Human Resource Management in Switzerland

Question: Discuss about the Human Resource Management in Switzerland. Answer: Introduction A report on human capital by World Economic Forum in 2106, ranked Switzerland in the third position globally. This report was founded on the ability of a country to harness the skills and knowledge of its population for economic growth. Several factors contribute to utilization of human capital; education, employment, political and economic environment. The analysis provided by the report scrutinizes education in across the globe and discusses the relevance of the knowledge acquired to the various sectors within a country. Switzerland retained its third position from the previous year due to its ability to utilize its population in growing her economy (Martin Whiting, 2016). Previously, it had been ranked for its productive workforce which is a result of academic structures that the government has invested heavily. Human resource management in Switzerland is centralized; the federal office of personnel is tasked with the setting human resource policies. It is responsible for defining and coordinating human resource policies, managing the pay system, training workers and levering their absorption into the workforce and also fosters diversity within the workforce. Its workforce has one of the highest numbers of employees working in full-time jobs within the public sector. The government has laws in place that govern the employment of its citizens. Switzerlands human resource practice is primarily centralized and has position-based recruitment practice. Recruitment is done through direct applications to the ministry where applicants that achieve the merit required are shortlisted for interviews. Workers pay is managed by a system which is determined by a collective bargaining structure. Employee assessment is done annually through written reports by supervisors. Supervisors are expected to give details of activities carried out, quality of employee output, employee skills exhibited and relevance of the work. Employees can go up in their ranks as their performance and experience increase. Comparison of Switzerland, Malaysia and Nigeria HRM Case Presentations In Switzerland, age and gender influence the employment practice. These demographics are components of the workforce dynamics which are a contributing factor to the economy. The largest percentage of the employee comprises of middle age individuals of 40-49 years of age with 30% share in the workforce. Women are given more consideration in the employment of individuals to the public sector. Although women are given more consideration during employment, their numbers are still low in the public sector. They occupy 26.4% of the total workforce in the public sector while 11% of them hold top management positions. In Malaysia, human resource management is centralized, and all the functions are governed by the Ministry Of Human Resources. It is responsible for the development of skills, employment, regulation of the pay system, and the formulation of policies that govern markets and employee relations. The Malaysian public sector is centric to the improvement of performance of its citizens. It aims at projecting a structured system that determines human resource utilization. It provides guidelines on the recruitment of citizens into the workforce and their progression throughout their careers. The country has three ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese and the Indians. The largest percentage of the workforce is held by the Malay who has a population of 54.6% of the total population of the country. Ethnic imbalance in Malaysian public sector has been criticized for lack of equal representation of its citizens. Nigeria is one of the most populous countries in the world with over 1980 million people. Currently, the country is facing economic recession due the global fall in oil prices. Nigeria has been an economic powerhouse in the sub-Saharan Africa for decades, and the human resource index has played a key role in it (Van der Westhuizen, 2009). Its population comprises of the highest number of skilled middle-aged citizens that could be assimilated into the workforce. The country has invested a lot in education and health to ensure that the country has a productive workforce. Nigeria lacks a centralized human resource management body, and the employment function is delegated to the different ministries within the government. The government has adopted some of the International Labor Organization conventions for the management of human resource. HRM Procedure Many countries have developed guidelines used in the recruitment and deployment of their workforce. This facilitates the efficiency of work adaptation by employees and increases their productivity (Gold, 2013). Policies that govern how these activities are conducted are crucial in managing conflicts that may arise. Procedures provide guidelines on the employee welfare that includes their benefits, health, and wellbeing (Knill, Balint, 2008). The three countries have similarities and differences in their procedure development and applications The Switzerland government classifies employees into different ranks according to their qualifications. The central government delegates some of the responsibilities of the ministries or units within the government including the recruitment, contract terms, career progression and dismissal from work. The quality of work output is tracked by the central organ which determines the worthiness of the employee. The conditions that workers are exposed to are managed by a federal body and the respective ministries. Other responsibilities that are shared between the government and the ministries include the formulation of work ethics and the provision of equal employment opportunities for the citizens. The Malaysian government has a central human resource management function as in Switzerland. The citizens are given opportunities to work in different sectors in the government. The recruitment of workers is done through a central placement of workforce. Although the Malay community has dominated the public service over the past decades, there is an increasing number of applications from all its ethnic groups in the country. The government has invested in supplying its sectors with the quality workforce to aid in innovation. Contributing factors to the success of any institutions consist of a quality human resource, structure, appropriate strategies and a clear support system within the government. Recruitment practice in Malaysian government is focused on diversifying its workforce to ensure that quality output is realized. In the Nigerian government, the HRM procedures is a responsibility given to the different ministries within the government. This practice allows the ministries to develop their guidelines and strategies in employing their workers. The Federal civil service of Nigeria is a regulatory body that oversees the recruitment and placement of the workers. It is tasked formulating policies that govern how ministries recruit their employees and analyses the work output of these employees. It gives guidelines for determining the type of skills required for a particular post. HRM Issues/Implications Countries strive to utilize the labor provided by the population for economic growth. Population increase is a positive and a negative factor to any economy. Gold, J. (2013) argues that the ability of a country to absorb its population into its workforce is crucial and if the population is overwhelming then it may strain its other resources and slow the economic growth. Consumption rises while production goes down affecting the dynamics of the economy. The population of the three countries in comparison differs; Nigeria leads the pack with over 180 million inhabitants. The population is a factor that needs to be regulated to avoid straining the economy. Training and education given to employees form part of a pivotal role in the economic growth a country. Education gives a chance to citizens to improve their lives through employment opportunities provided by the government. Investing in education is important to a country as the workforce is supplied continually with staff that is knowledgeable. Training should regularly be given to the employees to keep them updated with the new trends such as technology. HRM Discussion Human resource management is crucial to any institution. A structured system of recruiting employee is important as employees can work in areas of their specialization. Potential employees are given a chance to apply for posts that they feel more qualified to serve. The three countries have made policies to regulate how the public sector works for improvement and stabilization of their economies (Nankervis, Rowley, Salleh, 2016). Employees betterment is important as they can fully contribute to the economy when their working conditions remain favorable. Recommendations and Conclusion A central placement human resource is manageable and transparent. It gives all the citizens an opportunity to work in areas they qualified to work. Employee needs should be given attention as they constitute the breath line to the success of an economy. Any conflict that may lead to strikes or go-slows should be avoided, and these problems should be mitigated. From an economic development perspective, countries should focus on educating the population, creating job opportunities and giving them a recommendable pay for their work. These factors would build a satisfied workforce whose output is of high quality. References Gold, J., (2013). Human resource development: Theory and practice. London publishers. Brewster, C., Mayrhofer, W., Morley, M. (2004). Human resource management in Europe: Evidence of Convergence. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann. Knill, C., Balint, T., (2008). Explaining variation in organizational change: the reform of human resource management in the European Commission and the OECD. Barcelona: CIDOB. Martin, M., Whiting, F., Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. (2016). Human resource practice. Pearson. Nankervis, A., Rowley, C., Salleh, N., (2016). Asia Pacific human resource management and organizational effectiveness: Impacts on practice. New York. Van der Westhuizen, E. J., (2009). Managing people in the twenty-first century: integrative public human resource management in sub-Saharan Africa. (Van der Westhuizen, EJ 2005, 'Managing people in the twenty-first century: integrative public human resource management in sub-Saharan Africa'), Politeia, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 142-160.) Unisa Press.