WHAT IS GREEN HRM?? : WHAT IS GREEN HRM?? Green HR is a strategy used primarily for reducing the carbon footprint of each employee and talent retention. This term is combined by traditional CSR concept with longer-term renewable approach to business practices . It involves undertaking environment-friendly HR initiatives resulting in greater efficiencies, lower costs and better employee engagement and which in turn, help organizations to reduce employee carbon footprints by the likes of electronic filing, car-sharing, job-sharing, teleconferencing and virtual interviews, recycling, telecommuting, online training

GREEN PRACTICES: GREEN PRACTICES Operations carried out in H.R requires a lot of consumables, such as paper, plastic, envelope and ink toner. Although there are both environmental and economic concerns, it is possible to be ecological, economical and practical at the same time. Here are some environmentally-friendly solutions to stay Green in the HR functions . Green Printing Green Design for Payroll and Taxation Forms Green Manufacturing & Disposal of Staff ID Card

Green HRM processes : Green HRM processes Green Recruiting Training, Development, and Learning Performance Management & Appraisal Employee Relations Pay & Reward EXIT

Green work-life balance (WLB): : Green work-life balance (WLB): It can be assumed that the full potential of Green HRM in theory and practice has not yet been realized. One conceivable deficit which could hamper the greening process is that the green HR policies focus only on employees working role. We need to acknowledge that environmentally relevant attitudes and behavior are not learned exclusively at the workplace, but also in private life . People have distinctive modes of living. They practice specific consumption patterns in their everyday life, Therefore employees private role as consumers is considered crucial for learning and practicing environmental attitudes and behavior .

Here are some actions companies can take to go green: 1. Conducting an energy audit- Most local utilities offer businesses free on-site consultations on how they can reduce usage and save money. Frequent suggestions include: Improve insulation, install timers to automatically turn off lights, use energy efficient light bulbs, keep temperatures at comfortable ranges that are not excessively cool in the summer and warm in the winter.2. Conducting annual- It is important toSurvey employees to assess how well the organization is doing with regard to implementing green business practices. The survey should request suggestions for becoming a greener organization. This can be a separate survey focused on going green issues only, or it can be added as part of anemployee

opinion/satisfaction survey. Conducting the surveys annually will enable the organization to assess going green progress and provide information, suggestions and insight for future actions.3. Going paperless- Encourage e-mailing. 4. Recycle- Recycle glass, paper, plastic, metal trash and manufacturing waste materials. Go through your trash. Youll get a new sense of how much it costs to buy, store, and dispose of stuff. Eliminate unnecessary photocopying and reuse packaging for shipping.5. Reduce commuting- Encourage carpooling by provide preferred parking for carpoolers). Offering transit passes to employees who take the bus or subway, and bike racks for cyclists. 6. Reducing business travel- Teleconference instead of traveling. For must-go trips, keep track of the miles driven and flown and buy carbon offsets from a non-profit like Carbonfund.org to make up for the greenhouse gas emissions.7. Buying green- Tell suppliers that youre interested in sustainable products and set specific goals for buying recycled, refurbished, or used. Make the environment, and not just price, a factor when purchasing.8. Detoxify- Many offices have toxic substances, such as used batteries and copier toner, on hand. Talk to suppliers about alternatives to toxics, and make sure you properly dispose of the ones you cant avoid using.9. Rethink transportation- Consider the petroleum it takes to ship and receive products. Evaluate the impact of products you buy or sell, and find ways to mitigate those impacts. Purchase or lease energy-efficient cars and trucks for your employees business uses and delivery of products.10. Provide leadership and resources for going greening- Assign a respected executive-level person to head up going Green/Organizational Sustainabilityinitiatives. Includinggoing greenin companys mission statement and business plans.11. Get employees involved- Create a team to lead the companys eco-efforts 12. Communicating about Going Green issues- Inform suppliers and customers about your efforts. And get in touch with local regulatory agencies, many of which offer financial incentives to businesses that implement green initiatives. Keep employees and shareholders/investors informed about going green progress.13. Save water- Monitor sinks and toilets for leaks that waste water. Eliminate water waste in manufacturing processes and in watering the companys lawns.14. Explore opportunities for implementing alternative energy sources- Evaluate opportunities for using solar energy, bio-fuels, wind power and other alternative energy sources.

