HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICE - Fichier PDF

150 ❚ HRM processesunimportant. Organizations have obligations to all their stakeholders, not just theirowners.It may be difficult to express these policies in anything but generalized terms, butemployers are increasingly having to recognize that they are subject to external aswell as internal pressures, which act as constraints on the extent to which they candisregard the higher standards of behaviour towards their employees that areexpected of them.Specific policiesThe specific policies should cover the following areas as described below: equalopportunity, managing diversity, age and employment, promotion, work-life balance,employee development, reward, involvement and participation, employee relations,new technology, health and safety, discipline, grievances, redundancy, sexual harassment,bullying, substance abuse, smoking, AIDS, and e-mails.Equal opportunityThe equal opportunity policy should spell out the organization’s determination togive equal opportunities to all, irrespective of sex, race, creed, disability, age ormarital status. The policy should also deal with the extent to which the organizationwants to take ‘affirmative action’ to redress imbalances between numbers employedaccording to sex or race, or to differences in the levels of qualifications and skills theyhave achieved.The policy could be set out as follows:1. We are an equal opportunity employer. This means that we do not permit director indirect discrimination against any employee on the grounds of race, nationality,sex, sexual orientation, disability, religion, marital status or age.2. Direct discrimination takes place when a person is treated less favourably thanothers are, or would be, treated in similar circumstances.3. Indirect discrimination takes place when, whether intentionally or not, a conditionis applied that adversely affects a considerable proportion of people of onerace, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, religion or marital status, those withdisabilities, or older employees.4. The firm will ensure that equal opportunity principles are applied in all its HRpolicies, and in particular to the procedures relating to the recruitment, training,development and promotion of its employees.5. Where appropriate and where permissible under the relevant legislation andcodes of practice, employees of under-represented groups will be given positivetraining and encouragement to achieve equal opportunity.