This theme considers whether there have been any shifts or changes to subjects' values, beliefs and opinions since being in the Human Resources profession; in what way these have changed and what the main influences on these value shifts have been. 60% of subjects stated that their values, beliefs and opinions have changed since being in Human Resources whereas 40% stated that there had been no change whatsoever in their values, beliefs and opinions.
Reasons for the change in subjects' values varied. One subject gave the changes within South African society as well as the change to a more positive management / employee relationship as the primary reason for a change to his values and beliefs. Another subject stated that her values had shifted when the organisation changed towards a more progressive, participative management style and the policies progressed along with this change. The change created new challenges for the subject in Human Resources which affected her beliefs and opinions.
Subjects gave various indications of the way in which their values, beliefs and opinions had changed. One subject noted that he had become more conservative and less generous in terms of giving bursaries etc, the reason for this being that "working in a large company, you sort of tow the line in a sense in terms of what the company's objectives are. " Because he has been with the organisation for many years, he feels he has impacted on the organisation and
the organisation has impacted on him. Due to this, he is careful to consider all consequences of decisions before making them and has become far more conservative compared to the younger managers joining the organisation. A further subject feels that he has matured since being in Human Resources and has become more neutral and balanced in his approach.
Another subject stated that she had become more practical since being in Human Resources and that her view of Human Resources has now changed to seeing it more as a service to the company. Interestingly, two subjects acknowledged that their values and beliefs have
developed so that they have realised the importance of perseverance and that everyone is able to contribute and make a difference in the organisation. Both subjects stated their firm belief in the ability of designated group members and the need to judge employees in terms of what they can do, not in terms of their colour.
A sub-theme of this shift in values, beliefs and opinions is the effect of era - in other words, the impact that the era that they grew up in and their background had on the subject's values, beliefs and opinions. All subjects stated that their era or background had an important
influence on their values and beliefs. Three subjects said that their family had had the greatest influence while one subject stated that her religious beliefs were the most influential in
shaping her values, beliefs and opinions. All three subjects who have been influenced by their families hold non-discriminatory beliefs and values and non-racist thinking. One of these subjects is very outspoken about his beliefs in the organisation and has pushed for changes to policies in accordance with his beliefin employment equity. Another of these subjects, however, stated that although his values and beliefs are non-racist, he sees the Affirmative Action legislation as definitely race based and sees its implementation as negative because a time limit has not been placed on the enforcement of this legislation. He believes it will, and already has, have a negative effect on the qualified, white population in South Africa. With the effect of era, one subject also stated that even though her background and experiences have had an impact on her values and beliefs, this does not mean that they will affect policy.
Even if her values and beliefs are not in line with what is included in the policy, if it is for a business need, then it will be included no matter what her values are.
A further sub-theme with regards to the values, beliefs and opinions of subjects is their view of the work ethic that has begun to dominate organisations in recent years - where especially younger employees are wanting to balance work life and leisure / family time, possibly working flexible or shorter hours. 50% of subjects said that they believed in the work ethic and thought it was positive whilst 30% of subjects said they thought the ethic was negative.
Where subjects agreed with the work ethic, two stated that this was on condition that the needs of the department are still met even where employees work flexible hours and that employee output is more important than hours worked. One subject who disagreed with the work ethic stated that its presence has meant that there is no longer a life long commitment to an organisation and that with the new generation, organisations have to 'milk' employees dry of any knowledge and abilities they bring before they leave the organisation after a few years.
Another subject stated that he disagreed with the ethic because employees try only to do the minimum that they have to for the money they earn because of the influence of the unions.
Three subjects commented that the presence of this work ethic is really dependant on the organisational environment. For example, in a manufacturing environment where workers are on shifts, there is little space to be flexible in terms of work time. Three subjects suggested that the reason for the work ethic was due to globalisation which has meant people are spending more time at the office because business is taking place faster and faster and expanding on a global level. This has also resulted in more pressure on individuals and the need for flexi-time has become more important.
A final sub-theme in terms of the values and beliefs of subjects is that of employee participation. 90% of subjects stated that they valued employee participation in decision
making (such as policy development) and thought it was positive. One subject said that he did not believe there was a need for employees to participate because the organisation always provided what was best for it's employees. Four subjects who valued participation by employees stated, however, that this participation needs to be controlled and management should not give up their prerogative in decision making. Because management are the ones that are held accountable, they "need to have a measure of control over the decisions that they make" and need to decide when to allow employees to participate.
One subject stated that employee participation is vital for the policy development process because it ensures that everyone owns the policy and will, therefore, accept it more readily.
Two further subjects said that Human Resources also needs to help employees to participate by being in touch with them; hearing their voice and allowing it to be heard.
"I do believe that employees need to be informed and I do believe that employees need to be
guided Employees need to be provided with competencies to be able to participate. "