- To ensure that jobs of equivalent value to the organisation are rewarded equally.
- To ensure that employees feel justifiably rewarded for the jobs they do.
These are broad policy objectives that are likely to be supported by most managers.
Their conversion into practice will depend on the relative priorities accorded to them in
the light of organisational circumstances. For example, a company struggling for sur-
vival will place greater emphasis on operating at minimum cost and paying the lowest
possible wages, rather than the one planning for attraction and retention of employees
who feel justifiably rewarded for their efforts.
According to its policy objectives, management is likely to be concerned with three
issues in the establishment of fair pay:
- Fair wages or salary – to ensure that what is paid is fair in comparison to payments
received by other employees within the organisation, to ensure that pay is fair in
comparison to other employers in similar organisations and in comparable jobs. - Ensure that methods of payment encourage effective performance and commitment
by individuals or work groups.
Reward management policies have to emanate from and be based on a number of fac-
tors as indicated in Figure 3.1. The arrows indicate an upward relationship between the
boxes. The implication here is that any policy statement in the upper boxes has to be
justified by information gathered in the preceding boxes. This implies that the reward
policy is not static. It has to be reviewed from time to time as the organisation’s internal
and external environment changes.
Health and safety
Health and safety policy is a general statement that declares the management’s inten-
tion, means and guidelines for the protection of the organisation’s employees from haz-
ards at work. Health and safety policy should emphasise the following:
- The importance of safety for the employee and the public,
- Safety as precedence over expediency,
- The role of managers, team leaders and employees in the development and
implementation of health and safety procedures, and - Compliance with health and safety legislation.
There are several components of a health and safety policy that cover different aspects
of health and safety for workers. The key components are as follows:
- The role of each part in the management of health and safety.
- Procedures for reporting accidents, illness and safety hazards.
- The precautions to be taken when handling or processing dangerous substances.
- Monitoring & maintaining high standards of hygiene.
- Training, coaching, and mentoring programmes on health and safety.
- Rules on working habits.
- Safety inspections, provision and use of personal protective equipment.
There are different types of health hazards in the work place. These include:
- Physical – heat, radiation, noise, and vibration.
- Chemical – Dust, poisonous gases, and toxic chemicals.