ASSIGNMENT

ON
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
(PGPM-12)

By

MD IRSHAD ALAM
(Registration No: 214-05-31-50011-2163)

SUBMITTED TO
SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CONSTRUCTION
MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH CENTRE
25/1 BALEWADI, N.I.A POST OFFICE
PUNE 411045.

ASSIGNMENT TITLE
You are a Project Manager on a site where work for 3 km Long Tunnel has been undertaken.
The site is remote and takes about 2 days travel to nearest town. Supervisors, Technicians &
skilled workers are engaged in dangerous / hazardous work. Absenteeism due to sickness,
quarrels, drinking are adding to less output of work and chances of accident on site are
increasing. Management has urged to do something so that time target can be achieved. Discuss
how will you tackle the problem and increase the output of the work.

KEY
i.

Understand the working conditions at remote places.

ii.

Know the basic needs of person.

iii.

Understand social needs of persons.

iv.

Understand hygiene and motivation factors.

v.

Discuss various aspects to apply them for each category.

vi.

Understand role of leadership.

OUTLINE IN BRIEF
i.

Introduction of main problem

ii.

Reasons of various problems

iii.

Needs and their fulfillment on site

iv.

Suggested methods for hygiene factors and motivational factors

v.

Recommendation to management

vi.

Bibliography/Readings

Introduction to the main problems:

1. Absenteeism due to sickness
2. Absenteeism due to quarrels and drinking
3. Accidents at site
4. Technical problems

Reasons of various problems:

1. Lack of Manpower Management (or) Planning
2. Un-hygienic surroundings and temporary accommodation
3. Lack of medication
4. Consumption of alcohol
5. Availability of alcohol
6. Storage of materials
7. Roof spilling
8. Water seepage

Needs and their fulfillment on site:

1. Lack of Manpower Management (or) Planning:
Prepare a proper schedule of the project and assign resources to each task i.e. each activity,
assigning resources means identify manpower required for each task and what is the availability of
manpower and how much work has been done till date and how much work is to be done. Identify
type of manpower required i.e. skilled (or) unskilled. If manpower is inadequate then try to get more
manpower or try to use the available manpower fully so as to complete maximum amount of work
and try to complete the urgent works such that it does not affect our project duration. Reschedule the
project and send updated schedule to head office and inform them weekly work progress so that
they can help you overcome manpower problem (or) try to motivate the available manpower by
giving extra benefits if they complete the project in time. If manpower is less then immediately
inform the
head office so that they can send some more manpower so that the project can run smoothly.

2. Suggestions and Recommendation to Management on Manpower Management (or) Planning:

Management planning involves a few steps, if the Management and Project Manager follow these
steps there will be no problem due to manpower in the project. The tunnel project is a large project

with large number of manpower involved in it and at different levels. The management has to
monitor whether all are working properly or not, if not then they have to make some other
arrangement and try to motivate the manpower so that the project can progress smoothly. Following
are the steps:
* Understand the project in all respects and get all the details of the project i.e. Site
conditions, Contract conditions, Technical specifications, Construction techniques, and Time
frame.
* Working out the labor component in various parameters of the project by using constants to work
out labor requirement.
* Classifying and categorizing labor requirements and various jobs by level of skill, responsibility,
nature of work, etc.
* Determine the duration of each job or task at every stage of the project.
* Estimate the manpower required taking into view absenteeism, labor turnover and stability factor.
Manpower Management has some principles that should be known by the Project Manager and the
Management of the Company. The principles are as follows* Care and skill should be exercised in the selection of employees.
* Introduction to the job should be friendly, skillful and adequate.
* Each employee should be made to feel that his efforts are really appreciated.
* Consideration should be given to the effect that each rule and instruction may have on the feelings
of the employees.
* Employees should have a part in planning those things that affect their working conditions.
* Management should be absolutely fair in every policy and every practice.
* Each employee should have a feeling of pride in the worthiness of his and his company. Based on
the construction program and various other norms , the administrative set-up is worked out for
completion of the project. It is proposed to have two Chief Engineers (Level-1), one for head work
and other for canal and canal structures headed by the Project manager. Under the Chief Engineer
(Head work) four circle offices will be proposed and under the Chief Engineer (Canal and canal
structures) three circle offices will be proposed. There will also be one Director (Administration),
one Director (Finance), one Director (Quality), and one Director (Technical) under the Project
Manager. There will also be attached Superintendent Engineer (Mechanical) under each Chief
Engineer. All these offices will be suitably located for effective monitoring and control over the
execution of the project. A chart showing the administrative set-up is shown below-

