As we
have already discussed, recruitment of employees refers to the ability of an
organization to attract a suitably qualified pool of candidates for a vacancy
in a cost-effective manner (O'Meara & Petzall, 2013).
However, if the offer
made by the organization is to be accepted, they should posses a holistic
understanding of the potential candidate’s needs.
In
this connection, Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs discusses one of the best
known conceptualizations of human needs in an organization. Maslow theorized
that individuals have five types of needs and these types are activated in a
hierarchical manner (Kaur, 2013).
The needs are aroused from the
bottom layer to the highest, such that the lowest need layer should be
fulfilled before the next order need is triggered and the process continues (Benson
and Dundis, 2003).
Figure 4 :
Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs
Source : Sadri & Bowen, (2011)
Physiological needs
Before
an individual thinks of his career development or contribution to the economy
at large, certain basic needs have to be met such as food, shelter, water. As
such, this level directly corresponds to the pay rate of potential candidates
and while offering the job, the organization should ensure that the offered wage
or salary is adequate for the candidate to make a living (Kaur,
2013).
The
institution in which I am employed, offers considerable amount of pay
considering the cost of living, travel costs to the designated office.
Safety Needs
This
depicts the second level in the hierarchy and it is assumed that the same is
activated once all the physiological needs are met (Jerome, 2013).
Employees do
not intend to be cogs in a wheel and therefore it is necessary to stress on the
investment during the recruitment process itself, that the organization is
making a substantial long term investment on the candidate. This would enable
the candidate to develop a sense of job security (Kaur,
2013).
Further
it is vital that the organization takes health and safety measurements for the
well-being of the employees such as conducting onsite health screenings, mental
health days and the hirers may emphasize on such programmes during the
recruitment process.
Belonginess and love needs
The third
level of needs are triggered when the individuals expect the acceptance and
belonginess from others and to affiliate with them. For an organization to be
successful, it should have a common corporate culture which binds diverse
people together. Therefore, during the recruitment and selection process, it is
important to emphasize the opportunities one would be directed to, if chosen (Benson
and Dundis, 2003).
For an
example, Recruitment committee can stress on the opportunities that would be
provided to the candidates with regards to social gatherings, team work and
other team activities of the firm.
Esteem Needs
As the
fourth level in the need hierarchy, once the bottom three layers are fulfilled,
any individual would tend to go for the next layer, which gives an additional
validation by others for their hard work (Kaur, 2013).
The
management or the recruitment team should ensure to discuss throughout the
recruitment process on the positive approach given by the organization with
regards to the achievement of their current employees.
For an
example, the company in which I work, recognizes the best employee of the month
and publish their names along with photographs on ‘wall of fame’. Such
practices can be discussed with the potential candidate during the recruitment,
so that he/she will feel appreciated.
Self-Actualization needs
The
top layer of the pyramid; Self- Actualization needs represents the potential
and current employees reaching their full potential. It is evident that
self-actualized employees represent valuable assets to the company as they learn
new things, take risks and way more confident in what they do (Benson and
Dundis, 2003).
And in the process of recruitment, the managers should make an
effort to understand the ideas and views of the potential candidate on the
ability to create organizational change, their risk appetite towards new things
and the interest in education and growth potential.
As
discussed above, the organizations should work their way up the hierarchy of
needs in order to choose an enthusiastic candidate as the best fit for the
organization. It is worthless to concentrate on self-esteem needs of current
and future employees if the organization is not offering them with an adequate
amount of pay and safety environment.
References,
- Avneet Kaur, (2013). Maslow’s Need Hierarchy
Theory: Applications and Criticisms. Global Journal of Management and Business
Studies, [online] 3(10), pp.1061-1064. Available at: https://www.ripublication.com/gjmbs_spl/gjmbsv3n10_03.pdf
- Benson, S. and Dundis, S. (2003). Understanding
and motivating health care employees: integrating Maslow's hierarchy of needs,
training and technology. Journal of Nursing Management, [online] 11,
pp.315–320. Available at: https://www.qub.ac.uk/elearning/media/Media,264500,en.pdf
[Accessed 12 June. 2020].
- Jerome, N. (2013). Application of the Maslow’s
hierarchy of need theory; impacts and implications on organizational culture,
human resource and employee’s performance. International Journal of Business
and Management Invention, [online] 2(3), pp.39-45. Available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b0bc/c8ca45193eaf700350a8ac2ddfc09a093be8.pdf
- O'Meara, B. and Petzall, S., (2013). Handbook
of strategic recruitment and selection: a systems approach. Dec ed. Bingley:
Emerald Group Publishing.
- Sadri, G. and Bowen, C., (2011). Meeting
employee requirements: Maslow's hierarchy of needs is still a reliable guide to
motivating staff. Industrial engineer.
