Introduction
Although Human Resource Management by Mondy is written primarily for students in schools of business, this book is useful for any manager who is looking to understand how to effectively manage a workforce. Because the performance of the main human resource (HR) functions (staffing, human resource development, compensation, safety and health and employee relations) is not confined to HR departments, it is imperative for any manager to have an appropriate understanding of these functions to achieve results.
The book is divided into 14 chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the main five HR functions that all managers need to be familiar with. This chapter also highlights the strategic role of HR in the organization. Chapter 2 addresses the role of ethics in HR activities, and how, through ethical HR practices, companies can create a culture that embraces the needs of shareholders and all the organizational stakeholders.
Chapter 3 of the book introduces the importance of diversity in the workplace as well as the legal environment of HR. Chapters 4 trough 6 address the staffing function of HR. The author highlights the importance of job descriptions in the staffing process and provides a full description of the recruitment and selection processes.
Chapters 7 and 8 address the human development aspect of HR. Chapter 7 takes the reader through the different steps of the training process, starting with the identification of the need for training and finishing with the evaluation of the effectiveness of the training process. Chapter 8 describes the performance appraisal as a tool to evaluate the employees’ performance. Chapters 9 and 10 introduce compensation as another main HR function. Chapter 9 places emphasis on the four primary determinants of compensation: the organization, the market, the employee and the job, while Chapter 10 addresses the importance of benefits as part of employee compensation.
Chapter 11 stresses the importance of safety and health in the workplace. This chapter focuses on the benefits of wellness programs and how these benefits affect employees’ productivity. Chapter 12 introduces the concept of labor unions, while Chapter 13 provides the reader with the different types of disciplinary actions as well as concepts such as demotions, promotions and terminations. Finally, Chapter 14 focuses on the global aspect of human resources.
The book by Wayne Mondy is written in a tone that, although formal because it is geared toward students in business programs, is both entertaining and dynamic. Mondy uses a combination of theory and practice throughout all the chapters of the book. Each chapter includes real examples of how companies address the HR functions presented in the book. In addition, each chapter includes ethical dilemmas that managers face when dealing with HR activities. Additionally, at the end of each chapter, the author includes HR incidents, which nurture the critical thinking skills of the reader.
Book synopsis
From a practical and interesting perspective, this book describes the HR activities (staffing, human resource development, compensation, safety and health and labor relations) that all managers need to be aware of when managing a workforce. Moreover, the book provides a clear description of the legal and ethical environment of HR.
The opening chapter of the book begins the very current topic of employer branding and its importance to attract and retain top employees. This topic sets the tone for a discussion on a major topic in the chapter. Chapter 1 makes the reader aware of the important role of human resources on achieving organizational objectives. This chapter sets the tone for the remainder of the book. By using a combination of theory, practical examples, ethical dilemmas, current topics in HR and quotes from HR professionals, the author engages the reader, enticing him or her into discovering how each of the HR functions is essential for the company.
Chapter 2 addresses the importance of ethical practices when dealing with all the HR activities. The author, in a clever manner, encourages the reader to think critically about the ethical aspect of “Pay for Whistleblowing”, which consists of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s practice of awarding whistleblowers between 10 and 30 per cent of the total amount obtained for information that leads to a successful enforcement.
Chapter 3 of the books explains the importance of diversity in the workplace, as well as the legal framework existing in the USA that provides protection, especially to minorities and women. However, the author keeps the reader questioning the need to expand the existing protection to other categories such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.
Chapters 4 to 6 address the HR function of staffing, which includes HR planning, recruitment and selection. By providing an example of how unexpected events such as how Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans affected the normal activities of many businesses, the author highlights the importance of HR planning for both the expected and for the unexpected. For example, a major natural disaster could lead to the need for recruitment and selection of employees, which are the topics the author discusses in Chapters 5 and 6. In Chapter 5, by quoting different professionals in HR, the author makes the reader reflect on the real benefits of using contingent workers rather than full-time employees. Chapter 6 highlights the importance of social media such as LinkedIn when recruiting and selecting job applicants.
The human resource development aspect of HR is addressed in Chapters 7 and 8. The author opens Chapter 8 by stating how some CEOs of major companies have failed to succeed due to the lack of executive onboarding programs. With this topic, the author further develops into the importance of training and especially management development as a critical aspect of HR. In addition, the author provides examples of how technology has made possible the delivery of training across the globe. In Chapter 8, the author introduces the idea of how technology could help managers to improve the effectiveness of providing performance feedback to employees.
Chapters 9 and 10 of the book describe compensation as a tool for recruiting, motivating and retaining top employees in the company. The author highlights how companies have used non-traditional benefits to motivate employees. Benefits such as free cleaning services for employees’ homes and trips to Europe are real examples of what companies do to motivate top employees to stay in the company. Chapter 11 on Safety and Health not only describes issues related to Safety and Health in the USA, but it also makes the reader conscious of Safety and Health from a global perspective. In Chapters 12 and 13, the author explains the concept of unions and internal employee relations. Mondy uses ethical dilemmas to make the reader reflect on how certain aspects of dealing with unions and terminating employees, although legal, could lead to unethical actions. Finally, Chapter 14 addresses the global aspect of each of the HR activities discussed in the book. In particular, the author makes the audience aware of some differences in HR practices between the USA and other countries.
By using a combination of theory, practical examples, ethical dilemmas and current topics in HR, the author makes of this book a reading that is not only informative but also enjoyable. The quotes of several HR professionals, as well as real business situations, foster the critical thinking skills of the reader.
Evaluation
Human Resource Management by Mondy takes the reader throughout the different HR functions of staffing, human resource development, compensation, safety and health and employees relations. The book places particular emphasis on making the reader understand the strategic role of each of the HR functions described, as well as the interrelationship among these functions.
The book is written in a tone that is a combination of theory and practice. All the HR concepts are supported by real examples of well-known companies, as well as the opinion of HR professionals, making the reading very practice-oriented. A distinct and very well thought-out characteristic of this book is that each chapter opens with a current HR topic that sets the foundation for discussion of the topics that are covered in the chapter. By doing this, Mondy draws from the beginning the reader into the topic to be covered. In addition, each chapter includes an ethical reflection on the main topic of the chapter. This ethical reflection fosters the critical thinking skills of the reader. Furthermore, the analytical skills of the reader are fostered by the mini cases included at the end of each chapter.
Overall, Human Resource Management by Mondy, is an excellent reading to introduce HR concepts to business students and anyone who has a need to understand how to manage human resources effectively. By approaching each HR function from a theoretical, practical, ethical, legal and global perspective, this book provides the reader with a deep understanding of these HR functions and their strategic role in the competitiveness of the organization.
