| Introduction

The world of the work is constantly changing over the years. The place where a business stand
by is absolutely different than the place where it was standing in past. These changes might be
driven by the new demands of the market, new needs of the societies, technological inventions,
workforce structure, and expectation of people and so on. In overall, it would be possible to say
changes come from internal and external factors that affect the business world. Take an example
Nokia Inc. for instance, one of the biggest communication devices producers, now almost we
will not be able to the name of this brand since new high sophisticated smart phones replaced its
place.
Definitely, the change not happening merely on the business itself but, it is also possible to
observe it over the work force. Up to changes in macro scale of the work, employees demand,
expectations, needs, structures involving a change process naturally. There are several factors
that affect it. One of them is trends that shape the human resource management and they are in
various types.
In this humble study, we will attempt to seek the impacts of three of the trends that shape HR
management. The trends that we focus on are globalization and competition trends, technological
trends, workforce demographic trends.
To better understand, we asked the impact of these trends to the person who is inside the story in
the real life and tried to analyze what we have obtained from his observations and experiences.
To do that, we have interviewed the Bujhar Berisha who the head of the professional training
division at Fleming Gulf company. Fleming Gulf is the company in which sells the conference,
training programs, educational other programs to the firms through online and telemarketing.
Currently, there are about 30 employees from different ethnics working in the company. It is
located at KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yet, it works globally. It is a worldwide, multicultural company.

1. Globalization and Competition Trends

With the globalization of the world, so to say when the world became a village, the business
world naturally extended their sales, ownership, and their manufacturing scope to new markets at
oversees. Globalization brings new patterns in how organizations arrange, manage, and utilize
their HR divisions. More globalization means more rivalry, and more rivalry means more
lowering the expenses, make workers more gainful, and avoid from extravagancy.
What is the impact of this trend at your work that you observed?
Based on the Bujhar Berisha, there are advantages and pressure for them. Pressure because old
practices and systems that have evolved over time are no longer appropriate and thats why they
need to update themselves with changes constantly and it requires for them to be keeping the
work in their mind in their daily life. Moreover, since competition become high they need to
work more than before and sometimes upon the capitalistic nature of their work, most of the time
the consideration that they receive remains the same. Simply, harder work yet same amount of
appreciation. The advantage for them is they find opportunity to be active and improving
themselves in each term of their work and it contributes them to be well qualified person as well
as the better ability to be more analytic in the work. Furthermore, by globalization they break
their bounders and found new markets in other countries such as Middle Eastern countries, or
other Asian companies to sell their products and services.
The impact on HRM of this trend could be as follow:
It has led to homogenization and convergence in organization strategies, structures and processes
as well as in consumer choice. Globalization has led to changes in organization design and
organization structures are leaner thus improving efficiency but having a negative impact on staff
numbers which have had to be reduced in order to gain competitive advantages. The non-core
jobs have been outsourced which has led to an increase in independent contractors to service
industries.

2. Technological Trends
Online environments in the work enable firms to be more competitive. As to this, human
resource management applies the changes in technology that they face into their field by
improving their systems.
What is the impact of this trend at your work that you observed?
Apparently, Berisha is quite happy with the changes in technology in their business. He says that,
without technological improvements it would be very hard for them to be run their business
effective and sufficiently. Based on him, they contact their clients all around the world, they
2

market themselves by using the social media, more than that they have their meetings with the
other branches in oversees by using the Skype, since they are multicultural company. In HR area,
they can organize their jobs better with the new systems; they train their employees with
computer-based trainings, recruitment become easier for them to access capable employees. With
new internal online feedback software, they can solve the conflicts among the employee faster
than ever.
The impact on HRM of this trend could be as follow:

Recruiting: technological trends have enabled it more effective and, in the hands of the
right enrollment specialist, more viable too. Although the traditional methods were hard
to manage and not efficient as well. Firm should utilize it more.
Training: computer-based trainings allow firm to have effective and cheaper way of
getting education. Company uses this option efficiently.
Data storage and retrieval: with this way it is possible for companies to store and retrieve
files in an electronic format instead of heavy printed documents.
Performance management: with this method firm can use computer technology to assess
employee performance and also to get employee feedback to be used for the betterment
of the organization

3. Workforce Demographic Trends.

Demographic trends, generation Y, retirees, workers from abroad are few of the key terms of
demographic trends in workforce. These factors require new arrangements, redesigning the
representatives, negotiating the experiences workers to be stay in the company, government
regulations to be fit in.
What is the impact of this trend at your work that you observed?
As a person who is in charge of training, Berisha says it is most challenging part of their firm.
Since they are multicultural company, they need to arrange all employees in the same line,
absorbing the differences and converting them to advantages. More than this, dealing with
government regulation is squeezing HR department in between finance division and employee
that you do not want to loss because more foreign workers more tax, less revenue for firm. HR
department, with the trainings focus more on this factor to lead people act as a one family, accept
and convert the differences, appreciate the women workers necessities. He says, it is not easy as
it seen to meet at the mutual platform though.
The impact on HRM of this trend, in order handling the people from different background in the
work place, we may suggest the support for diversity management in work places as follow:

Demographic trends: workforce becoming elder and more ethnically diverse. It is one of
the big challenging of the HRM. Human resource management should be engaged
finding, training, and recruiting the well qualified best person to be hired in order for
their organizations to be in safe for the unwanted changes in the demographic changing.
Generation Y: people who born between 1977 and 2002 called generation Y. These
employees want fair and direct supervisors and aim to work faster and better than other
workers. In the workplaces there is a fact for certain, the conflict among the generations
will always be available. HRM should seek for platform to be meeting with interests of
those groups.
Retirees: organizations must deal with the large number of people leaving the workforce.
In many cases the number of younger workers entering the workforce is not enough to fill
all of the vacated positions.
Workers from abroad: This is one way that organizations are trying to overcome the large
number of retirees, but the option is sometimes met with opposition as unemployment
increases. HRM who employed the foreign workers must be dealing with the government
regulations as well.

To suggest:

Communication, should be active and constant among the employees

Development: HRM should provide career development to its employees who are from
different background and abilities
Performance Appraisal, should be provided feedback based on objective outcomes
Employee Relations, create a work environment for all that is comfortable for them.

| Conclusion

As a result of the interview that we have conducted, although the changes seem like bring more
advantages to the business world and require more effort to be staying at the same line, it has
some negative aspects too, and vice versa.
What we have gained from the interviewee that, the trends that we asked of globalization and
competition trends has two angles: good and bad. Good, because HR management can find the
best team that they can work with, and it improves their abilities since they live high competitive
environment and so on. Bad, because, it makes employees to be engaged their work fully and
gives them less leisure time as well as their effort in work not appreciating parallel to their work
they have done.
Technological trends, mostly they enjoy with the benefit of it. They can handle HR jobs by using
technological tools faster and efficient. It helps them to come over challenges that they faced in
the work.
A workforce demographic trend is taking HR divisions energy too much. Especially, the multicultural, worldwide companies, such as the one that Bujhar Berisha works in, face many
problems on this. Meeting the differences at the same platform and rendering them to new
synergy is not easy and requires more training.
In short, trends has significant impacts on the human resources management in the way of the
shaping them. Some has positive and some negative. HR managements in the business need to be
more engaged the changes and follow/apply them closely in order for firms to be surviving.