Introduction
HRM plays a crucial role in the performance of any organization. Still, it is even more critical to an organization like an educational institution whose success is highly dependent upon the educational attainment of its employees (Cobanoglu et al., 2018). The importance of evaluating Human Resources Management practices and policies within an education context makes it possible for organizations to assess if old practices are successful and what needs improvement. It ensures that HR processes support the institution’s overall mission and strategy. Finally, such a sound assessment process should help in more informed and efficient use of the available resources.
An overview of the UK’s Wilson’s School
Wilson’s School first opened its doors in 1615 in South London, UK. About 800 students between the ages of 11 and 18 attend Wilson’s School, which has a long tradition of quality in education and a commitment to providing a well-rounded curriculum (Wilson School.com, 2020). Every student will find a welcoming and stimulating learning environment at this school, thanks to the diverse and capable staff of over 120 individuals. The institution moved to its present site in Wallington in 1975 from Camberwell, where philanthropist Edward Wilson had founded it. The institution was ranked 3rd in 2023 because of increased academic progression rates.
Contextualizing HRM in Education
HRM in Education
Human Resource Management (HRM) refers to the purposive and considerate administration of human resources in educational institutions (Cobanoglu et al., 2018). This involves different activities that will attract, nurture, reward, and retain a committed and competent workforce. This entails managing teachers, administrators, and support personnel while acknowledging the variety of roles and abilities that go into effective learning procedures (Jensen & Bro, 2018).
The Role of HRM in Educational Institutions
HRM is an essential tool for every company, allowing managers to use initiatives like training, rewards, and growth opportunities to raise staff satisfaction and engagement levels. One of the primary roles of talent acquisition is identifying qualified employees who share the organization’s goals and values. HR managers assigned to the education sector are tasked with implementing workable staffing plans, streamlining the hiring procedure, and guaranteeing fair opportunities for all potential candidates (Vardarlier & Zafer, 2020). Because of this, HRM plays a role in a person’s career growth when they join the company. This entails providing chances for skill improvement and lifelong learning to guarantee educators and other staff members stay current with advancements in their specialized fields of practice. Mone et al. (2018) noted that HRM simplifies performance management through communication of expectations, consistent assessment, and objective evaluation.
The Importance of Aligning HRM with Policies and Practices
HRM policies and Practices increase productivity, employee engagement, and motivation, as well as help with recruitment, retention, and successful change adoption. Organizations promote culturally supportive strategic objectives by adopting HR practices in line with their organizational goals for long-term growth and profitability (Newman & Ford, 2021). When HRM strictly follows those policies, conformity with legal regulations, consistency, and fairness are assured (Wilton, 2019). Such a commitment supports transparency and fosters honesty, and it has implications related to recruitment and performance assessment. Moreover, education sectors can change in order to meet the ever-changing demands for education in different social setups. For example, According to Wilson (2017), as technology continues to affect education, HRM might collaborate with policies to determine and tackle the changing skill sets required by teachers and support staff.
Selecting and Anonymising the Educational Setting
Chosen Educational Setting, Rationale, and Importance of Maintaining anonymity
The chosen institution is a comprehensive secondary school serving pupils in grades 11 through 16. It provides a wide range of academic programs that uphold the national purpose and ensure a thorough education. Every facet of the educational establishment reflects the heterogeneous makeup of the community it serves.
This institution was selected due to its considerable impact on the creation of policies and practices in education. According to Vahdat (2022), in order to recruit, develop, and retain talented teachers in the constantly shifting field of education, effective management of human resources is crucial. The organization’s human resources practices affect the quality of teachers, professional development, and organizational effectiveness. By looking at this setting, we may learn more about how HR practices impact staff morale, student results, and instructional quality.
While anonymity safeguards people’s identity, it also promotes truthful and open answers to the study questions. In order to support appropriate policy effect research, anonymity in HRM studies safeguards workers’ openness toward policy and procedure review (Jensen & Bro, 2018). Additionally, data analysis regarding potential prejudices and biases that can taint the impartial and moral evaluation of HR management in the chosen educational setting is safeguarded by anonymity.
