Abstract:
Human resource management is primarily concerned with ensuring that a project has
sufficient human resources, with the correct skill-sets and experience, for the project to be
successfully completed. This study explored the human resource management practices and the
challenges of such practices. It was a descriptive survey design. A purposive sampling technique
was employed to 136 respondents, out of which 122(92.2%) responded to the questionnaire
administered indicating a high return-rate. Plus to this, semi structured interview was used for
triangulation purpose. Data were analyzed quantitatively using SPSS version 23 showing Means
and Standard Deviations. Also Kendall ranking method was conducted to identify the major
challenges of the human resource management practices. It was established that the selected
construction projects in Jimma town have put in place diverse training and development
programmes, appraisal practices, career planning and employee participation practices, rewards
and compensation policies to enhance the performance of their staff. The study concluded that the
key challenges of the human resource management practices were high labor turnover, lack of
incentives and benefits, inadequate retirement benefit, skill gap, null occupational health and
safety practices. The study, therefore, recommended that the construction projects need
strengthening their policies on monitoring and supervision, reward system, performance
appraisal practices in order to mitigate the impact of the challenges on the employees. Plus,
construction projects need to provide workers with the necessary Personal Protective Equipment,
which include safety belts, retaining belts, safety ropes, and safety harness and catch nets to
prevent being hit by falling materials and falling from heights. Furthermore, workers need to be
continuously trained on the importance of using PPE.