3. Un-hygienic surroundings and Temporary Accommodation:

Before starting of the project, the Management has to plan well how to maintain hygienic working
conditions at site. This project is of long duration and so the manpower involved is more, hence it is
one of the preliminary needs of the employees and workers.
Suggestion methods to maintain Hygiene factor:
Management has to well plan for the temporary shelters considering the number of workers involved in
the project and how many shelters are required and for different category of employees who will be
working at site. It is needed to consider the different types of shelters that should be constructed with
respective facilities, the materials required for construction of the shelters and the time needed to
complete them as its important for these to get completed before starting of the project. Management
should built temporary shelters for workers who will be working at site because the site is at remote area
and travelling will be very inconvenient for the workers, hence it is one of the preliminary requirements
of the workers and the management should take extra precautions. A site office should also be built with
all necessary requirements; drinking water should be drinkable as most diseases are spread by water, so it
is an important step to be taken care by the management.

Lack of Medication:
Management should send a medical team at site and they should stay there till completion of the project.
They should be supplied with the necessary equipments and medical kits so that they can manage any
hazardous situation i.e. any sudden accidents can be handles, in case of occurrence of any epidemic they
can overcome the situation. By this the work will progress smoothly and the number of worker
absenteeism will be reduced. Worker who is sick will be taken care by the medical team so that he can
recover quickly and resume work.

Consumption and availability of Alcohol:

This is a major problem with labor as they drink daily after work so that they get some relief from whole
days work and body pains. The management should not allow consumption of alcohol or restrict its
availability to per person such that it is enough to get him goodnight sleep. In case of easy availability of
alcohol there are chances that the workers will drink all night and next day dont go to work which will
cause frequent absenteeism; also excess alcohol causes quarrels and fights which can cause absenteeism
and also affect the work environment thus in turn affecting the project progress. If quarrels are happening
frequently due to alcohol consumption, then the management has to take some precautionary steps to
handle the problem such as avoid the availability of alcohol near the site so that the labor cannot consume

much alcohol and the problem is solved and the project can continue progressing smoothly.

Storage of Materials:
This is also a major problem for such a big project and since the site is a remote area materials will be at
site well before start of the project, so store rooms should be properly built well in advance so that it will
not create a problem while execution of work. In order to have an uninterrupted supply of materials the
management should know what all materials will be required by the workers on site and its number or
quantity. All this quantities should be planned well in advance as the cost of the project also depends on
this.

Roof Spilling:
The management should have complete knowledge of what all technical problem may occur while
execution of work and it has to take proper precautions. All this should be well planned before so that the
project duration is not affected. The management should know the causes of the problems and its
solutions. The cause of roof spilling is type of formation of rock, rock with excess of foliations, joint and
poor rock mass leads to roof spilling.

* Suggestion and Methods to overcome Roof Spilling Problem: * Tunnel should be properly scaled to
remove loose rock mass and cement grouting should be done so that the rock will get some extra strength
and can hold itself properly and will not fall down easily. * Tunnel should have proper provision of steel
ribs so that it will be well supported on the steel ribs and work can progress smoothly and the Project
manager should have all these materials on site well in advance as these materials are required suddenly.

Water Seepage:
The management should have complete knowledge of what all technical problem may occur while
execution of project and management should take proper precautions which are to be well planned in
advance so that it would not affect the project duration. The main cause for water seepage is due to the
discontinuous rock formation, Ground water table height, etc.

* Suggestions and Methods to overcome Water Seepage problem: While designing the tunnel it is critical
to have well designed and effective drainage system because if there is any water is accumulating in the
tunnel, it will affect the progress of work. Therefore, the drainage system should be such that the water
accumulated is quickly drained away from working area without affecting it. Another solution is to do

proper grouting so that the rock will get more strength and it will stop the water from seeping into the
tunnel. This is one of the easiest methods to overcome the seepage problem. The other method to
overcome the seepage problem is by covering the tunnel section with water proofing membranes.

Recommendation to Management:
Top Management should be more responsible and should carefully monitor the progress of work and all
urgent needs at site should be fulfilled as quickly as possible. It should ensure that the middle and lower
management is working properly. In case of any accidents or hazardous situations, the top management
should openly help the middle and lower management in all possible ways so that they can overcome the
situation. They should send a team to the site to help the middle and lower management to handle and
overcome the situation hence allowing the work to progress smoothly. Since the tunnel project is a very
large project and will take a lot of time to get completed, the management has to be well prepared for all
fore coming situations i.e. labor problems, absenteeism, etc. Management has to ensure that the functions
of each level of management is clear amongst everybody and should monitor each employees
performance; whether he is doing his duties properly or not.

