Question

What is the problem if company use mechanical approach in their human resources policy and how to solve that problem ?

Answer 1

The mechanical approach doesn't differentiate between human and machine. It just considers the working capacity of a human as a basis for hiring, training and treating him/her at the workplace. The right word which fits the description of such a system is exploitation, which drives the incentive structure and hence the so-called grading of the employees. They are trained to increase efficiency of the organisation by working hard at the personal level. The organization focus is on productivity enhancement, which mandates and drives them to hire effective and cheap labour from the market, get as much work as possible till the energy and efficiency drains out, and finally throw them out in any way possible, whatever be the after effects on workers' motivation or lifestyles.

There are quite a few problems with this system. There is either a monotony in the job responsibilities or limited learning opportunities for an employee as they are generally hired to do a particular type of job. Also, the learning is very slow as there is hardly any focus on the training and hence no support functions are provided. Due to these reasons, employees eventually run out of intrinsic motivation and work just for regular paychecks. So, the productivity is rather forced in nature. Finally, the organization earns a bad name in the industry due to such poor practices and becomes a non-favoured destination when it comes to prospective employees.

In order to solve these problems, there is a need of a measured approach, which effectivel balances awareness and regulation. The industries and workers need to be made aware in a strict way that the mechanical approach is not fit, practical and hence practical in current scenario. The fact that hiring cost is higher than retention cost neexs to be conveyed to the administration across the organizations. The state regulatory bodies need to provide incentives to the companies to retain employees over a fixed time period. Also, more facilities are required to be set up so that the workforce is trained for cross-functional roles so that they can be of utility in case of sudden firing from the industries.