What role does human resource management play in a business?
ByWilliam King
Posted Date: Monday, January 07, 2008 | Viewed: 542
The human resource function has gone from the traditional hire and fire role to a strategic partner at the table with finance, operations and other business centers that are not centers of profit for the organization. The job of HR, as is the job of all such departments, is to ensure that the business gets the most out of its employees. Another way to put this is that the human resource management needs to provide a high return on the business’s investment in its people. This makes it a highly complex function – because it deals with not just management issues but human ones as well.
These 2 polarities are not always easy to balance and the human resource managers specifically try to maximize output from employees by instituting various schemes and policies. The following are some of the functions handled by the human resources team.
Handle compensation and rewards:–
Human resources are responsible for tying incentives and rewards to certain positions and roles in order to maximize performance levels. This is a strategic thinking task because it affects every single person in the organization and has to be planned separately for each position, depending on level, department and goals. Some jobs need to be more goal driven, such as sales so salary can be basic but commission can form the bulk of the remuneration, leading to more incentive to work effectively and close sales. Some firms tie top management’s salary to stock price but this can be risky. It is up to human resources to structure this important aspect to everyone’s satisfaction.
Recruitment:–
Another important task handled by the human resource function is the selection and retention of employees. If the right type of employees does not enter the organization, its days are numbered, because people drive almost any type of organization towards success.
Performance management:–
Regular, balanced and systematic appraisals must be administered consistently in order to evaluate the performance of each individual in the organization. This allows human resources to pinpoint the weaknesses of an individual’s work style and the strengths. They can then share this information with the employee in order to affect a change in performance. This in turn will lead to more productivity and potentially better returns on human investment.
Point of contact:–
The human resource personnel form the point of contact for an employee with any type of difficulty or query about their remuneration or other aspects of employment with the business. It is essential for someone to be available to answer questions and provide guidance. This communicates to the employee that the business cares about his or her concerns and is available to address them.
Employee expectations:–
The human resources function fulfills a very important ‘soft skill’, unspoken task – that of balancing employee expectations and the organization’s expectations. Both need to be addressed and aligned for a business to be successful and one with satisfied employees. Only a content and motivated employee will deliver good work, so it is the job of human resources to keep track of the expectations of the employee and those of the organization to ensure both are met simultaneously.
William King is the director of UK Wholesale Suppliers & Drop Shipping Wholesalers Directory, Wholesale Suppliers Products & Wholesalers Offers Directory
Related Articles on Management
- Project Management
by Sam Daniel
An alternate point of view is that project management is the discipline of defining and achieving ta... - Preparing the plan
by Saqib Ansari
A business plan is a complete description of a business and its plans for the next one to three year... - You Need to Earn a Living
by Lance Williams
Businesses, large or small, exist to generate a profit for their owners. Business owners— whether s... - Selling Your Own Work
by Lance Williams
Many manufacturing operations require too much capital or are too labour intensive to be viable opt... - Exchanges Markets
by Saqib Ansari
Secondary markets can be organized in two ways. One is to organize exchanges, where buyers and selle... - Fundamentals of Preparing an Effective Business Plan?
by William King
This article focuses on how businesses should contend with competitors in the market and manage thei... - Steps involved in making your Business Competitive
by William King
In this article discusses the fundamental steps or techniques help towards making your business comp... - Precautions for protecting local industry from the international industry
by William King
This article speaks to the issues surrounding international business coming into direct competition ... - Outsourcing in the present day and its advantages
by William King
This article focuses on the importance of outsourcing and how to effectively use it to make your bus... - Importance of communication in organization
by William King
This article deals with the effective means of communication enhancing the organizational environmen... - What are business ethics and what is their importance?
by William King
This article describes the importance of business ethics and how negligence towards them can have a ... - The Risks Management in Offshore Outsourcing
by Hanu Software
The most important thing is to find out if your offshore outsourcing provider is aware of these risk... - Surviving in intense competition, especially against big players
by William King
In today’s competitive world, innovation plays a key role. However, to be innovative, a business mus... - Accelerate your business performance in four easy steps!
by William King
This article focuses on the various steps by which you can improve the performance of your business.... - Surviving in a changing market
by William King
Changing market trends means constant review of marketing strategies to appeal to old and new custom... - Tips for developing great teams in an organization
by William King
This article outlines how to create efficient teams within an organization and achieve the greatest ... - Limiting loss liability: Implementing a slip and fall prevention program
by O'Dell Restaurant Consulting
This article for restaurant and retail business owners, outlines the benefits and steps to implement... - Helpful Tips to Motivate your Employees
by William King
This article provides tips which will help the owner of a business to motivate his employees effecti... - Surviving in a changing market
by William King
Changing market trends means constant review of marketing strategies to appeal to old and new custom... - Tips for developing great teams in an organization
by William King
This article outlines how to create efficient teams within an organization and achieve the greatest ... - Key to a successful wholesale business- planning and research
by William King
In case you have made up your mind to start up a wholesale business, then there are a certain things... - Key to a successful wholesale business- planning and research
by William King
In case you have made up your mind to start up a wholesale business, then there are a certain things...
