fundamentals of human resource management

fundamentals of human resource management

Exploring the Fundamentals of Human Resource Management

1. Introduction to Human Resource Management

The ultimate goal of HR is to bring a development in the areas of productivity, quality, innovation, and more importantly the employee commitment. To develop a mutual understanding, the management needs to create a database of HR policies and practices that the employees can trust and value. It is incumbent on the part of HR in an organization to ensure that the employees are well taken care of, and that they are important stakeholders in the company. This calls for a proper management of the human resources available, especially during turbulent times, in order for the company not to get shunted on the competitive rails.

Human Resource Management (HR) is of vital importance in an organization as all successful organizational activities are a result of the human aspect in the organization. The essence of the organization is due to its human dimension and hence the employees need to be valued and given importance to, in order for them to realize their true potentials. In spite of the HR concept attracting a great deal of attention and being extensively written about, there still remains a lack of understanding on techniques of managing people effectively. The main function of HRM is to develop a set of management practices that maximize the support that the organization can provide to a business.

2. Key Functions and Roles in HRM

Elements associated with the general roles continue to change: responsibilities for compliance linked to rapidly changing human resource directives; responsibility for efficiency in an era of persistent global competition; responsibility for shaping and conducting social debates as the employer takes on the role of social activist in the workplace; and responsibility for innovation in an era when intellectual capital has become the basis for competitive success. The identity of the term “strategic HRM” was established by starting with the original concept of “MS.” It is the expression of shared beliefs, values, and attitudes, which influence employee performance, flexibility, and competitive advantage.

In HRM, we consult a map (or maybe an abbreviated list of what a “real” HRM map should include) of the kinds of things human resource managers do, which provides a sense of the complexity of the manager’s job as well as a framework for presenting the fundamentals of HRM. This list includes the broad definitions of the major HRM roles, which are the domain we explore in this research flow. The main categories are strategic HRM, equal employment opportunity, staffing, talent management, total reward systems, risk management and worker protection, employee and labor relations, and the last one is international HRM. These categories incorporate the range of activities used by HRM, depending on the size and scope of the organization and the job assignment.

3. Recruitment and Selection Processes

With the cost and challenges presented by the recruiting and selecting process, it is important to be clear about the objectives and to be effective in identifying potential employees. Good human resource planning is important and can be supported by job analysis. This process identifies the many ways employees are currently being utilized within the organization and projects human resource needs. Employee characteristics are matched to these needs. After these concerns have been determined, the task is to retrieve potential choices quickly and at a reasonable cost, to evaluate the abilities and characteristics of these people carefully, and to employ or place them in the organization. Small or large organizations can then meet challenges that arise and increase their effectiveness by drawing on the skills of these qualified employees. Human resource management affects both employer and employee life and is therefore an important focus for managers, employees, and educators.

Finding the right person for the job is critical for the smooth and successful operation of any organization. The number and type of people doing the tasks comprise much of a business’ costs. With the increased demand for the production of high-level goods and services, human resource management is considered even more important as an organizational function. Consequently, recruiting and selecting the right people is crucial. The recruiting process is not only costly, but can also be time-consuming and complex. However, the significance of finding the right person for the job cannot be overstated. Without effective recruitment, the selection of better employees is hampered. Because of this, many organizations go to considerable lengths to retain effective workers through different strategies, such as good salaries and other benefit plans, training and development programs, job security, and opportunities for career development.

4. Employee Development and Training

We attempt to address some of these problems by exploring the teaching of training. This “deep learning” approach is an alternative to the popular “surface learning” approach (identified by Biggs, 1987) that many business practitioners tend to use when fulfilling the role of “ambassadors.” They promote the immediate (surface) applications of well-known training techniques and technologies largely at the cost of understanding a full range of complex processes and issues associated with effective training. In the case of employee assistance as a change management tool, that means focusing almost exclusively on curriculum content, training media, instructional methods, and motivating learners. Business students may learn about adult learning theory (andragogy) and related training theories at the opposite end of the spectrum. But in doing so, they often fail to understand or appreciate the implications for instructional design and development and how the new learning need interacts with other learning dimensions.

Today, in a labor market that is consumer-driven and knowledge-based, employee training and learning are critical functions in most organizations. It is essential to both attract and keep talented people and to build a sufficiently skilled workforce. Formal training is also presented as a potential solution to many pressing societal problems. Lifelong learning of workers is presented as the solution to the growing skill gap of the U.S. workforce, the lack of social mobility, the increase in the proportion of the working poor, and many other social woes. We are strikingly, even obsessively, attracted to the idea of workplace learning, yet our understanding of it is very muddled. Precisely what role does formal training play in developing the competencies of workers? What are the roles and responsibilities of the primary stakeholders in the training process – instructional designers, trainers, trainees, unit managers, organizational designers, and others? What are the key variables that affect the effectiveness of training as a change management tool?

5. Performance Management and Compensation

The process of performance management: The traditional appraisal process is often misleading. Companies often treat performance management as a “once a year” chore that is done to complete forms and disagree about a raise. It’s not so much that the specifics of traditional performance appraisal are terrible. On the other hand, typical appraisals often aren’t connected with raising employee skills. Competitive pay and benefits plans are necessary for attracting and keeping employees, but to really get top performance, employees also need to understand the company’s goals and expectations. They also need to receive continual, open feedback with regard to their performance. They need to understand where they’re delivering top performance as well as where they can improve. Since performance appraisals are the primary conduit through which managers provide feedback to employees, companies must make sure appraisals get done right.

Why performance management matters: To achieve organizational goals, HR needs to spend considerable time making sure that the organization is hiring skilled people and then providing them with the appropriate training and development. In fact, it may come as a surprise to some, but the primary role of the HR department in most organizations isn’t selecting employees, but instead, helping managers and employees work together to achieve the best performance possible. Given the high cost of paying individuals, even in good times, it’s critical that companies ensure that their employees are performing effectively. Finally, high-quality performance management systems help companies relate corporate strategy to individual tasks.

Performance Management