Human Resource Challenges Research Articles

Challenges compounding foster care services in the Limpopo Department of Social Development, South Africa

Pre-Trial Diversion services by juvenile offenders from high density suburbs in Zimbabwe. Foster care as an alternative placement for children in need of care and protection comes with innumerable challenges in the Department of Social Development (DSD). This paper uses a scoping literature review method to discuss the challenges of foster care services in Limpopo DSD. Literature on foster care was perused, analysed and derived into two major themes which constituted the discussion of this paper; namely administration challenges such as backlog, ineffectiveness of newspaper advertisement, and CSG top-up; human resource challenges such as inadequate supervision/management and low morale and burnt-out of social workers. This paper suggests practical and possible ways in which the situation could be remedied, such as amending the newspaper advertisement regulation in the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 and capacitating social work managers and supervisors to be effective in supporting social workers underground to improve their performance.Key wordsHow to cite this article using ASWNet styleMamukeyani E. (2023). Challenges compounding foster care services in the Limpopo Department of Social Development, South Africa. People centred – The Journal of Development Administration (JDA), 8(3), 68-74. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jda.v8i3.3
 Visit journal website: https://jda.africasocialwork.net

Strategies for Managing Employees during Mergers and Acquisitions

Purpose: This study investigates strategies for effective employee management during mergers and acquisitions (M&A), aiming to identify approaches that mitigate negative impacts on staff and ensure successful organizational integration. Research Design and Methodology: Employing a qualitative research design, the study systematically reviews and synthesizes literature on employee management in M&A contexts. Key themes are extracted through thematic analysis of scholarly articles, books, and reports, providing a comprehensive view of human resource challenges during M&A. Findings and Discussion: Results emphasize the importance of effective communication, strong leadership, and active employee involvement. Transparent communication is crucial for reducing uncertainty and building trust, while transformational leadership guides employees through transitions, bolstering resilience and commitment. Employee participation in the integration process fosters ownership and aids in merging organizational cultures, enhancing morale and productivity essential for M&A success. Implications: The findings advocate for a holistic approach to employee management in M&A, integrating communication, leadership, and participation. Practically, it suggests creating an inclusive environment to facilitate transitions and achieve synergies. Theoretically, it enriches the dialogue on organizational change and human resource management, offering insights for future research on M&A dynamics.

Corporate social responsibility and employer brand personality appeal: approaches for human resources challenges in the hospitality sector

ABSTRACT Employer branding in organizational human resources management is essential. Nevertheless, certain gaps persist within the realm of scientific research in this field, particularly in the exploration of novel concepts like employer brand personality appeal and its potential impact within the hospitality industry, which grapples with numerous human resources challenges. To fill this gap in knowledge, this paper introduces employer brand personality appeal as a concept within the hospitality employer brand context and measures its impact alongside corporate social responsibility on employee turnover intention and satisfaction in Iran’s hospitality industry. Using a quantitative approach, a survey questionnaire was applied to investigate employees’ perceptions. Respondents were 225 employees of four-and five-star hotels in Tehran. Results signify the impact of both corporate social responsibility and employer brand personality appeal on employees’ behavioral consequences. Furthermore, findings support the influence of corporate social responsibility in promoting employer brand personality appeal. Therefore, this study expands hospitality employer brand literature by proposing a novel concept and exploring its potential for hospitality human resources deficiencies.

A cybersecurity odyssey: Between Scylla and Charybdis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the healthcare sector. In the face of waxing and waning caseloads, staff shortages, and supply chain issues, the topic of cybersecurity has often struggled for its time in the limelight. Behind the scenes, however, cybersecurity leaders and staff are burning out at a panicking rate. A dire shortage of skilled professionals continues to compound, as global affairs and an increase in the availability of information threatens leaves healthcare cybersecurity teams barely able to keep afloat. This article describes the nature and scale of the health and human resource challenges currently faced by healthcare organizations and offers several practical options for health leaders to plot a course to attract and retain staff during this period of upheaval.