15. Implement green manufacturing processes- Use energy-efficient equipment, and streamline processes to use fewer steps and less materials and packaging.16. Implement green policies- Establish policies and standards such as hardware energy consumption, waste disposal, using recycled and environmentally superior content, water and energy efficient products and alternative fuel vehicles, among other measure

StrategyHR improves the company's bottom line with its knowledge of how human capital affects organizational success. Leaders with expertise in HR strategic management participate in corporate decision-making that underlies current staffing assessments and projections for future workforce needs based on business demand.CompensationHR compensation specialists develop realistic compensation structures that set company wages competitive with other businesses in the area, in the same industry or companies competing for employees with similar skills. They conduct extensive wage and salary surveys to maintain compensation costs in line with the organization's current financial status and projected revenue.Related Reading: Three Significant HR Issues for a New OrganizationBenefitsBenefits specialists can reduce the companys costs associated with turnover, attrition and hiring replacement workers. They are important to the organization because they have the skills and expertise necessary to negotiate group benefit packages for employees, within the organization's budget and consistent with economic conditions. They also are familiar with employee benefits most likely to attract and retain workers. This can reduce the companys costs associated with turnover, attrition and hiring replacement workers.SafetyEmployers have an obligation to provide safe working conditions. Workplace safety and risk management specialists from the HR area manage compliance with U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations through maintaining accurate work logs and records, and developing programs that reduce the number of workplace injuries and fatalities. Workplace safety specialists also engage employees in promoting awareness and safe handling of dangerous equipment and hazardous chemicals.LiabilityHR employee relations specialists minimize the organization's exposure and liability related to allegations of unfair employment practices. They identify, investigate and resolve workplace issues that, left unattended, could spiral out of control and embroil the organization in legal matters pertaining to federal and state anti-discrimination and harassment laws.Training and DevelopmentHR training and development specialists coordinate new employee orientation, an essential step in forging a strong employer-employee relationship. The training and development area of HR also provides training that supports the company's fair employment practices and employee development to prepare aspiring leaders for supervisory and management roles.Employee SatisfactionEmployee relations specialists in HR help the organization achieve high performance, morale and satisfaction levels throughout the workforce, by creating ways to strengthen the employer-employee relationship. They administer employee opinion surveys, conduct focus groups and seek employee input regarding job satisfaction and ways the employer can sustain good working relationships.RecruitmentHR recruiters manage the employment process from screening resumes to scheduling interviews to processing new employees. Typically, they determine the most effective methods for recruiting applicants, including assessing which applicant tracking systems are best suited for the organization's needs.SelectionHR professionals work closely with hiring managers to effect good hiring decisions, according to the organization's workforce needs. They provide guidance to managers who aren't familiar with HR or standard hiring processes to ensure that the company extends offers to suitable candidates.ComplianceHR workers ensure that the organization complies with federal state employment laws. They complete paperwork necessary for documenting that the company's employees are eligible to work in the U.S. They also monitor compliance with applicable laws for organizations that receive federal or state government contracts, through maintaining applicant flow logs, written affirmative action plans and disparate impact analyses.

