Conclusion

In short, I have learned a lot of new things from these topics. I have learned that HRIS is really a wide used application in HR functions. It does help the HR personnel a lot in work nowadays. The works done in the past are paper-based and is manually. Today, almost every job is done by using computer. The differences between paper-based and computerized-based are paper-based is not as flexible as computerized-based work because we can change or edit information keep in the computer. Besides, we can store a lot of information in a computer than papers. Computer systems can customized the systems and share the information to all the workers in the whole organization. 

In spite of all these high technology information systems, the managers or personnel should know how to operate the systems and fully use the systems in their operation. Training should be provided to all employees so that everyone in the entity will know how the systems functions and fully utilize it.

Actually I have no deep understanding about how HRIS influence in OSH. All the references that I have currently are focus more on OSHA itself but not how information systems help OSH. All I know are about pass accidents records keeping, OSH policies, and calculating the possibilities of accidents. I will continue search for more information in order to have more examples and a wider picture of HRIS application in OSH.

            (237 words)

Web Based Compensation and Planning

Compensation planning involves modelling the costs associated with compensation and benefits. From the notes prepared by Dr. Nur Naha for this topic, I understand that HRIS can influence employees’ compensation planning. Compensation package is a competitive tool used to attract and retain employees with critical job skills, enhance motivation, and improve the quality of work life for employees. Compensation can be categorized into fixed compensation and variable compensation. While for benefits, there are defined contributions plans (DCP), defined benefits, flexible benefits and benefits statement in the notes.

Web-based compensation planning can be applied in other HR functions like job evaluation and pricing, compensation management and COBRA compliance. I have read a book on this topic in library. The book elaborates in details HRIS in compensation and benefits application. Due to job evaluation and pricing is a continual process, large amount of information including variety of compensable factors for each job and wage survey information are collected and must be analyzed. Compensation application can combine and summarize information from job evaluation interviews and studies. Systems can be used to extract wage survey data from various commercial and government data bases. Besides, the system can assist the compensation manager in balancing job worth, as determined by the score on the job, with labor market pay levels.

Compensation management is one of the most common HRIS applications. HRIS supports a major function in the organization by facilitating record keeping and generating a variety of standard and ad hoc reports. Compensation managers have to deal with many time consumed issues and decision makings including government reports. Compensation applications make these sophisticated analyses possible and provide the manager the ability to respond to the information demands of the job.

Benefit statement is a document prepared by the organization to manage employees’ pension or retirement plan. Today’s complicated benefits systems such as cafeteria benefits plans have been made possible in large part by HRIS benefits applications. These systems allow employees to customise their benefits to meet individual needs. Employees are often given a certain number of benefits credits and allowed to spend them on a menu of employer-supplied benefits. These systems require massive amount of records keeping since the potential benefit combinations are virtually unlimited. Without an HRIS such cafeteria benefit systems would be manageable.

For pay and rewards system, Mc Donald implement “pay for performance” philosophy. It means the payment will be increase as the results are becoming better. They offer base pay, short term incentives, long term incentives, recognition plans and company car programs. To provide these rewards to the employees, Mc Donald will need an information system to help it to keep the records of employees’ performance so the employers can evaluate the employees’ performance by referring to the records keep to give payment and rewards to the employees. 

                        (466 words)

References:

Kavanagh, M.J., Gueutal, H.G., and Tannenbaum, S.I. (1990). Human Resource Information Systems: Development and Application. Part III, Chapter 9, pp. 254-262. Massachusetts: PWS-KENT Publishing Company.

Kavanagh, M.J., Thite, M., and Johnson, R.D. (2011). Second Edition Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions. Chapter 14, pp. 457-473. SAGE Publication.

Mc Donald Pay & Rewards, retrieved from McDonald portal website: http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/corporate_careers/benefits/highlights_of_what_we_offer/pay_and_rewards.html

Compensation Management at McDonald, retrieved from: http://www.scribd.com/doc/49241499/Compensation-Management-at-Mcdonald

Veal, E.T. (2012). Slips of the Pen: When and How May ERISA Plans Correct Scrivener’s Errors? Compensation Planning Journal: Tax Management. Pp. 1-7.

Web-based Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)

             From my understandings about this topic, web-based system can assists OSH in keeping the records of past accidents happened in the workplace, the victims and injuries, prevention methods, organizational safety and health act (OSHA), total of workers, types of services and possibilities of exposure to hazard situations and more. By referring to the past workplace accidents records, the management of OSH team can identify and predict which areas have higher accidents possibilities.

As we know, workers are easily exposed to dangerous situations while working, such as spoilt or explosion of chemical substances in the factories or labs, defection of machine in manufacturing factories, fire, construction site, expose to computer for a long period, robbery, and more. Therefore, OSHA helps to reduce these accidents by setting the general industry standards, maritime standards, construction standards, other regulations and procedures, and issues a field operation manual.

