Challenges and Opportunities Facing Human Resource Personnel in the 21 st Century

Background

In any given organization, the human resource function is the most important. This is primarily because the human resource is responsible for the running of an organisation as an organisation cannot run by itself. In addition, other key organizational roles such as the attainment of a company’s goals and objectives are facilitated by the company’s human resource (Miller & Cardy, 2000). Technological and environmental changes in the present world has resulted in drastic changes that have significantly affected the present business world due to factors such as automation, development of new production skills and techniques, variation in customer tastes and preferences and globalization among others. Changes in the business environment have brought with them challenges as well opportunities to various business aspects. In order to be able to function effectively and efficiently in the present 21^st century, human resource personnel are required to flexible enough to facilitate maximisation of the environmental opportunities to minimise on the challenges faced (Snell, Mollis & Bohlander, 2015).

The effects of changes as a result of 21^st century business environment changes have affected businesses in various ways with most of the business core functions getting significantly affected.  Although most of the departments were affected, the human resource department was the most affected since it is the core function in all departments (Macky & Johnson, 2000). This is because all business functions in an organization such finance, marketing, business administration are run by human resources. The 21^st century environmental changes brought with it challenges as well as opportunities. The human resource business department was also faced by challenges as well as opportunities.  These opportunities and challenges included career development and layoffs respectively (Zanko, 2003).

Technological advancements have resulted in mechanisation and automation of initial employee duties among others hence the number of human resources required by business companies and organizations is very low (Zanko, 2003). In this case, only information technology and engineering human resources are maintained for operational functionality and maintenance purposes. This has in turn resulted in massive company layoffs since the companies find the services of these human resources obsolete and not required (Dessler, 2002).  Technology is the manner in which skill and technique are applied while doing something. In the business environment, technological advancements have resulted in new ways and techniques of doing things. In the present 21^st century, technology has resulted in efficiency and effectiveness of a business is run (Decenzo & Robbins, 2001). This is because technology has resulted in a total overhaul of the entire business organization. Technology has also improved the manner in which other business factors such as organizational systems and production take place in the business. As a result, efficiency and effectiveness in the business is achieved courtesy of technology (Mathis et al., 2016).

            The 21^st century has experienced the internationalisation of companies resulting in multinational corporations. As a result, companies employ employees from diverse cultural backgrounds. The creation of policies and adoption of practices that don’t infringe the rights of each other is a difficult task since conflicts are likely to arise (Ulrich, 2013). Globalization is also another factor that has been experienced in the present 21^st century business environment. Globalization translates to death of distance hence facilitating convenience and effectiveness of the business process through communication with the relevant parties and spread of ideas (Delahaye, 2015). 

The purpose of this research paper is to highlight the challenges and opportunities in the business environment faced by human resources in the present 21^st century. Through the identification of the challenges and opportunities, organizational human resources can then establish how to maximise on environmental opportunities in order to minimise environmental challenges.         

Problem Statement

The problem of 21^st century human resource challenges and opportunities primarily affects the human resource personnel. The problem’s boundary is limited to employees of both organizations and businesses in the present 21^st century. An analysis of the challenges and opportunities faced by employees in the current 21^st century will play a key role towards minimization of the impacts of the challenges to employees. This is because the employees will be able to establish ways in which they can maximise on the opportunities so as to minimise the effects of challenges.

The researcher would like human resources to benefit from the business environment’s changes in the 21^st century by minimising the effects of the environment’s challenges through opportunity maximisation.

Research question

The research question will be “The benefit of utilising environmental opportunities to overcome challenges in the present 21^st century by human resources”.

Subset Research Questions

What are the challenges faced by human resource personnel in the present 21^st century?

What are the opportunities present to human resource personnel as a result of business changes in the 21^st century?

How can the opportunities present due to 21^st century changes be utilised to minimise challenges presently faced by human resource personnel?

What additional benefits to human resources can be derived from available opportunities as a result of 21^st century business changes?

How do changes in the present 21^st century business affect the productivity of human resources?

Research Rationale

This research will be particularly important to various business stakeholders such as employers, employees, government and other researchers in the field of human resource. Through this research, employers will be able to formulate effective policies that minimise the challenges and maximise on opportunities brought about as a result of environmental changes.  This research will also enable human resource personnel to be able to effectively utilise environmental opportunities to minimise challenges that come as a result of 21^st century environmental changes. Through this research’s findings, the government would be able to establish effective government policies that would reduce government exploitation by employers on human resources. Other researchers in the human resource discipline would be able to utilise the research findings of this research in making analyses and conclusions among others.

Definitions

Human resources: This is the composition of a business or organization’s employees who form the workforce and are responsible for the running of the organization.