Navigating Post-Covid-19 Learning: Assessing Curriculum, Facilities, and Human Resource Developments and Challenges

This study aims to analyze learning development and the obstacles experienced by the Nahdlatul Ulama Islamic boarding school in Bekasi Regency after the COVID-19 pandemic, from curriculum, facilities, and human resources. This study uses a quantitative approach. The research subjects were students and caregivers from three NU Islamic boarding schools in the Bekasi district: Yapink, Nurul Huda Islamic Boarding School, and Indonesian Motivational Islamic Boarding School. The sampling method used in this research is Stratified Random Sampling and Systematic Random Sampling with proportional composition. The sample size was 320 students with sampling error = 0.05, proportion = 0.5, and the standard value of normal distribution at 5% level, z = 1.96. The test results concluded that the quality of student learning in the new average period was generally still relatively low. Educational barriers are a factor that makes the quality of student learning feel less than optimal. This is due to the impact of Covid-19 with the enactment of distance learning, the family economy is affected, and the increase in the price of health facilities, but from an institutional resilience and vulnerability standpoint, it is quite good.

Explaining the Obstacles of Interprofessional Communications of Nurses and Paramedics: A Qualitative Study

Background: Interprofessional communication between nurses and paramedics is a crucial and challenging issue for safe and effective patient care, but it has not been addressed enough. The most important action for improving these communications is to identify their obstacles and challenges. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explain the obstacles to interprofessional communications between nurses and paramedics. Methods: This study used the qualitative content analysis method. The participants of this research were 11 nurses and paramedics who were selected using purposeful sampling and took part in semi-structured in-depth interviews. The data were collected from May to September 2022. Data analysis was carried out by the conventional content analysis method proposed by Graneheim and Lundman. Guba and Lincoln’s criteria were used to assess the rigor and accuracy of the collected data. Results: The findings of this research disclosed 3 main themes; human resources challenges, lack of coordination between nursing and paramedics departments, and emergency situations. Conclusions: The challenges of interprofessional communication between nurses and paramedics are influenced by different human and managerial factors, and identifying them is a significant step toward improving this communication. With regard to the findings of this study, managers and planners of healthcare centers can mitigate challenging factors and improve the communication between nurses and paramedical staff and, therefore, prepare the context for high-quality care of patients and boost the satisfaction of health professionals with their work conditions.

Remote work and human resources challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic scenario: The cases of Italy and Portugal

This study presents the preliminary results of a European project (EURECA) being carried out in Italy and Portugal. One of its aims is to understand the role of remote work arising from the recent pandemic. The question that drove this research was: What is the role of remote work resulting from the emergent changes of the 2019 pandemic scenario in Portuguese and Italian organisations?. Case studies were used as the methodological approach, and the qualitative and inductive work directed the research, guided by the assumptions of practice-based theory. Thus, interviews were conducted with human resource managers and/or directors of companies/public institutions. So far, the sample comprises 16 organisations. The results show that before the crisis, which lasted about two years, most organisations did not engage in remote work. Afterwards, human resources practices had to adapt to this new reality, and hybrid work (a combination of remote and face-to-face work) is currently present in most of the organisations studied. New challenges are also appearing in this area, including new information systems, career management, and training and performance evaluation, among others. Hence, this new model of work design also brings new challenges to organisations and management. The implications pressing issue are several: practical (for management and organisations); theoretical (new inputs on HR practices, remote working and change management); and methodological (reinforcing the importance of case studies and practice-based theory in a comparative analysis of the Portuguese and Italian contexts). Avenues for further research are also proposed.

Proposed standard guideline for managing information systems (ISs) in libraries in Africa

PurposeLibraries in Africa are adopting technology at a fast pace. However, literature has provided enough evidence of the many challenges libraries on the continent are facing in the use of the adopted information technology of which information systems (ISs) are major components. Literature also does not provide evidence of IS standard, policy or guideline at both national and international levels as a benchmark for the use of these systems. Therefore, this paper aims to propose an IS standard guideline as a guide for libraries in Africa to develop IS policies, standards or guidelines to help in effective use of IS in libraries.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers based their proposed standard guideline on the findings from their earlier research works and evidence from other existing literature as has been reviewed in this paper.FindingsFindings from the literature revealed that libraries in Africa face a number of challenges in the use of IS which can be categorised into four main areas, namely, financial challenges, technological and infrastructural challenges, human resource challenges and organizational challenges.Originality/valueThis paper proposed an IS standard guideline to serve as a guide for libraries in Africa to develop IS policies, standards or guidelines to help in effective use of IS in libraries.

