Employee

In any successful company, human resource management is very vital because it ensures that a company’s most valued assets are effectively managed. In this case, the employees are considered to be the most valued assets of a given company. The working together of the employees contributes to a company’s business objectives achievement. Alavi (Alavi,1988) states that employees as individuals have varying needs ,goals, and skills, all of which should contribute to the maximum productivity of a company.

Because the productivity of a company depends on the performance of the employees, the knowledge, skills, and experience of the employees are very crucial if a company has to succeed. One of the major roles of the human resource management department in a company is to make sure that the employee skills are always improved. The ability of the employees to perform excellently in their work requires the improvement of the employee skills. According to Armstrong (Armstrong, 2006), employees are then able to improve their working skills and enjoy several benefits.

In addition, improved employee skills equip the employees well so that they are able to adapt to the changes experienced in the work place. Employee skills enhancement enables the workers to learn at work and to appropriately respond to the competitive work challenges. The employees can then gain recognition and rewards from the employers since their productivity and performance is increased. Some of the ways through which the rewards and recognition are given to the employees include better career opportunities, promotion, job security, and better salaries.

In the contemporary world, computer skills are some of the most important employee skills in the work place. This view is echoed in an article (How to Provide Employee Computer Skills Training. 2008). Globalization and modernization have demanded that companies or organizations adapt to the technological advancements, computer systems being one of the example. The computer systems and software that many companies are using to increase their productivity and returns requires that the employees be well equipped with computer skills, views that are also supported by Borghans et al (Borghans and Weel, 2002).

The employer has a responsibility to recruit and hire qualified and highly skilled workers. However, it is the company’s responsibility to improve the skills of its employees. There is no doubt that any company should provide its employees with computer skills if it is to succeed in its activities in the current global markets. Based on Allen et al (Allen and Morton, 1994) opinion, one of the ways through which companies can improve it employee’s computer skills is through training.

There are several methods through which training can be done. The question on which training methods a company should adopt in efforts to improve the employee’s general computer skills depends on the needs of the company, the financial resources availability, and the effectiveness of the training method in improving the employee skills. In this paper, the best training method that a company should use to improve its employee computer skills will be discussed.

The research paper findings will be based on the research done and the feedback of the interviews that will be conducted with the company X managers and the employees in the human resource management. B) Literature review 1. Training Methods Technological changes have become part and parcel of the modern world. Companies cannot avoid the changes, but instead are required to adopt the changes. Through training, employees will be able to acquire computer skills. Many companies acknowledge the need to incorporate employee training in their human resource management effectively.

The training methods can either be on- job training or off- job training. In many companies, off- job training or on- job training is done to improve the employee computer skills. Bilker (Belker, 2005) is of the opinion that training of employees in a company aims at improving the employees performance, satisfying the personal growth needs, and preparing an individual for managerial and promotion succession. As stated in the ICMR Books (ICMR Books, 2007), companies need to achieve all these by equipping employees with computer skills and this requires training.

In on- job training, the employees receive training while in the actual work situation. The employees are able to acquire the necessary skills through learning by doing or through direct experiences when working. There are several ways through which on- job training can be done. On- job training can be done through job instruction. The advantage of this method is that it allows the employees to apply immediately what they learn. However, the training may not be effective if more focus is given on work rather than training.

Off- job training is different from on- job training in that, off-job training involves giving training to the employees in an environment that is away from the immediate working environment. There are many ways through which off- job training can be done. A good example is the classroom lectures. Off-job lectures enable employees to be more focused on training. On the other hand, the method reduces work productivity when employees are away from work. Both off- job and on- job training have their advantages and disadvantages.

Employee motivation is a very important aspect in management. This can be likened to a marriage in a business where by several factors are put together inorder to create harmony in the organization. Motivation refers to a set of reasons that determine ones behaviour towards a certain direction. Several theories which have been developed with time indicate that motivation is associated with the basic need to get maximum pleasures and avoid pain and thus involve such issues as eating, playing, resting e.t.c. (Ryan, 1985)

Managers need to adopt ways of motivating employees so that they can perform well in their various departments and thus maximum output in the company. Decision making involves the process of taking a specific course of action which is suited to deal with a specific problem. The overall success of an organisation purely depends on the decisions the managers make. Managers can adopt various methods of instilling motivation in employees depending on the type of organisation. (Gollwitzer, 1999)

Some managers can adopt rational models in their decisions. Rational model is a situation where managers engage in rational decision making process. Non rational model involves the manager going a mile away and doing things non rationally.