Department StaffingThe human resource departments main function is to support the workforce needs of the organization. HR and line managers should communicate regularly and frequently to determine the skills and qualifications required for seamless operation of department functions. Whenever theres a vacancy in a line managers department, an HR recruiter or employment specialist and the line manager review the job description for accuracy and completeness. During the recruitment and selection process, HR advises line managers on how to identify qualified candidates and existing department staff capabilities.Workforce StrategyStrategic planning between HR and line managers involves reviewing projections concerning future business demands to determine whether to train current employees to prepare them for promotion or to recruit candidates with higher level skills to augment the current employee knowledge base. By working together on immediate and future staffing needs, HR and line management benefit from reduced cost per hire and turnover. In addition, the organization benefits from appropriate succession planning and adequate staffing.Related Reading: How Can an HR Management Team Reduce Turnover in the Future?Performance ManagementTraining and development is an HR function that prepares line managers for a number of leadership tasks. One such task is conducting employee performance appraisals. Human resources trainers develop learning objectives based on line managers understanding of the organizations coaching philosophy. Leadership training topics include how to provide employees with constructive feedback and how to conduct fair and unbiased assessments of employee performance. HR and line managers should therefore work together to ensure the organization maintains a consistent approach to performance management. Inconsistencies within an organizations performance management system negatively impact employee job satisfaction, which is another reason HR and line managers should work collaboratively.Conflict ResolutionWorkplace conflict is inevitable whenever department employees represent different cultures, work styles and personalities. When conflicts arise, line managers typically seek the advice of HR in resolving issues between employees or issues between employees and their managers. If there is already dissention between HR and line management, it can be difficult for human resources to determine what underlies the conflict and how to resolve it. A positive working relationship between HR and line management facilitates easier handling of workplace investigations and mediating differences between staff. When HR and line management work together, its easier for HR to investigate workplace issues because the human resource staff may have greater confidence that line managers document their employment actions and decisions appropriately and according to company policy.Authority is the right to perform or command. It allows its holder to act in certain designated ways and to directly influence the actions of others through orders.It also allows its holder to allocate the organizations resources to achieve organizational objectives.AUTHORITY ON THE JOB :Barnard defines authority as the character of communication by which an order is accepted by an individual as governing the actions that individual takes within the system.Barnard maintains that authority will be accepted only under the following conditions:1. The individual can understand the order being communicated.2. The individual believes the order is consistent with the purpose of the organization.3. The individual sees the order as compatible with his or her personal interests.4. The individual is mentally and physically able to comply with the order.The fewer of these 4 conditions that are present, the lower the probability that authority will be accepted and obedience be exacted.Barnad offers some guidance on what managers can do to raise the odds that their commands will be accepted and obeyed. He maintains that more and more of a managers commands will be accepted over the long term if:1. The manager uses formal channels of communication and these are familiar to all organization members. 2. Each organization member has an assigned formal communication channel through which orders are received. 3. The line of communication between manager and subordinate is as direct as possible. 4. The complete chain of command is used to issue orders. 5. The manager possesses adequate communication skills. 6. The manager uses formal communication lines only for organizational business. 7. A command is authenticated as coming from a manager.TYPES OF AUTHORITY:3 main types of authority can exist within an organization:1. Line Authority2. Staff Authority3. Functional AuthorityEach type exists only to enable individuals to carry out the different types of responsibilities with which they have been charged.LINE AUTHORITY:The most fundamental authority within an organization, reflects existing superior-subordinate relationships. It consists of the right to make decisions and to give order concerning the production,sales or finance related behaviour of subordinates.In general, line authority pertains to matters directly involving management system production, sales, finance etc., and as a result with the attainment of objectives.People directly responsible for these areas within the organization are delegated line authority to assist them in performing their obligatory activities.STAFF AUTHORITY:Staff authority consists of the right to advise or assist those who possess line authority as well as other staff personnel.Staff authority enables those responsible for improving the effectiveness of line personnel to perform their required tasks.Line and Staff personnel must work together closely to maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. To ensure that line and staff personnel do work together productively, management must make sure both groups understand the organizational mission, have specific objectives, and realize that they are partners in helping the organization reach its objectives.Size is perhaps the most significant factor in determining whether or not an organization will have staff personnel. The larger the organization, the greater the need and ability to employ staff personnel.As an organization expands, it usually needs employees with expertise in diversified areas. Although small organizations may also require this kind of diverse expertise, they often find it more practical to hire part time consultants to provide it is as needed rather than to hire full time staff personnel, who may not always be kept busy.LINE STAFF RELATIONSHIPS :e.g. A plant manager has line authority over each immediate subordinate, human resource manager, the production manager and the sales manager.However, the human resource manager has staff authority in relation to the plant manger, meaning the human resource manager has staff authority in relation to the plant manager, meaning the human resource manager possesses the right to advise the plant manager on human resource matters.Still final decisions concerning human resource matters are in the hands of the plant manager, the person holding the line authority.ROLE OF STAFF PERSONNEL:Harold Stieglitz has pinpointed 3 roles that staff personnel typically perform to assist line personnel:1. The Advisory or Counseling Role : In this role, staff personnel use their professional expertise to solve organizational problems. The staff personnel are, in effect, internal consultants whose relationship with line personnel is similar to that of a professional and a client. 2. The Service Role : Staff personnel in this role provide services that can more efficiently and effectively be provided by a single centralized staff group than by many individuals scattered throughout the organization. This role can probably best be understood if staff personnel are viewed as suppliers and line personnel as customers. 3. The Control Role : Staff personnel help establish a mechanism for evaluating the effectiveness of organizational plans.The role of staff in any organization should be specifically designed to best meet the needs of that organization.CONFLICT IN LINE STAFF RELATIONSHIP:From the view point of line personnel, conflict is created because staff personnel tend to Assume Line Authority Do not give Sound Advice Steal Credit for Success Fail to Keep line personnel informed of their activities Do not see the whole picture.From the view point of Staff Personnel, conflict is created because line personnel do not make proper use of staff personnel, resist new ideas and refuse to give staff personnel enough authority to do their jobs.Staff Personnel can often avert line-staff conflicts if they strive to emphasize the objectives of the organization as a whole, encourage and educate line personnel in the appropriate use of staff personnel, obtain any necessary skills they do not already possess, and deal intelligently with the resistance to change rather than view it as an immovable barrier.Line personnel can do their part to minimize line staff conflict by sing staff personnel wherever possible, making proper use of the staff abilities, and keeping staff personnel appropriately informed.*****FUNCTIONAL AUTHORITY:Functional authority consists of the right to give orders within a segment of the organization in which this right is normally non existent.This authority is usually assigned to individuals to complement the line or staff authority they already possess.Functional Authority generally covers only specific task areas and is operational only for designated amounts of time. It is given to individuals who, in order to meet responsibilities in their own areas, must be able to exercise some control over organization members in other areas.