HRM/300 Fundamentals of Human Resource Management
The Not So Sophisticated Roles of HR Management
A little over 15 years ago I had my first experience with Human Resources. It was a positive and pleasant experience that left a lasting impression on me. Because of that encounter, I have been expecting the same positive experience with Human Resources in hopes to create that initial warm, fuzzy, pro-employee, “we are here to help you” feeling I received before. What I believed HRM stood for versus reality differs. This paper will explore the not so sophisticated roles of HRM. But first, let us talk about what HRM is.
HRM has developed over the years as times have changed. Once noted as a department that hosted company parties and gave awards has developed into a place that has built hardcore policies and procedures necessary to help manage complex departments within an organization. According to our book “Fundamentals of Human Resource Management” DeCenzo & Robbins (2007) one of the roles is “to assist the organization in its strategic direction and representing and advocating for the organization’s employee” (p. 34). An organization cannot achieve its strategic goals without the assistance of HRM. HRM understands employees are assets to the company and are truly the ones running the show. In order to be a dominant force in implementing the company’s strategic plan, they must fully understand different cultures, outside influences, and today’s technology advancements in order to maintain existing staff.
HRM is divided into main sections in order to be a successful department:
1. Recruiting top-notch candidates that can carry out the company’s strategic goals. They organize the flow of all things recruitment so that managers can be on the frontline to help secure profits for the company. They must recruit the best in order to remain the best at what they do.
2. Implement a training program that helps to develop core competencies of a particular skill-set needed to maintain certain jobs. “HR must develop a set of instruments, which, in the hands of managers and employees, facilitates the effective management of competencies” (Knowledge and Process Management; Apr/Jun 2000; ProQuest Central, pg 76). “HR practices can create value for a firm when the individual practices are aligned to develop critical resources or competencies” (Academy of Management Journal 2003).
3. Motivation is one of the “human factors” of HRM. You cannot expect employees to constantly work without praise for a job well done. Some ways to motivate include: Employee Appreciation Day, Awards for a job well done, etc. They will not invest in you if you do not invest in them.
4. Eliminate turn-over. A way to show that you are keeping dollars in-house and not wasting is to bring your retention percentages up. Training resources and benefit dollars go to waste when a company has a high turnover rate. This is a direct reflection of HRM.
But where does HRM fit in the strategic plan of the organization? In the forefront; a company cannot succeed without the HRM on the frontlines employing the necessary people to carry out the plan. They have to be able to understand technology and how its advancements can cut production in half. In other words, think of an organization as a chess game. You have several departments (pieces) but the most important department is the King (HRM).
Quite frankly, the roles of HRM have been distorted from inside out. Most employees in a company have narrow views and opinions of what the HR department really does. HRM is not there to ensure that everyone is playing nicely in the sandbox. They are there to ensure that policies and procedures are being met and that what they are doing is adding some value to the company’s bottom-line. This is what I call the not so sophisticated roles of HRM.
HRM is designed to help the company prosper; that can be viewed as