Decision making contain several processes which include:

• Identifying the problem. The management should be in a position to scrutinise and note what has caused a particular thing perceived to be a problem in the company.
• Identifying the sources and constraints. The management should come up with the possible ideas of solving these particular problems.
• Coming up with alternative solutions to a problem. If the problem is quite technical the management needs to consider some other ways of dealing with it.
• Evaluating the objectives. The objectives should be focusing on all the parameters of the company and not only a part of it because that will be termed bias.
• Choosing an alternative. Several alternatives will coexist depending on the company’s setup of decision making and the nature of the problem in question.
• Putting in place the decision. Refers to the implementation process.
• Monitoring the decision. Assessing if the problem has been addressed well by the given decisions.
• Inorder for employees to motivate workers they need to organise there decisions very well. They require vital information with alot of speed, precision, brevity and economy. There is need for a management information system which will aid the employee in making decisions which in turn will be very vital in motivating the employees.

Managerial decisions will have an influence in the motivation of employees in several ways. These depend on the areas of influence where the managers have a direct influence on the management of the organisation. Some of these areas include:

• Communication. Communication is a very important aspect in an organisation. Its an aspect which can either make the organisation grow or break down. The decision of the managers should be that which makes communication open. Dictatorial kind of leaderships will influence communication in a negative way and therefore management should consider the type of leadership in place. Employees who access information and company knowledge feel they are important in the company since they get a sense of belongingness. They can even be free to tell the management of the feelings about the organisation and thus improvement in the overall management structure.
• Human resource management. The management decision should align itself in adopting a human resource management which will deal with issues relating to the employees. A good human resource department in an organisation will create a culture of excellence that both involves and motivates all the workers. The workers should develop a team culture where the people will work as a team like professionals.
• A good working environment. The management should come up with the right decisions as to the availability of materials in the organisation. If they provide employees with the necessary materials, equipment and training they will do their job well. Many employees will complain that they have been placed to do some particular job which they have not been adequately trained for. This will lower the performance of the employees and thus affect the output of the organisation. The manager should develop mentorship programmes which will look into the affairs of the employees and how they work together.
• The decision of the management on the guiding principles should be firm and consistent. the issues as to how the customers should be treated and how they should treat one anther is very fundamental. The working environment should be a place to interact and have fun so that workers will come to work everyday. The management should not be so rigid that creates no free interaction. ( Cervone, 2006)
• Management should make a decision to follow the essential ad simplistic leadership principle on the way to engage employees. The management should tend towards keeping the employees in the right frame of mind, making them feel that they are working with the management and not for the management. If they happen to create a notion that they are working for you, they behave in no less the same as robots who go into there jobs without putting alot of seriousness in their hearts and not showing any initiative in the job role.
• Employees should be made to feel wanted by the organisation by appreciating them, listening to them, showing a sense of care and asking for ideas. If the management truly wants a high level of performance in the employees then it needs to develop issues in management which are based on the employee orientation. A manager should develop policies which maximize on the things which build relationships between workers and the employees.
• The decisions made by the managers should be future oriented inorder to create motivation in the employees. The management should recognise that the executives, managers and business owners and there role in determining the company’s decisions. The decisions of the managers should create a focus in them. Employees feel secured and motivated to work if they feel they are working for a company which is future oriented. In most instances employees will want to go an extra mile in wanting to be part of decision making in the organisation.
• The decision of the management should enhance freedom of expression in the organisation. The manager should create an atmosphere where the employee will feel free to discuss. This starts with him realising what is expected of him. He should involve the employees in his dealings. He should focus on his strengths and commit doing to his best. The employee will always look at the successes of the manager and thus be encouraged.
• Management of a company should seek to address issues that deal with performance management, working relationships and empowerment. There should be avenues where the individuals can raise there issues and be given the regular updates of the organisation. The employees should be told what empowerment means and that they have empowerment over some issues in the management especially decisions. ( Bandura, 1997)
• A good management should set its decisions and goals towards creating an organisation which is as good as its people. The management should create a total service excellence culture which makes the employees recognise that they are part and parcel of the overall performance of the company. Make the employees be accountable for their performance not to anybody else and this will give them a sense of feeling part of the company. ( Bandura, 1997)

Conclusion

Decisions in management cannot be regarded as decisions unless they are focussed on the welfare of the employees. Employees motivation is a significant factor in trying to realise the goals of an organisation. It’s important for the management to adopt management decisions which are flexible and in a position to motivate the workers.

Since workers are the central focus and the people who make the company run effectively, decisions in the company should be employee oriented and not service oriented. If the three quarters of the company’s decisions could be focussing on the employee motivation, then the issue of poor outcomes of work could not be an issue. Several companies successes have been attributed to the enforcement of the decision in the company which majorly focus on the employees.

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