is a critical resource as it determines the quality of services offered. It takes years to develop skilled employees, as such they must get superior salaries. According to Lussier and Kimball (2009) “a key driver of business success is human resource (HR) management…” (p. 182). Human resource managers develop terms of employment which determine the quality of potential employees an organization attracts. In September 2012, the teachers’ strike paralyzed public schools in Chicago for eight days. According to State-Net (2012) “the contract statement which ended the strike – but which has to be ratified by the union’s full membership – should raise teachers pay an average of 17.6 percent over four years”. The teachers came about on the streets of Chicago because they were in desperate need of the salary increase along with other benefits which include medical insurance and retirement benefits.
The National Education Association supported the strike even though the teachers are not members of NEA (Roekel, 2012). The Chicago strike achieved its goal, as a result, the teachers got a pay rise. The teachers who earn improved wages are more productive, thus students receive a more quality education from the teachers who are satisfied with their working conditions thus entirely focusing on the educational process and students’ needs. Besides, other non-monetary benefits contribute to the quality of education students get. Management of education institution must strive to attract talented teachers by improving monetary and non-monetary terms of service. According to Morse (2007) “a model of education that is stingy with resources, crowds classrooms, and pays small salaries will not attract the best people to the teaching profession or keep them there” (p. 21).
Business organizations minimize the wage bill in order to make a profit; employees, on the other hand, seek for well paying jobs. Therefore, an organization which pays its employees well attracts qualified staff; conversely, inadequately paid employees offer poor services. Organizations, which provide employees enhanced working terms attract trained and committed employees. Teachers understand that students deserve dedicated and qualified teachers (Roekel, 2012). The pay teachers currently get lowers the stature of the teaching profession, yet teachers help to nurture all professionals. I support the National education Association that teachers must be compensated like other professionals with the same training and experience (Roekel, 2012). Although it is not easy to quantify the contribution of teachers to the economy, they play a vital role. It, therefore, follows there must be found a way out to encourage college students to choose teaching as their career path. According to Brandt (1990) “a major concern identified in the reform report was that the declining interest in education careers, especially of academically talented college students. The number of entering college students interested in becoming teachers had dropped dramatically over the previous decade” (p. 220).
In conclusion, it must be highlighted that a human resource manager has to find a way to balance the interest of the employer with that of the employee. The objective of most employers is to keep labor cost at minimum without affecting the quality of products and services. Any employee desires to work for an organization with a superior pay and excellent benefits. It is the duty of a human resource manager to develop terms of employment which attract the most qualified employees while minimizing expenses. In addition, continuous appraisal of employees and salary review ensure better employee retention.
References List
Brandt, R. (1990). Incentive Pay and Career Ladders for Today’s Teacher’s: A Study of Current Programs and Practices. Albany: State of New York University Press.
Lussier, R & Kimball, D. (2009). Applied Sport Management Skills. Illinois: Thomson Learning.
Morse, F. (2007). Level Playing Field: School Finance in the Northeast. Albany: State of New York University Press.
Roekel, V. (2012) NEA President Van Roekel Statement on Chicago strike. Web.
State Net. (2012) Victories All Around in Chicago Teachers Strike. Web.