Deciphering HR challenges for organizational ambidexterity: a study on energy sector in India

PurposeFrom the lens of organizational ambidexterity, the energy sector companies in India are confronted with numerous human resources (HR) challenges as they explore new avenues in the renewable sector while exploiting non-renewable (conventional) resources. This study aims to decode these challenges and identifies key competencies to address these.Design/methodology/approachData were gathered and analysed using a sequential mixed methodology (qualitative and quantitative) in three phases. In Phase 1, a focused group discussion with eight senior management employees was carried out to identify the HR challenges and competencies required for meeting those challenges. The themes derived from this were used in designing the questionnaire for use in Phase 2 to capture the perceptual differences between HR and Line managers on these challenges. The identified competencies by senior management were prioritized using the analytical hierarchy process in Phase 3.FindingsThe study provides insight into the HR challenges in the pursuit of organizational ambidexterity by energy sector companies in India. Also, key competencies to deal with these challenges have been prescribed.Originality/valueWhile previous studies have identified generic HR challenges in this domain, the present study is unique in decoding the HR challenges as these organizations are simultaneously exploring and exploiting energy sources for achieving excellence in the Indian context.

A Pilot Study to Assess the Feasibility of Comparing Ultra-High Pressure to Low-Pressure Fire Suppression Systems for a Simulated Indirect Exterior Attack

Financial and human resource challenges constrain firefighting in rural communities. This can limit the approaches that can be used in a given residential fire situation. Effective use of portable, lower-cost equipment that would require fewer personnel and less water could greatly benefit rural communities. This study was conducted to assess the feasibility of comparing ultra-high-pressure to low-pressure fire suppression systems at low flow rates. The conditions used simulated an indirect exterior attack through a window. A purpose-built burn room and standardized class A fires were used to compare ultra-high-pressure and low-pressure systems at low flow rates. Temperatures in the burn room were recorded for each condition in triplicate. While neither operating condition resulted in full extinguishment of the fire, the ultra-high-pressure trials saw decreases in the proportion of starting temperature that were faster and of greater magnitude than for the low-pressure trials. This compares with earlier research, simulating a transitional attack that saw similar patterns for temperature cooling but resulted in extinguishment. This preliminary testing provides evidence that the burn container and room, as well as instrumentation and fuel load configurations, are appropriate for more extensive testing of such equipment for exterior fire suppression.

Resilience strengthening of tuberculosis diagnostic services under national tuberculosis program to withstand pandemic situations

In the midst of extraordinary challenges, uncertainty, and the rapidly changing scenario of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, existing tuberculosis (TB) laboratories worldwide had to gear up on very short notice to face the dual challenge of fulfilling the increasing demands of laboratory testing for COVID-19 while simultaneously continuing the TB services. The brunt of the same fell on routine TB laboratory services, which include diagnostics (microscopy, rapid molecular testing, culture, and drug-susceptibility testing), and activities of training, quality assurance, and research pertaining to TB worldwide. With the sudden eruption and rapid spread of the global pandemic of COVID-19, TB diagnostic services were affected or disrupted especially where laboratories lacked adequate infrastructure and adequate resources for safe handling of specimens. The human resource challenges such as panic and apprehensions among laboratory workers to deal with newer pathogens, particularly those performing direct smear microscopy, along with staff shortage due to deployment in COVID-19 management duties and the pressure of continuing TB services with enhanced biosafety practices were difficult to handle. We also experienced decline in specimen workload at our national reference laboratory for TB diagnosis by 31% in 2020 as compared to pre-COVID period (2019). This is worrisome as undiagnosed TB as well as improper follow-up of those on TB treatment during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic could be associated with enhanced community transmission of TB and poorer patient outcomes. As the COVID-19 pandemic stretched out untiringly in the country and world over, we rapidly need to adapt and find ways to effectively sustain TB diagnostic services, training and research activities. In this perspective, we document current challenges of TB laboratories and suggest robust ways to address them including biosafety concerns. The safe integration of diagnostic services for TB and where required newer airborne pathogens, to ensure uninterrupted TB services, must be the utmost priority in the face of ongoing and any future unprecedented pandemics.

India's Opportunity to Address Human Resource Challenges in Healthcare.

India's health indicators have improved in recent times but continue to lag behind those of its peer nations. The country with a population of 1.3 billion, has an estimated active health workers densityof doctors and nurses/midwives of 5.0 and 6.0 respectively, for 10,000 persons, which is much lower than the WHO threshold of 44.5 doctors, nurses, and midwives per 10,000 population. The issue is compounded by the skewed inter-state, urban-rural, and public-private sector divide. Calls to urgently augment the skilled health workforce reinforce the central role human resources have in healthcare, which has evolved into a complex multifactorial issue. The paucity of skilled personnel must be addressed if India is to accelerate its progress toward achieving universal health coverage and its sustainable development goals (SDGs). The recent increase in the federal health budget offers an unprecedented opportunity to do this. This article utilizes the ready materials, extract and analyze data, distill findings (READ) approachto adding to the authors' experiential learning to analyze the health system in India. The growing divide between the public and the burgeoning private health sector systems, with the latter's booming medical tourism industry and medical schools,are analyzed along with the newly minted National Medical Council, to recommend policies that would help India achieve its SDGs.

