1. Employee expectations

Question 1

Employee Expectations intro?

Answer 1

Every person is an individual. Employees will have different expectations when it comes to the workplace. Competent human resource managers recognise these differences, and adjust their practices to suit the needs and wants of the employees.

• The HRM perspective, or view of management, sees the staff of an organisation as human beings with human needs to be fulfilled.

• Staffs are seen as more than just inputs in the production process
—they have expectations of the job, they seek a degree of satisfaction from the work they do, and they need to be motivated to perform at their best.

• The three—expectations, work satisfaction and motivation—are closely related.

Question 2

ONE) Employee expectations typically centre on:?

Answer 2

■ fair treatment by the employer (ethical management)
■ steady employment
■ good conditions of employment (for example, pay and leave)
■ a positive working environment
■ a safe workplace.

Question 3

TWO) Job satisfaction can be affected by ?

Answer 3

Job satisfaction can be affected by the expectations the individual brings to the job, and also by such factors as:
■ the nature of the work
■ remuneration (pay) for the work
■ the way the work is supervised
■ the quality of relationships with fellow workers/colleagues
■ the existence of paths for career development and advancement
■ a balance between work and non-work life.

Question 4

THREE) Motivation is what ?

Answer 4

Motivation is what drives the individual member of staff to put effort into the job.
Because it involves personality factors and personal circumstances, the degree—or strength—of a person’s motivation can be highly individual.

However, motivation can be affected by a number of factors that are external to the individual and are, to a substantial extent, under the control of management (principally the HRM practitioner).

Staff are motivated by:
■ financial incentives (the pay structure of the organisation)
■ opportunities for achievement
■ recognition for what is achieved
■ opportunities to hold responsible positions
■ opportunities for advancement in the organisation
■ the work itself (‘taking pleasure in the job’).

Question 5

Employee Expectations

Conditions of Employment?

Answer 5

Different employees have different expectations: competent HR managers recognise these differences and adjust their practices to suit these needs.

1. Conditions of Employment

i)	Physical Environment 
	Safe work environment
ii)	Remuneration
	Pay and other benefits
	Expect what they are legally entitled to
iii)	Professional Environment
	Opportunity to undertake training
	Involved in decision making processes
	Staff empowerment
	Access to career paths

Question 6

Employee Expectations

OH&S?

Answer 6

2. Occupational Health and Safety
   Workers have the right to expect their workplace to be safe and not adversely affect their health.

 Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 covers Victorian Workplaces: Concepts of the Act:
>Eliminate/Reduce risks to health and safety
>Safe Workplace
>Monitor health and safety
>Abide by H&S rules

Question 7

Employee Expectations

JOb Security?

Work Life Balance?

Answer 7

3. Job Security
    Today things are different—workers employed by many organisations
    Workers employed on short-term contracts
    HR Manager establishes these contracts
4. Work-Life Balance
    Workplace should demonstrate an understanding of responsibilities to friends and family.
    Family leave should be offered
    Child Care alleviates pressure off parents
    Flexible Work Arrangements means that workers can adjust working hours to fulfil other commitments
   >Job Share
   >Telecommuting
   >Flexitime

Question 8

Diversity Management?

Answer 8

Diversity in human resource management refers to the workplace mix of people in terms of gender, race, nationality and other characteristics. The modern view of diversity includes all the ways in which people differ. The diversity of a workforce is an important consideration in the management of staff expectations and motivation.

• Management of diversity is related to equal employment opportunity, but effective diversity management goes beyond the basic requirements of an equal opportunity workplace.

 Management sees diversity as a positive and aims to harness it for business advantage.

 Such changes in the composition of the population are impacting on most workplaces.

 Australian business organisations need to recognise the extent of their diversity and develop HR strategies for the effective management of diversity.

 In the external environment of organisations, the globalisation of business has put our organisations in ongoing contact with a more diverse range of cultures.

Question 9

Diversity Management

The ways in which staffs differ ?

Answer 9

■Personal (primary): age, gender, mental and physical ability, nationality, race, sexual orientation

■ Personal (secondary): beliefs, educational level, marital status, socio-economic status, values

■ Organisation-related: casual/part-time/ full-time status, position in hierarchy, tenure.

Question 10

Advantages of diversity management

Answer 10

There are four ways that effective management of a diverse workforce can benefit business performance.

Effective diversity management:

■ Improves employee job satisfaction, motivation and work performance

■ Reduces costs associated with poor diversity management—costs can arise from poor (inefficient) communication, conflict, absenteeism, staff turnover, recruiting shortfalls and legal action

■ Taps into the skills, experience and ideas of employees—this results in creativity and innovation in both work operations and product development for a more diverse range of customers

■ Draws on cross-cultural capabilities within the organisation for use externally, both in Australia and overseas.

Question 11

Implementing diversity management

Answer 11

The aim of diversity management is to maximize the contributions of all staff to the objectives of the organization. Diversity management incorporates the following initiatives and strategies:

■ Showing that diversity is valued and promoting understanding of its advantages to the organization

■ Offering training to develop awareness of diversity among current staff

■ Offering training to improve language, communication and conflict management skills throughout the organization

■ Forming a diversity guiding team or task force that includes all relevant groups

■ Collecting information by undertaking diversity and culture audits (an audit surveys staff, analyses data and produces a diversity profile)

Question 12

Family Friendly Workplaces

Answer 12

There is a trend in Australia towards developing more family-friendly workplaces. This is a type of diversity management because it is responding to the needs of a group in the workforce. While the parenting responsibilities of the genders are changing, tension between family and work responsibilities is an important reason that women, in particular, leave organisations.

Family-friendly human resource strategies recognise that employees do not leave their family and personal lives at home when they come to work.

Family commitments remain with them: children or other family members may be ill, childcare may become unavailable or school holidays may cause difficulty for employees to keep work commitments. These life expectations affect staff expectations and motivation