Special Topics in HRM (M1 and M2)

• Diversity is defined as the differences between people. These differences can include race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, background, socioeconomic status, and much more.
• Multiculturalism can be understood as a more complex concept than diversity.
• As part of multiculturalism, inclusion also takes place.
• Gender - women make up a bigger percentage of the workforce than ever before. But there is still a gap in terms of fair pay and the percentage of women in leadership roles.
• Race and ethnicity - as ethnic and racial identities evolve, standardized forms with ethnic groups fail to hit the mark. By opening the conversation with employees and candidates on race and ethnicity, this goes a step towards improving cultural diversity.
• LGBT - this includes a complex range of people in terms of backgrounds, experiences and challenges. To work towards eliminating discrimination, careful attention needs to be paid towards a strategy as an LGBT employer.
• Workers with disabilities - disabilities can cover many differences, from the ability to form social relationships to physical disabilities. Part of this can be helped with a neurodiversity program, as well as fighting against negative perceptions.
• Age - both younger and older workers can be discriminated against in terms of preconceptions. Through steps like opening apprenticeships to all ages and providing cross-generation mentoring program, these prejudices can be addressed.
• Mental health - focusing on mental health along with workplace wellness support can combat a variety of issues, from absenteeism to behavioral problems.
• Neurodiversity - recognizing and providing a supportive environment for those with neurological differences that include dyslexia, autism and Tourette's helps organizations to celebrate differences and the benefits they can offer in well-matched job types.
• Thought style - different personalities and thought styles can enhance creativity if the individual and the role are well matched. In contrast, it can cause stress if ill-matched.
• Different Types of Workplace Diversity

  1. Gender
  2. Race and ethnicity
  3. LGBT
  4. Age
  5. Workers with disabilities
  6. Mental health
  7. Neurodiversity
  8. Thought style
• Diversity focuses on the "otherness" or differences between individuals and has a goal of making sure, through policies, that everyone is treated the same.
• The interesting thing about power and privilege is that if you have it, you may not initially recognize it, which is why we can call it invisible privilege.
• Power and Privilege

  1. Race privilege
  2. Social class privilege
  3. Gender privilege
  4. Sexual orientation privilege
• Essentials in managing cultural diversity in the workplace

  1. Communication
  2. Team-building
  3. Time
  4. Schedules
• Generational gap in the workplace is, broadly speaking, the difference in behavior and outlook between groups of people who were born at distinctly different times.
• Silent generation (born between 1928 and 1945)

  Baby boomers (1946-1964)

  Generation Xers (1965-1980)

  Millennials (1981-1996)

  Generation Z (1997-2012)
• 5 Generations in the Workplace

  1. Silent Generation
  2. Baby Boomers
  3. Generation Xers
  4. Millennials
  5. Generation Z
• Baby boomers have long been known for their strong work ethic and goal-centric tendencies.
• This preservation of trust is termed as confidentiality.
• In every business, the most critical asset is trust.
• Confidential information can be broadly categorized into three main categories:

  1. Personal information of customers
  2. Employee information
  3. Proprietary information
• Other term for proprietary information is trade secrets
• General areas where confidentiality is a must:

  1. Employee information
  2. Health and medical information
  3. Workplace investigations
  4. IT security
  5. Management strategies
• Breach of confidentiality consequences

  1. Loss of trust
  2. Negative impact on your business
  3. Civil lawsuits
  4. Criminal charges
• Legal Steps to ensure confidentiality

  1. Confidentiality clauses
  2. Confidentiality Agreement / Non-Disclosure Agreement
  3. Confidentiality Policies
• Impact of Information Technology on Human Resource Management

  1. Remote Working
  2. Automation of HR processes
  3. Employee engagement
  4. Benefits and payroll
  5. Employee wellness
  6. Career development
  7. Company branding
  8. Analytics
• Automation of HR processes eliminates paperwork, speeds up the execution of many tasks, and contributes to more efficient HR performance.
• A career planning tool is a learning and knowledge-based system that helps successful organizations around the world to manage their personal development and career paths along with those of their employees.
• Performance management is known as the "Achilles' Heel" of human resource management, and it is the most difficult HR system to implement in organizations.
• Performance management is the process of continuous feedback and communication between managers and their employees to ensure the achievement of the strategic objectives of the organization.
• Talent management is a set of initiatives taken to engage employees to retain them. Performance management, on the other hand, is an initiative that guides employees towards establishing and achieving their goals in alignment with the organization's immediate and overarching goals.
• The Performance Management Cycle

  1. Planning
  2. Monitoring
  3. Developing
  4. Rating
  5. Rewarding
• Ratings are essential to identify the state of employee performance and implement changes accordingly.
• Any software should be chosen with the following considerations inmind:

  1. Customization
  2. Transparency
  3. Objectivity
  4. Frequency
• Features of a good performance management software

  1. Dynamic goal setting
  2. Communication on the fly
  3. Scheduling tools
  4. Continuous performance evaluation
  5. Recognition tool
  6. 360-degree feedback
  7. Project performance tracking tools
  8. Performance comparison
  9. Automated reminders and notifications
  10. Data security
• A good performance management solution provides interaction between team members and managers effortlessly at any time with an in-built chat feature.

  Communication on the fly
• It should offer tools such as timesheets that help track how employees use their time, and whether their input matches the expected output and outcome.

  Project performance tracking tools
• A gentle nudge to employees/managers to remind them of deadlines, notifications that indicate progress on a particular project, and general updates to changes in the process can improve an employees experience with performance management.

  Automated reminders and notifications