Strategic HRM approaches

Strategic HRM approaches

Strategic approaches

1.     Changing attraction practices.

2.     Changing inducement offered to applicants.

3.    Targeting non-traditional sources of applicants.

Changing attraction practices

This involves a number of steps:

·       Broadening channels of recruitment.

·       Changing recruitment behaviour.

·       Changing recruitment measures.

Broadening channels of recruitment

— opening up information channels through open days, creation

of higher quality organisational information and broadening

familiarity of the organisation through train/shopping centre

adverts

— using consultancy head hunters to target candidates with

known experience

— new channels for advertising in, say, ethnic newspapers or via

the Internet, radio/TV to increase number of customer

attention points

— using trade press to improve targeting and shelf life of the

recruitment message.

2. Changing recruitment behaviour

— informal questioning of telephone contacts prior to the main

selection process

— job previewing to allow a deeper level of job knowledge, such

as in hospital work, particularly on acute wards

— use of co-worker information and contact to increase

credibility

— mixed race and gender recruitment panel including targeted

advertising, to support under-represented groups.

3. Changing recruitment measures

Generally improving the range and quality of information; importantly,

moving away from glossy brochure to information on company

situation, department and job objectives to give a sense of reality

Changing employee inducements and rewards

Practices here might include:

Salaries, benefits, relocation benefits and mortgage and

removal assistance where costs are higher, for example in

London, Paris, Hong Kong and New York.

Highlighting scope for progression, growth and the

breadth of experience say through project work

Targeting non-traditional sources of labour

We have already mentioned ethnic groups and distance workers. We

could also add the targeting of under-represented groups, for example,

post code discrimination by guaranteeing tests or interviews to all local

workers to improve the organisation's local reputation. Following the

introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act in the UK, employers

may be encouraged to develop positive strategies to recruit disabled

people through targeting.

Other factors in strategic recruitment/retention

Candidate friendly recruitment

This is a term introduced by Peter Herriott in the 1990s. Herriott (1994)

said the decade would be characterised by:

Quality of design of recruitment activity: information,

timing and candidate responsiveness.

Increasing use of TT in recruitment.

Importance of knowledge and the fast turnover of

organisations (SME and dot.coms) in the recruitment

challenge.

Movement away from bureaucracy to openness in

recruitment.

Supporting the rather more extreme views of demographic downturn

and regional disparity, Herriott agreed that the following would apply

in labour markets:

A sellers' market for knowledge workers.

Applicant power to choose employers, reversing power

relations in selection.

Need for more openness and transparency in job data and

decision making.

Wider use of advanced selection practice to allow for

more self-selection.

User friendliness in the selection process.

Professionalism in recruitment and marketing of the organisation

We have seen how objectivity has been improving in the selection

process. This has implications for cost effectiveness. Assessment centres

and tests are expensive to operate, particularly if they are used in

short-listing and pre-selection of large numbers of candidates. Thus HR

departments are under constant pressure to demonstrate the balance of

the business case against professionalism. For recruitment, this means:

·       Recruiting quality staff.

·       Objectivity and fairness.

·       Cost effectiveness and high retention.