Analyzing the Innovation Foundation of the Multi-Faceted Approach for Entering the Mining Industry

The mining industry plays a pivotal role in supplying essential minerals to various sectors; however, entering this sector presents formidable challenges due to a myriad of obstacles. This article conducts a comprehensive analysis of the impediments confronting prospective enterprises, encompassing economic, legal, technological, and human resource challenges. A thorough grasp of these barriers is essential for policymakers and aspiring entrepreneurs, as it serves as the foundation for fostering a sustainable and inclusive mining sector. To glean insights into effective strategies, the paper incorporates case studies of successful mining companies, including Northern Star Resources and Lundin Mining. Furthermore, the author delves into government policies that support emerging enterprises and examines forthcoming industry trends, thereby offering recommendations to create a more accessible and competitive mining landscape. By addressing these barriers, the mining industry can evolve into a more dynamic and socially responsible sector.

Outsourcing practice-based education: The role of industry representatives and implications for clinical expertise.

In an era of significant human and fiscal constraints, hospitals increasingly rely on industry representatives to fill gaps related to practice-based education. Given their dual sales and support functions, the extent to which education and support functions are, or ought to be, fulfilled by industry representatives is unclear. We conducted an interpretive qualitative study at a large, academic medical centre in Ontario, Canada, during 2021-2022, interviewing 36 participants across the organization with direct and varied experiences with industry-delivered education. We found that ongoing fiscal and human resource challenges prompted hospital leaders to outsource practice-based education to industry representatives, which created an expanded role for industry beyond initial product rollouts. Outsourcing, however, generated downstream costs to the organization and undermined the goals of practice-based education. To attract and retain clinicians, participants advocated for re-investment in practice-based education in-house, with a limited and supervised role for industry representatives.

Information and Communication Technology in Lifelong Learning: Opportunities for People with Disabilities

People with disabilities are underrepresented in adult education programmes that integrate information and communication technology (ICT), posing a challenge in adopting the pace of change facilitated by technological advancement. The increased use of ICT in facilitating lifelong learning presents challenges for training and retraining people with disabilities in the sense that, they are denied access to ICT. This study employed constructivism and communities of practice theories to investigate innovation in how ICT can be used to create lifelong learning opportunities for people with visual and hearing disabilities. The study involved 30 people with disabilities enrolled in ICT skills training classes at the Open University of Tanzania. Data were collected through interviews. The findings suggest that people with disabilities can learn the use of ICT if involved in collaborative action research. It was also found that enhancing ICT skills training for people with disabilities faced physical, fiscal, and human resources challenges. The study recommends increased funding for ICT skills training for people with disabilities to enhance their participation in lifelong learning.

Employee turnover and the social outreach (breadth): international evidence from the microfinance industry

PurposeEarlier studies on employee turnover have invested enormous scholarly mileage to understand and address human resource challenges. Considering the substantial evidence on the negative and non-linear relationship between employee turnover and firms’ performance, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of employee turnover on the social outreach (e.g. breadth of outreach) of microfinance institutions (MFIs), also known as the financial inclusion agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the study objective, the authors collected unbalanced panel data of 1,391 MFIs, covering a total of 96 economies and a period of 2010–2018. The organizational and macroeconomic data were obtained from the World Bank’s Mix Market and World Development Indicators databases, respectively, and subsequently analysed using the pooled ordinary least squares, random effects model, fixed effects model and generalized method of moments.FindingsOverall, the authors found that employee turnover has a positive impact on the social outreach of MFIs, which suggests that employee turnover reduces organizational blindness and groupthink, potentiates efficiency gains and minimizes retention costs. On the contrary, this study does not find evidence of a non-linear effect of employee turnover on the outreach objectives of MFIs. Meanwhile, these effects were observed to vary depending on the proxy, sub-samples and techniques used in the analysis.Originality/valueMotivated by the paucity of literature, the study has uniquely investigated the effect of employee turnover on the social outreach objective of MFIs by using relatively recent and global-level data. The study findings can help managers and the human resource departments to make optimum decisions about employee turnover management.

