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1.0.

Five Challenges faced by Human Resource Manager in Organization

and Ways to overcome
1.1.
Finding and Retaining Talent
1.2.
Change Management
1.3.
Investigating Employees Complaints
1.4.
Relationship Management
1.5.
Managing Cultural Diversity

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2.0.

References

1.1.

FIVE CHALLENGES FACED BY HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER IN

ORGANIZATION AND WAYS TO OVERCOME

1.2.

Finding and Retaining Talent

Human resource is an important resource of a company as important as capital. It could be

pivotal for a company in enhancing the companys competitive advantage. This is because the
most challenging task of human resource manager is to retain recruit and the right people for
a suitable position and having such people in the time they need it.
Hiring of appropriate personnel is one of the key determinations in making the company
difference from others. In current environment, the talent that needed by the company is
limited even the labour available is usually more than the position available in the market.
This make the human resource faced with challenges as they are indirectly competing with
other companies human resource in order to attract and retain the talent in their company. To
stay outstanding from other companies, it is depending on the ability of the human resource
to continuously finding new ways to maximize the level of talent in their company especially
the knowledge-centric companies. But, such task is not easy to accomplish in the current
competitive market.
Besides that, retaining existing talent is also one of the challenging tasks for human resource
manager. Again, due to the increase in competitiveness of the market, some companies may
offer better benefits for the employees that they wish to hire in order to attract those
employees to quit their current job and work for the new company. Hence, the human
resource manager needs to put effort and find new creative ways in order to retain talent in
their companies.
To solve such challenges mentioned above, the human resource manager may offer a custommade or more liberalized system that less restricted the employees. For example,
decentralized the company so that those employees are empowered and allowed to give
suggestion and made decisions which in turns made them feel they are appreciated by the
company; add creativity to their job design so that they feel motivated to come across
different challenges; offering additional benefits such bonus or voucher that is out of their
expectation; providing them better working conditions by designing a healthy entertainment
area (such as gym) for employees to relax themselves; and others.

1.3.

Change Management

One of the functions of human resource is to improve the position of business or to assist the
business to achieve certain improvement. In order to carry out the improvement activities
which conducted to adapt with the changing business environment, certain changes may be
made to the corporation, especially technology changes. In managing such changes, the
employees may resist to change as they are afraid that their responsibilities and their positions
will be replaced by the new technology that is introduced into the company where such new
technology may improve the efficiency and effectiveness of work. Hence, the role of human
resource manager is to deal with this resistance issue. However, it is not easy to change
people mind. This issue has becoming one of the biggest challenges face by the human
resource manager. To reduce or overcome this issue, before the corporation implement any
new changes, the human resource manager shall communicate to the employees to explain
the reasons to change and benefits that could gain through the change as well as the
constrains so that the employees may have proper mental and physical preparation before
they approach to the changes in the corporation. Besides that, the human resource manager
may also emphasize that the technology will only assist rather than replace the employees to
eliminate employees anxiety in facing with the changes. And, at the same time appreciate the
employees so that the employees know their worth to the corporation which helps increase
their sense of security of their positions.

1.4.

Investigating Employee Complaints

In a working environment, some frictions may occur between the employees and supervisors,
which resulting in employees complaints. This is because the supervisor always being overconfidence with their management style that they didnt realize that it had affected the
employees. And, certain employees also do not realize own problems but always assumed the
problem is come from the supervisor. The Human Resource Department is responsible to
handling such conflict and employees complaints. They need to investigate the reasons
behind the complaint and find the best solution to the problem. However, it is not easy to
solve the conflict as those significant complaints usually come when it reach a critical
situation. Human resource manager tends to end up coaching both sides without giving a
solution due to lacking of experience or knowledge on how to deal with conflicts. In fact,
3

improvement comes after conflict being solved. However, handling employees in the best
possible way is a big challenge for the human resource manager.
To solve this challenge, the human resource manager may attend certain training regarding
human resource management on how to deal with conflicts in the companies. They also need
to be neutral in handling the complaints, but not only listen to one party word. They should
not only comfort, but to communicate with the related party regarding the problem, so that
the problem may solve rather than only curb in order to prevent it happened again.

1.5.

Relationship Management

Human resource department is a place for employees to voice out their concerns. Hence,
human resource manager is responsible to communicate with the employees to deal with any
problems or issues raised and at the same time ensuring employees human right is protected.
To carry out these tasks effectively, human resource manager is encouraged to maintain
neutral relationship with the employees to avoid discrimination, bias or unfair treatment
being given to different employees. However, this had becoming a big challenge for the
human resource manager because as a human being, it is not easy to remain unswervingly
when a great concern, which might affecting him or someone he care, has approach to him. A
good relationship management may comfort the employees and increase employees trust and
loyalty towards the company; while a poor relationship management may fail to solve the
issues raised and demotivate the employees. To improve such relationship management skill
of the human resource manager, training regarding relationship management may provide to
the manager so that he place the organization benefits as the priority. The human resource
manager should also listen to the employees concern first without prejudice to ensure fair
treatment will be given to the employees. Besides that, communication is a main element in
relationship management where effective communication builds trust while poor
communication causes uncertainty. Hence, the human resource manager shall improve his
communication skills in order to maintain proper relationship with the employees.

1.6.

Managing Cultural Diversity

Managing diversity is a significant challenge that most companies do not recognized or

realized. It is actually important and need to pay attention on due to the globalization that
resulting in internationalization nowadays. In today environment, the labor involving many
people from different cultures and this including those that come from different countries,
possessed different education background, working experiences, religious beliefs, different
maturity of thinking level and perception, abilities and talent, etc. The challenges of human
resource manager are to manage such cultural diversity and ensuring the people can work and
cooperate together harmoniously. Human resource manager also need to revise the corporate
culture to ensure that it appropriate to all individuals according to different cultural
sensitivity. However, the more the employees from different cultures being hired, the more
difficult the human resource manager to reconcile everything in order to comfort everyone in
the company.
To resolve this challenge, the human resource manager needs to maintain a good relationship
with all employees. He shall understand every culture well and always communicate with the
employees so that he can solve any problem raised as soon as possible before the problem
being expanded and causing un-retrievable situations.

2.0. REFERENCES
Human Resource Management Challenges. Villanova University. Retrieved from:
http://www.villanovau.com/human-resource-management-challenges/. Accessed date:
17/6/2014
Challenges Faced by Human Resource Managers Because of Technical Changes . Jeremy C
Bradley, Demand Media. Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/challengesfaced-human-resource-managers-because-technical-changes-61058.html.

Accessed

date: 17/6/2014
Major Challenges Affecting a Human Resources Manager. Jeremy C Bradley, Demand
Media. Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/major-challenges-affectinghuman-resources-manager-57675.html. Accessed date: 17/6/2014
Facing Modern HR Challenges Head-On. N Nayab, Michele McDonough. Retrieved from:
http://www.brighthub.com/office/human-resources/articles/83254.aspx. Accessed Date:
21/6/2014
Major Challenges Affecting a Human Resource Manager. Ralph Heibutzi, Demand Media.
Retrieved from: http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/major-challenges-affecting-humanresource-manager-29113.html. Accessed Date: 21/6/2014