HRM Policies and Practices
Overview of HRM Policies and Practices at Wilson’s School
The HRM policies and processes that Wilson’s School depends on for its organizational structure are all fully acknowledged by the school. These guidelines guarantee that the company keeps qualified and driven employees. Since the management team at Wilson’s School recognizes the value of HRM for the institution’s overall success, they have created policies that take precedence over routine administrative duties related to HR (Wilson School, 2022). Recruiting and selection, managing performance, career growth, relations with staff, and diversity and inclusion are all covered by the institution’s HRM policies (Tursunbayeva et al., 2022). Wilson’s school has excellent equal opportunity recruitment and selection processes, hiring the best-qualified candidates regardless of gender, color, or nationality. The performance management system at Wilson School in the UK is essentially a dynamic structure of ongoing conversations and assessments that support staff growth (Wilson School, 2020).
Additionally, Wilson’s school aims to create a welcoming environment at work. Wilson School (2021) highlights that the organization takes inclusiveness and diversity seriously, as seen by its policies that aim to provide a welcoming and respected workplace for all. The HRM team must put these principles into practice to guarantee that the company takes the lead in fostering an environment that supports people’s personal and professional development (Newman & Ford, 2021).
Alignment with Institution’s Goals and Objectives
The overarching purpose, ambitions, and objectives of Wilson School are closely linked to the company’s HRM policies and procedures. The establishment of an appropriate educational setting for students is one of the main goals of the institution. Harper & Neubauer (2021) state that Wilson’s school acknowledges that in order to accomplish this, having a dynamic and knowledgeable educational faculty and staff is essential. Constant improvement is what performance management strategies aim to achieve. Employees can identify what they will need going forward to support their growth and development by participating in regular feedback sessions and an ongoing assessment program (Tuytens & Devos, 2017). But this alignment raises the bar for instruction at Wilson’s School, guaranteeing that the establishment stays flexible and adapts to new developments in the field of education (Wilson School, 2022).
Wilson School’s primary objective of creating a supportive and stimulating learning environment is also connected to its dedication to diversity and inclusivity (Wilson School, 2021). The diversity of Wilson’s staff members exposes pupils to a range of viewpoints, experiences, and instructional strategies. HRM policies are crucial in accomplishing this goal because they guarantee equitable hiring procedures where all workers have similar rights and opportunities, including those to foster positive working relationships. In terms of professional growth, the policy seeks to promote employees’ lifelong learning. Employers can create a knowledgeable and competent workforce by implementing HRM practices.
Unique Aspects and Challenges in HRM
Although Wilson’s School has strong HRM policies and practices, it has unique qualities and challenges, much like any other institution (Wilson School, 2022). The workforce’s divided composition of teaching and administrative staff is one notable aspect (Croucher & Woelert, 2021). The distinct demands of these two groups must be balanced, which calls for a comprehensive approach to HRM. The policies of the organization are tailored to address the distinct challenges faced by each group, ensuring that the specific requirements of teachers and staff are met; however, as Chelladurai & Kim (2022) point out, managing human resource management in an educational setting, where student cycles and educational calendars influence worker dynamics, poses additional challenges. The Human Resources Management (HRM) department at Wilson’s School has a different challenge when it comes to scheduling staff schedules and ongoing learning opportunities inside the constraints of the academic calendar than HRM teams in other businesses.
Policy Analysis
According to Guest (2017), human resources policies cover the rights, obligations, and values of managers and employees. HRM policies are essential in order to change the culture of Wilson School and create a happy work environment (Wilson School, 2022). Among the top HR policies are the following:
- Compensation and Pay Policy
- Sexual Harassment Policy
- Anti-Harassment and Non-Discrimination Policy
- Employment Classifications Policy
- Leave and Time-Off Benefits Policy
- Health and Safety Policy.
The Effectiveness of These Policies
Developing a positive work environment is contingent upon the implementation of the Anti-Harassment and Discriminating Policy. It makes the organization’s commitment to creating a culture free from bias and harassment more evident. By ensuring that employees feel valued and safe, this approach contributes significantly to staff development by creating a work atmosphere that is conducive to professional growth. This strategy works well at Wilson School, as seen by the rare instances of harassment that occur among highly satisfied employees, which raises institutional performance (Wilson School, 2020). According to Atwood (2020), the Employment Classifications strategy made it simple to comprehend employment and improved staffing planning by associating various labor categories with specific positions.
By guaranteeing equity and transparency in compensation, the Time Management and Pay Policy fosters employee growth and increases confidence in the remuneration policy. Since employees are more satisfied with their jobs when they think their compensation practices are equitable, this policy has been successful (Wilson School, 2022). This also helps to ensure the success of the organization by reducing payroll and timekeeping problems and fostering a positive work atmosphere. Because it emphasizes the well-being of staff members, safety and health policies are essential to their development. The policy promotes a psychologically and physically secure workplace by outlining emergency protocols, safety precautions, and health requirements.