The Experiences, Challenges, and Acceptance of Item Bank System (IBS) as a Tool for Paper Generation: A Case Study

Using the Item Bank System (IBS) for paper generation is gaining popularity in educational settings. However, limited research has been conducted on the experiences, challenges, and acceptance of IBS. This study explored the challenges educators and head teachers face when implementing IBS for paper generation in educational settings. Thematic analysis of data collected from four participants revealed that technical challenges, such as system integration, maintenance, and interface design, and human resource challenges, including a lack of adequate training and support for educators and resistance to change, impact the effective use of IBS for a paper generation. Addressing these challenges through adequate training, support, and resources can help ensure IBSs successful adoption and use in educational settings. The study highlights the importance of further research to investigate the perceptions and experiences of students and evaluate the effectiveness of IBS in enhancing exam quality and productivity in educational settings.

How do we improve maternal and child health outcomes in Ghana?

Maternal and infant mortality includesa number of health challenges in Ghana, with outcomes among the worst in the subregion and the world. Our aim here was to provide insights into how Ghana has approached these challenges, with a view to making suggestions for the future. Ghana has made significant gains in reducing infant and maternal deaths in the past decade through initiatives like the Free Maternal Care Policy, the Community-based Health Planning Services, and the National Health Insurance Policy. These policies have improved financial access to maternal and obstetric health services, facility-based delivery, and antenatal care services in particular. However, a number of challenges still hinder access to maternal and child health outcomes. Poor infrastructure, human resource challenges, poor access to essential medicines, poor quality of care, and superstitious and cultural beliefs have been noted in the literature. We suggest that while providing the necessary human and financial resources, other initiatives including the promotion of maternal health education, supervised home delivery, and zero maternal death interventions should be encouraged to help improve maternal and child health outcomes in Ghana.

Cost and Administrative Effectiveness of Recruitment and Selection Practices on Public Service Delivery in Public Sector Institutions

The quality of human resources of every nation greatly determines its development. Therefore, a well-functioning recruitment and selection system can screen and identify candidates with the skills, qualifications and professional competence to effectively perform public and civil servant tasks. Given this context, this study examines the role of recruitment and selection practices in public service delivery focusing on the perspectives of the Public Service Commission (PSC). The following objectives were established; to examine the recruitment and selection practices and structures, to assess the effect of recruitment and selection on public service delivery, to investigate public recruitment and selection strategies and to assess the challenges affecting effective public recruitment practices at PSC. In order to assess the effectiveness of different recruitment and selection practices of civil and public servants, an exploratory case study design was used whereby qualitative data was collected using interviews and questionnaires to provide an insight and identify the extent to which the Public Service Commission applies recruitment and selection practices. The study used a simple random sampling technique and the sample size of this research was 40. The findings revealed that the more effectively MDAs recruit and select candidates, the more likely they are to hire and retain satisfied employees. Hence, investing in the development of a comprehensive and valid selection system is critical for better service delivery. The result showed that PSC has a structured recruitment and selection system to recruit and select personnel for public service. The better and clearer recruitment/selection processes, the more qualified staff are hired. The findings further revealed that quality human resource, credible and efficient recruitment process backed by better recruitment strategy are critical to improved public service delivery. By extension, the findings showed serious challenges in human resources in the public sector as recruitment and selection procedures tend to conflict with the requirement of ethic representativeness. In conclusion, the study has established that recruitment and selection is a key component of human resource management and thus a building block of national development and success.

A fuzzy DEMATEL decision modeling framework for identifying key human resources challenges in start-up companies: Implications for sustainable development

Human resources (HR) management is vital in developing organizational performance and profit maximization. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and emerging start-ups struggle to establish a functioning HR department, while larger organizations tend to reinvent their HR functions with updated visions and strategies. The role of HR practice yields more attention in SMEs and growing start-ups because of their increased failure rate. However, hindered by various challenges, selecting suitable HR practices for start-up companies has become difficult. This study investigates key challenges when choosing appropriate HR practices for start-ups based on a fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method. Firstly, 43 challenges were identified through a literature survey and consultation with experts. Later, considering the imprecise and subjective nature of the DEMATEL method on human judgments, the fuzzy DEMATEL approach is proposed to investigate the significance of identified challenges and the cause–effect relationships among them. From these findings, we identified that 21 challenges are causal factors that influence HR practice developments more. When selecting the best HR practices for their business, these cause factors will help management understand which challenges need to be removed and assist them in controlling their HR activities.