The Human Resource Insider by Thanuki Goonesinghe

Source: ( CFI Team, 2023 ) American Psychologist, Abraham Maslow first introduced the hierarchy of needs in a paper titled 'The Theory of Motivation' in 1943 (CFI Team, 2023; EPM, 2020). In essence, this theory suggests that the actions of human beings are motivated by desires to fulfil specific needs. Maslow initially categorised human needs into five broad categories or levels of needs. They are; physiological needs; safety needs; social needs; self esteems needs; and self actualisation needs. Maslow intended for  a person to completely satisfy one level before moving on to further levels, which means that the five types of needs are to be satisfied in order (CFI Team, 2023; EPM, 2020).  Since this blog focuses on drawing links to emerging, modern perspectives of any given theory that is relevant to HRM, I am able to find that the  modern perspective is that these levels overlap. It appears that individuals who progress along the hierarchy,  find stronger affinities to the hi

                                                                                  Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik Definitions and Interpretations Employee relations can be simply defined as the relationship that exists between employers and employees (CIPD, 2022) . The rise of individual workplace rights has led to individualisation of the employment relationship so to speak (CIPD, 2022). Employee relations essentially deals with the management of the employment relationship and the psychological contract, which include a mix of collective and individual approaches  (Armstrong and Taylor, 1977). Armstrong recognises that at present, there is a tendency to move away from collectivism (e.g. collective agreements, collective bargaining etc.) and move towards individualistic ways to address the employment relationship and associated concerns, instead.  Two main hierarchies can be identified in the employment relationship structure (Crail, 2022) . They are; 1. Vertical  Employee Relations

Source: Freepik Investing time and energy to learn and develop oneself is key to growing as a person and reaching new heights. This is a universal theory, despite what it means for HRM. However, if you take this universally understood theory and apply it to your workplace, it will undoubtedly play a vital role in driving your organisation's success.  In the context of HR and your organisation:    "Learning and development is a systematic process to enhance an employee’s skills, knowledge, and competency, resulting in better performance in a work setting. Specifically, learning is concerned with the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes.  Development is the broadening and deepening of knowledge in line with one’s development goals." ( Vulpen, 2020 ) Most tend to use the terms training, learning and development interchangeably. However, if you spend some time reading about the aims associated with these activities and their nature, you will find that they are uniq

  1/6th of 2023 is over and while the world is moving at a breakneck speed, the adaptation of HR to this rate of change is relatively slow.  Why do I say this?  Some HR trends have emerged during the pandemic and are here to stay. Others are emerging slowly as we speak.  Enjoying a leisurely read on the same topic, I came across other pages and organisations that support these findings.  Here are 3 major trends for the human resource enthusiasts to watch out for in 2023 and beyond, in my opinion.  #1:  Balance  Gone are the days where employees commit to working at the beck and call of employers without questioning them and working extra shifts no matter the cost on their lives, their goals and their health. Work-life balance is the buzz phrase all the way!  Stress is a very real thing. It has been found that close to 50% of Gen Zs and close to 45% of Millenials  find themselves stressed most of the time, which invariably impacts their productivity and contribution at work ( Deloitte G