HR management in Britain and in EU Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

HR management in Britain and in EU - Essay Example The diplomatic management of human resources comes into play during recruitment. It is also responsible for what is contained in employee contracts, and this includes the aspects of social policy, such as social security benefits, leave, responsibility for work injuries, etc. Managers are responsible too for knowing the talents of the members of their workforce, as this knowledge will lead to better deployment. This is to the advantage of production as well as to the advantage of the employees, who achieve a sense of worth and fulfilment in utilising their best skills. Human resource development is also an important part of human resource management, and while the managers in UK firms play a large role in this, in the newer EU countries (Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia) the government takes a much more active role. The European Union has set its own standards for the management of human capital, and these standards must be met by any European state that wishes to enter the union. It realises that "effective management policies lead to employee competence and commitment, congruence between the objectives of employees and management, and is more cost effective" (Price, 2004). Several concerns, however, have been aired. Problems have been foreseen in the area of maintaining quality human resource management across the widening expanse of the European Union. In addition to this, problems also exist where there are discrepancies between and among the HRM policies of different EU member states. Since the European Union allows to some extent for the employment of members across member states, then it is essential for there to exist some level of agreement among the states regarding HRM policies. As it stands, while some states such as the United Kingdom have very advanced policies and robust human re source departments, other states like Slovakia, Poland, and the Czech Republic demonstrate a less developed level of management of its human capital. In order to remove the disparity among EU member states and its candidates, it is necessary first to have a thorough knowledge of the state of affairs in each country and then to compare and contrast to better understand what needs to be done. These nations will be assessed in terms of their managerial structure, managerial policies regarding recruitment, and human resource training and development. The UK model of Human Resource Management The actual term "Human Resource Director/Manager" exists in a large proportion of corporations in the United Kingdom. The existence of such a position demonstrates a high level of commitment to the management of human capital. The HR director overarches other managers who specialise in different areas. In the United Kingdom's private sector, 42% of all firms employing 500-999 persons (smaller firms) have a position with that title. In the larger firms, employing more than 1000 persons, the percentage rises to 65 (Federation of European Employers, 2005). Though not all companies have a position with such a title, there is evidence to suggest that the role does exist. In addition to this, the specialist managers' titles include training director managers,