Human Resources

Human resource management involves developing and administering programs that are designed to increase the effectiveness of an organization. It includes the entire spectrum of creating, managing, and cultivating the employer-employee relationship.

For most organizations, the human resources department is responsible for facilitating:

• Managing job recruitment, selection, and promotion
• Developing and overseeing employee benefits and wellness programs
• Developing, promoting, and enforcing personnel policies
• Promoting employee career development and job training
• Providing orientation programs for new hires
• Providing guidance regarding disciplinary actions
• Serving as a primary contact for work-site injuries or accidents

Human Resource management is about:

Addressing current employee concerns: Unlike company managers who oversee the day-to-day work of employees, HR departments deal with employee concerns such as benefits, pay, employee investments, pension plans, and training. Their work may also include settling conflicts between employees or between employees and their managers.

Acquiring new employees: The human resource management team recruits potential employees, oversees the hiring process (background checks, drug testing, etc.), and provides new employee orientation.

Managing the employee separation process: The HR management team must complete a specific set of tasks if an employee quits, is fired, or is laid off. Paperwork must be completed to ensure that the process was completed legally. Severance pay may be offered or negotiated, benefits must be settled, and access to company resources must be severed via the collection of keys, badges, computers, or sensitive materials from the employee.

Improving morale: Effective HR teams encourage company employees to do their best, which contributes to the overall success of the company. Their work often involves rewarding employees for good performance and creating a positive work environment. This is something that we are working towards.

The Changing Shape of Human Resource Management

Human resource management involves both strategic and comprehensive approaches to managing people, as well as workplace culture and environment.

The role of human resources professionals is to ensure that a company’s most important asset—its human capital—is being nurtured and supported through the creation and management of programs, policies, and procedures, and by fostering a positive work environment through effective employee-employer relations.

The Agenda of Today’s Human Resource Management Team

Today’s HR management team must focus their efforts on the following critical areas:

Define and align organizational purpose: A company’s employees must be able to clearly articulate why the company exists in order to achieve a purpose-driven, sustainable, high-performing organization. Employees must also understand how their efforts connect, or align, with the organization’s purpose.

Focus on employee strengths: Companies must make every effort to understand what candidates and employees do best and put them into roles where they can play to their strengths as much as possible.

Create organizational alignment: Achievements must align with the organization’s objectives so as to build a successful and sustainable organization.

Accurately measure the same things: All internal departments and employees must be measuring the same things as to achieve a definitive organizational result and to ensure that everyone knows exactly where the organization is at all times.