Introduction
“8 mile” is a film covering themes that affect our day to day activities either in families, friends or our workplace setting. Therefore this paper will critically examine one of the areas covered in the film; that is the workplace and the state of the workers especially the working environment and conditions employees conduct their tasks, duties and responsibilities (Hanson 202).
A great example depicted in the movie was the North Detroit Stamping (NDS) Plant, a company that Jimmy Rabbit (the main character) is working for. It was a metallic plant involved in manufacturing vehicle parts that would later be assembled (Budhwar & Aryee 143). The movie has clearly depicted the challenges workers of the company were facing when undertaking their duties. The most notable example includes the poor relationship between the supervisors and their subordinates.
This is evident when the company’s supervisor granted Jimmy a surprise overtime that he has been asking for in the past without success. Another case in the movie is when a number of depressed workers of the company started talking about their problems during lunch hour (break) on some of the harsh treatment they were going through in the workplace (Hanson 22).
A: Learning Points from the Video
There are various learning points that a human resource manager can acquire from the film that may help the manager be in a position of improving the workers’ productivity, morale, job satisfaction and communication within an organization. The first learning point a human resource manager regards the work environment.
The movie has clearly indicated that the employees are working in a very dangerous condition; this is because they lack the necessary tools that will enable them carryout their duties more effectively. This is depicted by the fact that some employees never had earmuffs, hand gloves, goggles, helmets and other personal protective devices essential in ensuring that they are safe (Ozbilgin 35). Ideally work environment dictates how employees feel about their tasks and responsibilities.
The other learning experience that a human resource manager can learn from the film is the presence of job-related stress; this is when the employees’ productivity was reducing as a result of poor job environment.
This is exemplified when Jimmy was asking for additional working time so that he could boost his monthly income. However, he was denied the chance by the supervisor who stated that there was no such opportunity. This stressed him a lot which led to him feel he was not cared for and hence not needed in the organization (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics par 3).
Unsafe work practices are explored in the film when the employees of the company are heard complaining about the terrible conditions of work they are being exposed to. In this case the employees are seen complaining in form of rhymes on the harsh treatment that they are exposed to. A woman during lunch time complains about the type of food they are constantly being provided by the company, she also complains of the limited time they are given over lunch hour as well as their pay which she says is inadequate (Ulrich 158).
The company has also showed evidences of failure in management and organizational safety practices. This is depicted when the company’s supervisor surprisingly granted Jimmy the opportunity of working for some extra hours just after he was attacked by Papa Docs’ gang. It is worth noting that this should be time he is given time to be off-duty so that he nurses his wounds. Additionally the management did not adequately and timely inform him of the changes (Legge 59).
The other learning point in the film is lack of legal regulations that governs both employees and their employer. This contributed to employees being dismissed without following the due process; workers were being relieved their duties without even being warned.
In this case if the company had implemented the correct legal regulations that protected both the employees and their employer the company to be considered to be a fair place to work in (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, par 7). In fact companies that work like this will end up having a very high rate of employees’ turnover.
The role of the United States of America government concerning workplace is to ensure that employees are working in a safe environment, thus the government will check and ensure that all the labor laws that are set by the International Labor Organization (ILO) as well as its own guidelines and procedures are strictly adhered to and at the same time regulate the hours that an employee works (Bratton & Gold 280).
B: Human Resource Management Theory (Based On Textbook Chapter 8)
The human resources theory that has been explored in Chapter 8 of the book “Essentials of Managing Human Resources” by George W. Bohlander, Scott A. Snell, emphasizes on the need of appraising and improving employees performance (Bohlander & Snell 363). This is one significant quality that a human resource manager in any operational organization is supposed to look into in order to ensure that the employees are in a position of being more productive (Price, pgs 120-129).
The North Detroit Stamping (NDS) Plant management team will be in a position of experiencing an increase in its productivity only if it introduces necessary measures that will improve the employee’s morale while at work; these measures are well demonstrated in chapter 8 of the book when the writers stated some measures that will be considered in ensuring that the employees are well motivated and thus enjoy working (Ulrich 128).
For instance when good work is praised and rewarded, then workers will feel appreciated and will try to improve and put more effort in attaining better results. Rewards can take various forms such as promotion, giving workers accolade in terms of certificate as well as monetary rewards.
In the case of the North Detroit Stamping (NDS) Plant, the management will have to review the working environment of the employees, provide the workers with protective gear and enough time for break to curb fatigue (Bohlander & Snell 373). The other way the company will realize profits is when it will review employees’ pay and improve the working environment for instance by introducing sufficient lighting (Price 126).
C: Application in my world.
My own assessment is a Coal Mining Company; the company aim of becoming the most outstanding coal mining company but these ambitions are not realized. This is because the production of the employees is not high as expected; a thorough analysis that was conducted in the company came up with some vital information stating why the company was not able to reach its expected target (Pfeffer 83).
Research indicated that the employees were not happy with their work environment; this is because they lacked adequate tools that would help guarantee them safety (Bratton & Gold 286). They lacked protective devices like goggles, overalls, gumboots, helmets, overhead torches and hand gloves.
The work environment was also very filthy and dusty as the extracted produce were disposed around the mine. They also indicated that the mine supervisors were very strict and arrogant to the workers as they never allowed the workers to express themselves freely thus, shutting down communication flow between the workers and the management (Ozbilgin 35).
Effects of Working Environment on Employee’s Performance
Poor working condition reduces the productivity of the employees because they are not in a position of performing their duties with a lot of ease; an example is when employees lack protective devices like the helmets, goggles and hand gloves they will be slow when performing their duties while they work in a potentially dangerous areas. For this reason they will record a low output as they will be more cautious when performing their duties (Bohlander & Snell 369).
Poor working environment leads to absenteeism; employees will constantly be absent as a result of illnesses associated with the working environment. Hygiene of the workplace play a very significant role in determining the health of the employees, thus dusty environment will automatically indicate that the employees will regularly fall ill and thus the numbers of employees will constantly reduce hence their productivity (Bohlander & Snell 380).
Conclusion
The film has set the basic challenges that many companies face today and thus providing a clear indication of why most industries do not record increased profits. The company’s management plays a significant role in reduced productivity of there industries; the major reasons being poor working environment, poor pay and lack of effective communication system.
It is worth noting that this can be change if organizations offer their employees an improved working environment, better salaries, improved channel of communication as well as provision of personal protective equipment. In a nutshell the paper has covered relevant issues that are experienced by workers in their workplace; the steps that should be taken to avoid the said issues and issues that every human resource manager opt to be aware of when dealing with employees.
Works Cited
Bohlander, George & Snell, Scott. Essentials of Managing Human Resources. New York: Thomson-Nelson Press, 2011. Print.
Bratton, John & Gold, Jeffrey. Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan press, 1994. Print.
Budhwar, Pawan & Aryee, Samuel. Strategic Human Resource Management: Building Research through Practice. London: Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.
8 Mile. Dir. Hanson, Curtis. Prod. Hanson Curtis, Grazer Brian & Lovine Jimmy. DVD Imagine Entertainment, Universal Pictures, 2002.
Legge, Karen. Human Resource Management: Rhetorics and Realities. New York: Palgrave Macmillan Press, 2004. Print.
Ozbilgin, Mustafa. International Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. New York: Palgrave Macmillan press, 2004. Print.
Pfeffer, Jeffry. Competitive Advantage through People. Harvard: Harvard Business School Press, 1994. Print.
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Managers and Specialists, 2009. Web.
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