FREE ESSAY ON FUTURE SCAPING HR

FUTURE SCAPING HR

Human Resources can find it roots by looking no further than the purchasing department.
From the beginning, hiring and firing people, the traditional core of Human Resources
functions, was done by the purchasing agent. The thinking behind this was that purchasing
agents procured the land, equipment, materials, and as a extension of this the people to
ensure proper functioning of the business. To an extent of this attitude that people
where to be purchased, unions arouse to protect the interest of the worker. To negotiate
with the unions, companies adapted by having their own representatives, giving rise to
the labor relations function within HR. 
Other functions followed, the staffing function grew out of the belief that, with testing
and assessment, employee could be matched to job and their effectiveness increased.
Training grew out of the belief that, with the proper training programs in place
employees could do their jobs even more effectively. Compensation grew out of the belief
that, if designed well, compensation systems could motivate employees to higher
performance. 
By the time the 1970's rolled around there were four major functions of the Human
Resources department. These core actives were considered to be staffing, development,
appraisal, and rewards. When the 80's showed themselves upon the doorstep of HR these
skills were melded with those of organizational design and communications. With the
enormous amount of mergers, acquisitions, and consolidations learning to create new
organizational forms around teams and processes became critical for the HR profession. 
By the time 1997 was here I was just beginning to get my feet wet in the world of HR by
taking part in an internship in a HR office. I had no idea then how much HR was in an
evolution of change. I thought how hard could it be to be a HR professional? 
I had looked at the 100 best companies to work for and I noticed that many of the
companies were the same as companies on the lists in prior years. There seemed to me a
formula with HR that if administered correctly would conjure up a wonderful organization
of happy employees. The problem with this belief I had was that of change. Change
inserted itself to alter that formula and alter it drastically and continuously. Because
of this no one can predict the organization of the future. No one can predict the future
course of the HR profession. No one can predict how HR practices will change in the
future. Thinking about this future though may lead to innovative insights into how better
prepare for the changes that will inevitably occur. Thinking about this future of HR may
help to change today's HR practices in positive ways. This paper then is to look into the
future and take a look at the future trends of the HR profession. 
Before diving into our time machine to go future scaping, how did we get to the point we
are now in HR? What people, places, and policies have made the workplace what it is
today? I would like to look at four companies - Procter & Gamble, IBM, Hewlett-Packard,
and Southwest Airlines who created places of work that stood out during various times of
the last century. These companies are just a small sample of HR thinking today, although,
they comprise of an important part of it. 
Started in 1837 as a soap and candle maker (Fortune, 139), Procter and Gamble was a model
of exemplary employee relations at the turn of the 20th century. This employee relations
improvement came about when the company introduced a profit-sharing plan to foster
company loyalty. The plan was improved in 1903 by tying it to the purchase of company
stock, and today it is known as the oldest profit sharing plan in operation. In the year
1915, the company introduced an employee disability and death benefit plan. It also gave
its employees an eight-hour workday and guaranteed 48 weeks of work in a year, and they
were the first to do so. 
IBM made its mark in the world of business by making people the focus of the corporate
culture at a time when others where reducing tasks to repetitive functions. IBM borrowed
money to fund in-house education programs, did away with piecework, fixed up factories,
and paid above average wages at all levels of employment. IBM launched group insurance
plans and for a time boasted of lifetime employment until the massive cuts in their
workforce in the early 90's. 
Hewlett-Packard instituted the "HP way" which focused on employee sensitivity. The
company's benefit plan was one of the best around, and became one of the first companies
to offer flextime for its employees. They also championed the idea of management by
walking around and had their employees in cubicles to make this easier. 
Lastly, Southwest airlines stands as a maverick in every sense of the word. Tom Peters
said this of the airline, "What I discovered is an organization that dares to unleash the
imagination and energy of it people. They make work fun-employees have the freedom to act
like NUTS. There is a spirit of entrepreneurship-much more than a decentralized
organization chart-an attitude that extends to every corner of the company." (NUTS, XV) 
Largely due to their dedication to their employees Southwest is the safest airline in the
world and ranks number one in the industry for service, on-time performance, and lowest
employee turnover rate; and Fortune Magazine has twice ranked Southwest airlines one of
the ten best companies to work for in America. 
The challenge that lays before HR professionals now is to look at these companies and ask
themselves how they can become the IBM's, Southwest's, HP's, and P&G's of the next
century. This brings me to what I believe the best thing we can do to prepare for the
unknown future. That is to strategize for Human Resources. 
In the past strategic plans were thought only for CEO's and top level management. But now
could be a good time to change that thinking. A HR plan can help you come up with goals
and strategies for achieving them. It enables you to go beyond day to day tasks and see
the larger purpose of your department and how it functions within the company. In its
simplest form, the plan is a goal statement. But the plan also includes information on
the issues facing the company-competition, opportunities, market conditions, industry
changes and the company's strengths and weaknesses. Once you have you have a clear
understanding of your companies goals, you should establish your own HR department goals.
These five questions are a good place to start:
1. Where am I now?
2. Where do I want to go?
3. What's the difference between where I am and where I want to go?
4. How will I get there?
5. How will I know if I'm succeeding?
When you have answered these questions you will be more prepared to effectively lead the
organization through future changes. A business plan is good practice anyway because it
keeps everyone on the same page. A strategic plan helps employees understand their
purpose. It can energize people. They aren't just doing day to day work, they are
progressing toward goals. Then HR isn't just a firefighter at a tactical level but will
earn a seat at the companies top level of management. Let's take the concept of
strategizing and use it toward key aspects of our future. 