Challenges: challenges are barriers or shortcomings that prevent someone or something from working effectively or meeting objectives. Challenges always impede the speed or effectiveness of a phenomena’s functionality.

Employee: An individual who is hired to offer services for pay based on his/her contract specifications.

Opportunity: An opportunity is a favourable situation  or condition that facilitates positivity in something if exploited.

Globalization: Is the minimization of distance impediments through technology. Globalization has facilitated the bridging of distance impediments such as communication and spread of ideas.

Technology: Technology can be defined as the manner in which work is conducted.    

 

 

Literature Review

Challenges Facing Human Resources in the 21^st Century

The following are the challenges faced by employees as a result of 21^st century changes.

1. Obsoleteness

Due to technological advancements, most of the roles initially played by employees have been upgraded hence rendering their services obsolete. Initial business functions such as inventory management and manufacturing was the role to the human resources (Storey, 2014). However, the development of technology has resulted in automation and mechanization hence. This in most cases has faced employees to either upgrade their skills through going undertaking more classes to be competent enough or face being laid-off (Bratton & Gold, 2012).

2. Retrenchment

            Retrenchment is the involuntary retirement of human resource from duties before the end of their contracts. The difference between layoffs and retrenchments is that in layoffs the employee is not entitled to retirement benefits while in retrenchment an employee still has access to stipulated benefits (Stone & Deadrick, 2015). Changes in the 21^st business environment have led to organizational downsizing with most of the employees getting retrenched on a regular basis. Just like layoffs, Retrenchment often renders human resources jobless and those past their productive years are unable to get jobs elsewhere (Bratton & Gold, 2012).

3. Poor Working  Conditions and Terms of Service    

A high unemployment rate in the present 21st century has resulted in the labour supply surpassing the demand by businesses companies and organizations. As a result, companies have more bargaining power in the employment process (Wilton, 2016). The need for revenue to cater for their needs makes human resources accept whatever contracts they are offered resulting in poor terms of service as well as poor working conditions (Biswajeet, 2001). The poor working conditions in most cases compromises their health while poor terms of services is not adequate to cater for their health needs. Other factors that emanate out of poor terms of service is on-job harassment that may either be physical or sexual (Ulrich, 2013). 

Opportunities Available to Human Resource as a Result of 21^st Century Changes   

1. Career development

Business environment changes in the 21^st century have offered human resources the opportunity to develop their careers through both education and skill acquisition. As a result of these changes, human resources acquire new skills through on job training, seminars and education furthering (Lussier & Hendon, 2015). The acquisition of new skills facilitates their career growth and development since they are able to handle huge responsibilities in the Business Company or organization.  An example of the above is through the empowerment of employees with technological skills (Mello, 2014).

2. Job independence

Technology has facilitated human resource job independence since an employee is able to determine the hours to work, when to work and where to work. The internet has greatly facilitated globalization and job independence (Punnet, 2015). This is because most of the services such as auditing and marketing could be done from anywhere irrespective of geographical distance (Mello, 2014).

3. Entrepreneurship and Business growth

Organizational downsizing in the present 21^st century has resulted in the outsourcing of business services. This has in turn provided retrenched and laid-off employees with opportunities to setup business firms that offer these services (Punnet, 2015). An example of this is the layoff of subordinate staff due to the expenses of employing them on a permanent basis hence outsourcing this service. Initial company human resources have gone ahead and setup businesses and institutions that offer these services not only to the former employer but also other companies (Mello, 2014).

 

 

 

Research Methodology

 Research methodology covers research aspects such as research design, data collection method, data analysis method and data representation.

1. Research Design

Based on this research’s objective, this research study will utilise a descriptive research design. This is because of its effectiveness in the identification of challenges and objectives faced by human resources in the 21^st century.

Target population

This research’s target population will be human resources in both the public and the private sector. A total of twenty two human resources will be interviewed with ten in the public sector and ten in the private sector.

Sample Design 

The sampling design to be used in this research project will be stratified sampling technique to ensure that sufficient effective and adequate information is obtained. The use of stratified sampling technique will ensure that highest accuracy margins are achieved and no information elements are left out.

Data collection

A questionnaire that is semi-structured will be used to collect primary data from human resources from both private and public institutions. The questionnaire will close ended alongside using the likert scale. The questionnaire will be structured into two sections, A to E. Section A will capture personal information of human resources while Section B to E will capture information on challenges and opportunities facing employees in the 21^st century.

Data Analysis

Data from the filled questionnaires will be analysed using statistical methods such as percentages, mean, median and mode among others.

Data Presentation

Upon successful analysis of the data, the data will be presented using bar graphs, line graphs, tables and pie charts. The combination of tabular information with graphs and charts brings out a visual impression that is easier to understand and interpret. The users of this infroamtion will thus have a much easier time in the decision making.