Functions of Top Management:

1. Determining the objectives.
2. Framing polices and making plans to carry out the objectives and policies. 3. Setting up the
organizational framework to conduct the operation as per plans. 4. Gathering the resources needed to put
the plans into effect. 5. Controlling the operations through the organization.

Middle management is concerned with the task of implementing the policies and plans chalked out by the
top management. Middle management consists of departmental heads exercising the usual functions of
management in respect of their own departments. They have to plan the operations, issue instructions to
their assistants; collect the resources required and control the work of the men under them.

Functions of Middle Management:

1. Understanding the policies framed by top management.
2. Preparing the organizational set-up n their departments. 3. Finding out the suitable operative and
supervisory personnel and fixing duties and responsibilities to them. 4. Arranging and issuing instructions
to the assistants and operatives. 5. Motivating the personnel for higher productivity.

6. Co-operating with other departments for smooth functioning of organization. 7. Collecting reports,
statistical information, and other records about the work turned out in the respective departments and
forwarding the same to the top management. 8. Recommending to the top management new or revised
policies for their respective departments to obtain better performance.

Lower Level Management:

It is the lowest level in the administrative framework and actual operations are performed here. Foremen
supervisors assisted by a number of workers and clerks carry out the actual operations as per schedule.
Their authority and responsibility is limited and they have to follow the guideline drawn by the higher
levels of management. The foremen and supervisors are responsible for carrying out work orders allotted
to their respective departments. They pass on the instructions from the middle management to the
workers. The quality of workmanship and quality of output will depend upon the hard labor, discipline
and loyalty of the operating personnel.

Motivation of Employees in Construction Project:

Motivation is the driving force within individuals that drive them physiologically and psychologically to
pursue one or more goals to fulfill their needs or expectations. Motivators may be intrinsic or extrinsic.
An example of an intrinsic motivator is the self-fulfillment of a worker as a result of performing task well.

Motivation of Labor in Construction Project:

Construction labor can be motivated. This is important because dwindling productivity is a major problem
confronting construction today. Productivity has been decreasing every year for the past decade, partly
because of increasing design complexity, more rigorous state and federal regulations and socio-economic
changes affecting the work force. Our findings indicate that a highly motivated workforce enhances
productivity and project effectiveness. In construction, the work itself- that is the building of a structure
for all to behold is a key motivator for all levels of management and work force. Therefore, a well
planned project seems to be the first and most important step to achieve good productivity. Unfortunately,
on large industrial projects, craftsmen often receive only minimal amounts of information about their
work. Duplication of effort, numerous modifications to plans and schedules that consistently slip makes it
difficult to maintain a motivated workforce. On large power plants, changes in designs and problems with
material availability are considered major demotivating factors. With effective pre-planning, the
availability of materials can be checked before workers are assigned to an area so that workers do not start
work in one location only to have to be shifted to another location. Care in this respect will only improve

worker motivation and productivity and help promote a high level of accomplishment. Most foremen and
craftsmen take considerable pride in the work they do. Having to rip out their work and redo it can be
extremely discomforting. In fact, if it is extensive, redoing parts of a project may be the worst demotivator
of all. Craftsmen view overcrowded conditions and crew interference due to extensive rework as
demotivating. Worse, such problems can create hostile feelings as a result of frustration. Design
standardization can help to minimize rework and improve morale.

Motivational Programs:
Although some unique motivational programs were found, the vast majority can be grouped into five
primary categories:- a. Goal setting
b. Incentives
c. Positive reinforcement (i.e. recognition for a job well done) d. Worker participation
e. Work facilitation
The following present a dissertation on each of the five categories discussing first their use in other
industries and then their application in construction. a. Absenteeism and Turnover:The Department of Energy study indicated that the absenteeism and turnover are a relatively minor
concern to workmen. Still, it can have a major impact on total project productivity. High rates of
absenteeism are a concern, especially to individuals who have to carry extra workload to compensate for
the missing crewmembers. Low job satisfaction results in high absence from work and high turnover.
Thus absenteeism and turnover can be viewed as effects of motivational activities or demotivational
concerns. The costs of motivational programs are often justified by the reduced absenteeism and turnover.
For example, the cost of M2 group Engineering Pvt. Ltd. and Big Designing and Construction Company
on eight projects has been more than paid for by the reduction in absenteeism and the reduced costs
associated with hiring fewer workmen. Director indicated that it required some amount of time per
employee to process paper work plus two to three weeks of each new employees time to learn the job.
Again, the figures on attendance and turnover measure the motivational effort that is financially justified.
Moreover, awards for good records are perhaps the most effective method to decrease absenteeism.

Bibliography:Management in Organization by Koontz and Odoneal, Macgraw Hill Publication