Now lets turn our attention to an issue that is the driving force behind change. This
driving force is that of technology, and it has very wide and deep implications for human
resources now and in the future. Technology's impact on HR, the virtual environments
impact on human interaction, and telecommuting issues. Such issues will now be explored
in greater depth to help focus our thinking around strategic approaches to take in
accomplishing work in organizations in the next century. Technology seems to have tree
main effects on the workplace, which are:
-  The constraints of the physical facility no longer exist
-  Hours have extended to be on-call nearly 24 hours a day
-  Huge issues in personal time management.
The virtual office has come about with the advent of the cell phone, pager, laptop,
e-mail and other such electronic tasking devices. The good or bad new is that fewer
people are normally in the physical office. The virtual office can be an advantage if it
results in lower office space costs. New issues will arise if the cost in equipment to
support the remote employee increases. However, the expectations are for greater
productivity as a result of the company providing flexibility in space scheduling and
physical space. Also, you have probably heard a cell phone or pager lately during a
movie, or at a ball game as evidence of the proliferation of the workplace in
public/private space. 
Businesses are able to expand without the normal investment in physical property.
Employees can live where they wish and telecommute. With this however will come even more
changes that HR will need to cope with. Here are some of the keys ones where technology
will have a high impact on the workplace. A proactive, strategic approach will be
necessary to deal with and work around these changes.
First lets begin with the virtual office. This will mean that there will be fewer workers
physically at a single work site. What HR will need to do is determine what space is
necessary and what space can be leased or sold out. The office space and current
equipment inventories should be reviewed and looked at to determine adequate levels.
Also, the IT capacity plan should make sense and be flexible to adjust to future changes
within the workforce. 
Staffing, sourcing and retention will be another area that will need much attention. In
the future there will be more job sharing, split shifts, part-time, and independent
contractors. Retention of workers will be more difficult: employment for the project will
be seen more and more; and lack of job security and company loyalty will be pervasive.
Also, older worker will have to make a huge adjustment and may not be willing or able to.
To prepare for these changes consider introduction of a flex policy and evaluation of
meeting or event schedules to allow for more flex time. Determine technical training
needs and prepare training programs for those need. Develop a workforce plan to forecast
future staffing levels and ensure succession-planning programs are in place and are
meaningful. Also, reviewing benefits and retention practices to ensure desired results
may be achieved. 
With fewer connections between employees and management the need for greater
accountability, independence, and trust is necessary. The changing workforce resulting
from the tremendous technology updates presents a new challenge for workplace
relationships. As HR leaders we must be leading our organizations into and through the
technology changes and challenges. We must be prepared to conquer this ever-evolving
technology. It is no exaggeration to say that some kind of new hardware or software is
introduced to the public on a daily basis. Which ones will make a difference to HR in the
future? Here is a list of computer technology that may effect HR departments in the
future. 
First of all computer security is a concern to both information technology and human
resources people everywhere, as computer viruses like "love bug" paralyze organizations
for days and security breaches allow hackers into sensitive company files. In the future,
however, employees may be required to undergo iris scans to access their computer files.
This technology is already used to control access to rooms, identify prisoners, secure
bank vaults, and as a substitute for automatic teller machines. Another technology along
these lines are fingerprint readers that require a fingerprint match before access can be
granted. 
The next area of technology is that of remote access. For many would be Internet users in
the US, especially in the rural parts of the US or in underdeveloped countries, laying
the wire for broadband access is cost intensive. Even in developed areas, rewiring an
existing building can be very expensive. To address this, high tech companies are now
investing in fixed wireless systems that require only a transmission device on one end
and a receiver and signal converter on the other. Airwaves link them and the link can be
as fast as wired services. This market could reach 1 billion by the end of 2002. Fixed
wireless can be used to link areas where there are no cable or telephone infrastructures
in place, or to extend cable and DSL service within already-established areas, such as
apartment building or office complexes. 
Yet another technology that could makes its effects found on the world of HR is a
communication system. This communication system called Auniversal translator could
effectively, accurately, and simultaneously translate a person' conversation from English
to German and back (for example) will be widely available maybe within the next five
years. Universal translating systems may never be able to capture cultural differences,
but they could enormously aid in International business transactions. 
The last technology I will talk about is that of electronic monitoring. There is a whole
group of electronic monitoring systems available to employers. Here are just a few:
-  Internet Manager: This software scans for and identifies people who are continually on
the Internet at work and will notify employees that they are being monitored each time
they log onto the Internet. 
-  Investigator: This software captures all the keystrokes typed into a computer,
including keystrokes an employee may delete. Investigator goes a step further then other
monitoring software by capturing all computer activity.
-  Super Scout: This software automatically filters and sorts every word that enters
through a network. It can generate bar charts showing the top ten e-mail users, the tem
biggest email sender, and who sends the biggest messages. 
We now have before us a wide variety of things to look at for the future. But here is one
of the most important questions at least for me. What does all this mean for my career in
HR? Well in doing all this research I can see that even if only a portion of the possible
developments discussed come to pass, careers in HR will change dramatically. The
traditional career with HR professionals progressed in their careers from apprentice to
individual contributor to mentor to strategist is quickly morphing. Maybe a more suitable
way to describe the HR career in the future will be that of a cube, not so much as a
linear progression. In the future one's position in the HR hierarchy may become less
relevant than what one knows. Career paths become less linear as HR professionals
increasingly engage in diverse career activities, forgoing a purposeful career in favor
of career opportunism, responding to the opportunities that arise from any number of
sources. 
Whatever the future brings it is sure to be filled with surprises. Having one eye on the
future will help to identify many new challenges and effectively use them for the benefit
of our organization. I know that I may want to hold on tight to my ergonomic chair, we
may be in for a bumpy ride.