Lecture 01: People & Organisations London Metropolitan University MBA Programme || Module Number: MN7181 || Lecturer: Mr Laleen Katagodage || E-Soft batch-14- Introduction to Human Resource Management

Introduction to Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management is defined by Armstrong, 2006 the process of planning, organizing, recruiting, selecting, inducting employees about the organization, providing orientation, imparting training and development, appraising the performance of employees, deciding compensation and providing benefits, motivating employees, maintaining proper relations with employees and their trade unions, ensuring employees safety, welfare and health measures in compliance with labor laws of the country.

In words of George Elton Mayo (1933), the soft HR tracks founder is known as the father of human resource management where his management theory paved the way to modern human relationship methods which now plays a significant role for business organizations to sustain and go forward with the latest technology. And McGregor, (1960) who recognized that the need of both the organization and the individual need to be recognized.

Also (Beer et all., 1984) distinct from personal management, is the emerging philosophy that “people need to be viewed as an asset rather than merely a variable cost”

Major functions of human resource management as follows;

1.      Planning and organizing,

2.      Recruiting,

3.      Employee Training & Development,

4.      Employee maintenance or retention towards organization goals

According Armstrong 2006, These four areas and the related functions share the common objective of an acceptable number of capable employees with the skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience needed for further organizational goals. A brief description of common human resource functions is given below.

Human Resource Planning and Organizing

Human resources planning as a function, it determines the number and type of employees needed to accomplish organizational goals. Research is an important part of this function because planning requires the collection and analysis of information in-order to forecast human resources supplies and to predict future human resources needs. The basic human resource planning strategy is recruiting and placing employees to the relevant position.

Recruiting

Recruiting and selection of the human resources to an organization. Human resources planning, and recruiting leads the actual selection of people for positions in an organization. Recruiting is the personnel function that attracts qualified applicants to fill job vacancies. In the selection function, the most qualified applicants are selected for hiring from among those attracted to the organization by the recruiting function. On selection, human resource functionaries are involved in developing and administering methods that enable managers to decide which applicants to select and which to reject for the given jobs.

Employee Training and Development

The training and development function give employees the skills and knowledge to perform their jobs effectively. In addition to providing training for new or inexperienced employees, organizations often provide training program for experienced employees whose jobs are undergoing change. Large organizations often have development program which prepare employees for higher level responsibilities within the organization. Training and development program provide useful means of assuring that employees can perform their jobs at acceptable levels.

 

Employee maintenance or retention

Human resource personnel provide a rational method for determining how much employees should be paid for performing certain jobs. Pay is obviously related to the maintenance of human resources. The benefit affects recruiting, the people are generally attracted to organizations offering a higher level of pay in exchange for the work performed. It is related to employee development in that it provides an important incentive in motivating employees to higher levels of job performance and to higher paying jobs in the organization.

Benefits are another form of compensation to employees other than direct pay for work performed. As such, the human resource function of administering employee benefits shares many characteristics of the compensation function. Benefits include both the legally required items and those offered at employer’s discretion. The cost of benefits has risen to such a point that they have become a major consideration in human resources planning. However, benefits are primarily related to the maintenance and retention of employees in an organization.

Conclusion

The HR function involves managing change, technology, innovation, and diversity. It is no longer confined to the culture or philosophy of any single organization; its important is a cross-insemination of ideas from different organizations. Periodic social audits of HR functions are considered essential. The ultimate-goal of every HR person should be to develop a linkage between the employee and the employer because the employee’s commitment to the organization is vital. The first and foremost role of HR functionary is to impart continuous training to employees about the changes and challenges facing the country in general, and their organization.

References:

Armstrong M. 2006, “Strategic Human Resource Management:  A Guide to Action”, Kogan Page, Limited.

Beer et al, (1984) Managing Human Assets. New York: Free Press. 

Dassler. Gary (2006). Framework for HRM, Pearson publication, New Delhi.

McGregor, D.M. (1960). The human side of enterprise. New York: McGraw-Hill

Mayo. Elton (1933), The Human Problems of an Industrial Civilization.

Includes bibliographical references 

Bernardin H. J. (2003). Human Resource Management.

Cascio Wayne F. (2003). Managing Human Resource.

Ulrich, D. (1997). Measuring human resources: an overview of practice and a prescription for results. Human Resource Management, 36(3), 303-320. 

Ulrich, D., Brockbank, W., Johnson, D., & Younger, J. (2007). Human resource competencies: Responding to increased expectations. Employment Relations Today, 34(3), 1-12.