Increasing worker satisfaction with work and decreasing absenteeism due to illness promotes institutional success. The usefulness of these policies in promoting employee development and organizational achievement is mostly attributable to their consistent application, execution, and ongoing evaluation to adapt to evolving organizational needs.
Practice Evaluation
Any activity that enhances the organization’s dedication, culture, competencies, and level of satisfaction is considered an HR practice (Vahdat, 2022). These procedures serve as a guideline, norm, framework, and accepted method of operation. Among Wilson School’s HR procedures are the following (Wilson School, 2020);
The impact of these practices on staff satisfaction, retention, and overall performance.
HR practices have a big impact on how a company is shaped, as well as how well personnel work and are retained. Employee oversight, which covers recruiting, settling in, and development, is the foundation of human resources. An effective performance management plan at Wilson School ensures that staff members follow their passions, commitments, and strong morale (Wilson School, 2020). Because it is considered that they have been acknowledged and valued, employees who have an aptitude to stay with the company for a long time are better at remembering information over time. Pay scales both attract and influence top talent (Croucher & Woelert, 2021).
In addition to providing motivation, a similar and equitable pay plan helps employers retain qualified staff (Wilton, 2019). Since it makes up for substantial wages contingent on organizational performance, linking staff performance to organizational success also contributes to increased staff satisfaction and commitment. This strengthens the sense of accountability and teamwork. Another essential HR practice that has a big impact on employee happiness and retention is creating a moral climate. Ethical behavior fosters a positive work environment and builds trust, which lowers employee turnover rates.
The first of several crucial HR procedures that have an immediate impact on worker satisfaction and productivity is the initial orientation process at Wilson School (Wilson School, 2020). According to Mone et al. (2018), newly hired employees find it simpler to understand that they have been updated, supported, and assimilated into the organizational culture when they go through a successful initial orientation. It makes the workplace more pleasant for employees and expedites the process of educating new hires about performance reviews as a means of gauging and recognizing employee contributions. When done fairly and transparently, giving feedback and praising achievements increase employee engagement.
Challenges and Recommendations
Challenges
One major barrier to HRM policy is the recruiting and selecting process. Organizations like Wilson School in the UK often struggle to find gifted candidates and face bias during the hiring process, which makes it difficult to develop a diverse staff. Inadequate tools for assessing qualified candidates will have a detrimental impact on the interactions and performance of the team when new members are hired. Furthermore, Wilson School’s HRM policies might not offer enough opportunities for training and growth (Wilson School, 2023). Workers could find it challenging to learn new skills using conventional methods or because they don’t have enough resources to stay current with shifting market trends (Vardarlier & Zafer, 2020).
If performance is measured inadequately or is only partially evaluated without sufficient feedback, staff members may have doubts about their performance due to the complexities of systems for managing performance. Employee unhappiness and decreased motivation may result from this.
Recommendation
Staff members’ skill levels could be considerably raised by attending conferences, training sessions, or financial options for continuing education. The school must be proactive in ensuring that its workforce is flexible in order to support the achievement of its goals and mission. Regular feedback meetings and team-building exercises are examples of employee engagement initiatives that can be improved by having open lines of communication. Dedicated, contented workers create a great corporate culture.
It requires a simple, transparent approach to define desired objectives, identify and provide feedback on a regular basis, and recognize and reward exceptional accomplishments in performance management. Teachers are motivated by a shared institutional goal and their own goals in life.
Conclusion
Examining HRM policies and practices in the context of educational settings was the goal of the essay. The essay focused on the Wilson School in the United Kingdom while maintaining anonymity. The institution’s hiring practices and the chances for fostering employee growth and development have contributed to improving the standard of general education instruction. When an inclusive environment drove them, their satisfaction and satisfaction increased. HRM procedures can be used to build the institution’s culture, which will impact student performance and employee morale.
This essay discusses how HRM-focused practices impact educational management and leadership by fostering a culture that fosters students’ career development and academic achievement. Education leaders need to understand that HRM is an effective strategy for growing organizational culture, improving diversity, and improving overall school performance. It demonstrates how important it is for executives to work closely with HR specialists to ensure that HRM procedures align with the overall goals and objectives or strategic direction of the company. An effective HRM framework for Wilson School educational leaders is eventually necessary for productive and effective educational organizations.
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