HR policy as a response to trends Print Page Today's workplace looks different in many ways from that of 20 or even 10 years ago. Consider the prevalence of social media, both as an official means of organisational communication and its 'unofficial' use by staff in and outside the office. Consider the rise of remote working, flexible work assignments, outsourcing and other trends. Have you worked in an organisation that has implemented strategies such as virtual work teams, perhaps crossing departmental, organisational or even national borders? Or perhaps you have worked in an organisation that has incorporated corporate social responsibility or sustainability into its business strategy? All of these developments can have important implications for HR policy. This Key Concept Exercise gives you an opportunity to investigate one of these trends and its potential impact on HR policy in greater depth. To prepare for this Key Concept Exercise: • Read the required Learning Resources for Week 2. • Choose one of the organisational or social trends described in your Learning Resources – or another that you wish to research on your own – and reflect on its implications for development of HR policy. To complete this Key Concept Exercise: • In approximately 500 words, analyse the implications of your chosen organisational or social trend for the development of HR policy. • In formulating your Key Concept Exercise, consider the following questions: o How can HR leaders use HR policy to take advantage of opportunities posed by the trend you identified? o How can HR leaders use HR policy to mitigate risks posed by the trend you identified? o How might an organisation's HR policy need to be revised or changed in light of your identified trend? o What would be the implications for an organisation of not addressing the trend via HR policy? Submit your Key Concept Exercise to Turnitin. When writing your responses you should synthesise the theory with real-world experience and use examples of the theories in action in a real organisation about which you have read or one in which you have worked. Be sure to read over your Key Concept Exercise before submitting it to your Instructor. Make sure the spelling and grammar are correct and the language, citing and referencing you use when providing your opinion are appropriate for academic writing. Learning Resources Bamberger, P.A., Biron, M. & Meshoulam, I. (2014) Human resource strategy: formulation, implementation and impact,2nd ed. London: Routledge. • Chapter 2, 'The adoption, formulation, and implementation of HR strategies' Fisher, S., Wasserman, M., Wolf, P. & Wears, K. (2008) 'Human resource issues in outsourcing: integrating research and practice', Human Resource Management, 47 (3), pp.501–523. Schmidt, A. (2013) 'The implications of flexible work: membership in organizations revisited', Management Revue, 24 (3), pp.179-198. Optional Coombes, R. (2014) 'Ten trends that will reshape the future of HR' [Online] Available at;http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/ten-trends-that-will-reshape-the-future-of-hr (Accessed; 17/10/15) Deloitte Consulting (2014) 'Global human capital trends 2014' [Online] Available at;http://dupress.com/periodical/trends/global-human-capital-trends-2014/?icid=hp:ft:01 (Accessed 6/11/15)