It is not only the employers’ responsibility to provide a safety and healthy workplace for the employees, the employees must comply to the act too. Employees should report to employers any occupational injuries and illnesses. These incidents should then be record as a reference for future precautions. Employers should refer to these records and try to do something to avoid the accidents. For example, if there are a few employees reported falling injuries due to the water leakage at the ceiling in their department, employers should hire someone to fix the leakage problem.

The web-based tools that can assists OSH including setting up security system, crime prevention plan, digital technologies and so on. For example, in a science lab, OSH rules and regulations will include wearing appropriate attires, accurate procedures of using tools and equipments, emergency floor plan and more. All these rules will be record in the organization safety online system where the entire entity can always go through it easily.

The additional article reading discusses about the involvement of employees in improving the workplace safety and health. There are four stages to ensure that the employees are committed to improve workplace safety conditions. Firstly, employers should assess the organization for commitment to new project by surveying the employees for their readiness and safety attitudes towards Employment Involvement (EI). Secondly, select and train the suitable committees and facilitators to develop and plan supportive management climate. Next, formulate and implement the proposals and then measure and monitor the progress.                                                                                                                       (392 words)

References:

Bahrin, J.S., Sajahan, M.H., and Hamad, M.N. (2004). Emergency Response Programme in The Petrochemical Industry in Malaysia. Journal of Occupational Safety and Health. Vol.1 No.1, pp. 32-37.

Taylor, G., Easter, K., and Hegney, R. (2004). Enhancing Occupational Safety and Health. Chapter 2: Safety Management and Chapter 14: Health and Safety Management Systems. London: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.

Reese, C.D. (2009). Industrial Safety and Health for Goods and Materials Services. Chapter 6: Safety and Health Management. New York: CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group.

Tompkins, N.C. (2006). A Manager’s Guide to OSHA Revised Edition: What Every Manager Should Know. Part 1: Monitoring Injury and Illness. Boston: Thomson NETg.

Erikson, P.A. (1996). Practical Guide to Occupational Health and Safety. Massachusetts, U.S.A.: Elsevier Inc. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/book/9780750671279

Web Based Employee Learning and Development (ELD)

            I have learned how web-based technology aids in employee learning and development (ELD) system in the past few weeks. As we know, it is very important that employees know the progression of their work performance so they will have chance to correct their mistakes and upgrade their performance.

During the class, Dr, Nur Naha mentioned about the American Society for Training and Development), Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Great Lake Consortium (GLC) which are the three world’s largest associations that focus on workplace learning and development. These three associations are responsible to provide resources required by the professionals, students, and educators.

From my understanding, the process ELD system goes like; the organization will firstly plan and observe their employees’ training, career development and performance. Next, the organization know about the employees’ performance and have the plan for their development, the management can analyze the employee career development. After the analysis, the management can recommend a training program and periodic performance appraisal for the employees to improve themselves. The training program conducted will then be assessed its effectiveness.

One of the examples that I am familiar with is the e-PPP system that is using by University Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). E-PPP is a system for the students to rate their lecturers’ teaching performance in the class. During the end every semester, every student in UTM is required to fill up an online form to evaluate their lecturers’ teaching performance by using likert scale for different aspects. The students’ identities will be kept confidential throughout the rating period. After the rating period, the marks for each lecturer will be calculated by the system itself and the results will be sent to each lecturer’s account. The lecturers can view their grades in different aspects. According to the standards set by the university, the lecturers will know they are strong in which areas and which areas they need to improve. They can quickly plan for their remedial plans to overcome their shortcomings.

The components of ELD systems including employee personal information, performance before training (current performance), training courses attended and about to attend, training transfer and program evaluation. So does the e-PPP system. The system contains each lecturer’s general and education background, previous KPI and courses attended. Lecturers can know their performance progression whether have improved as compared to the past records.

                                                                                                            (390 words)

References:

Information about ASTD from ASTD portal website, retrieved from: http://www.astd.org/About

Information about CIPD from CIPD portal website, retrieved from: http://www.cipd.co.uk/cipd-hr-profession/about-us/

Information about GLC from GLC portal website, retrieved from: http://www.glcbusinessservices.com/picture_yourself.asp

Kavanagh, M.J., Gueutal, H.G., and Tannenbaum, S.I. (1990). Human Resource Information Systems: Development and Application. Part III, Chapter 8, pp199-249. Massachusetts: PWS-KENT Publishing Company.

Kavanagh, M.J., Thite, M., and Johnson, R.D. (2011). Second Edition Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions. Chapter 13, pp. 409-438. SAGE Publication.