The Role of the Human Resource Function - Assignment Example

STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT By Location Strategic human resource management The role of the human resource function Introduction The human resource function in any organization is one of the vital departments or organs in an organization because it serves the role of planning and developing policies and programs that would ensure that an organization properly utilizes its human resources (Deb 2006, p. 77). The human resource function deals with the human capital in an organization in terms of the relationship that they have with an organization and their well-being. One of the core objectives of this function in an organization is to ensure that employees have good working relationships among themselves and ensure that an organization properly utilizes its human capital. Other major functions include the recruiting of employees, staffing the departments that are short staffed and also focuses on employee development through organizing trainings to enhance employee competence at the work place (Wolper 2004, p. 286). The other critical role of the human resource department is to maintain the employees through manpower planning by ascertaining how many employees an organization would need in the future and the skills that they should have (Krishnaveni 2008, p. 102). Based on this, there are varying views on the role of a human resource function and those that practice it in which this essay will delve into them and also analyze how they can be able to add value and enhance the effectiveness of an organization. The human resource function and its practitioners The human resource function under the guidance of the human resource manager ensures that an organization implements policies and procedures across all the departments to ensure that there is cohesiveness in the same. As the name suggests, this function manages the most important asset to an organization, which is the work capital in which most of these carry out the same functions as much as they may differ in size and in structure. i. Recruitment Ideally, this is the most basic function of the human resource department because a company cannot function without having a capable and competent workforce that is able to execute all the tasks effectively. According to the Information Resources Management Association (2012, p. 373), this department is tasked with creating job descriptions to which new employees are to occupy and also create the responsibilities that they would be charged with so as to foster the success of an organization. As part of the recruitment, the HR department has the responsibility of interviewing and hiring the right people for the job descriptions that they have created depending on their skills and competencies that the organization requires (Barlow & Stewart 2006, p. 157). It is up to this department to look through the skills of the recruits and place them in the right positions within the company so as to increase organizational efficiency and minimize on the instances where the skills go to waste. This function can be important for a young company that seeks to experience growth and is at its initial stages of seeking to become relevant to the market that they operate in. ii. Compensation and benefits The coordination of employee benefits, taxes, compensation, and other matters that pertain to the wages and salaries of employees is another function that this department is tasked with to ensure that they are comfortable with what they earn (Durai 2010, p. 8). This department also listens to concerns raised by employees concerning their wages and also tries to explain to them as much as possible about the deductions that they may have on their payslips and explain why c they had to be done. This department also explains to the new employees about the insurance packages that their institutions offer by meeting them and clarifying and any issues that they might be having. Additionally, the HR department also makes sure that a company’s payroll runs smoothly as required by ensuring that they document how employees attend work and their absenteeism. This ensures that employees are adequately compensated for the input that they give to a come and ensure that they get bonuses as entitled to the services that they render to the company that they work for. iii. Safety Assuring employees of their safety at the work is one of the sure ways of influencing organizational loyalty and it also increases employee productivity. Essentially, the HR department is charged with organizing trainings on safety at the workplace for employees as required by law to ensure that they can save as much lives as possible in the event that there is an accident at the company premises. This is effective because it helps employees to learn applicable skills such as first aid skills that they can carry as part of them even if they leave the organization. In addition, this department also follows up on employee compensation, especially if they got injured during office hours and also facilitate the employees recuperation plan, which affirms an organization’s commitment to their employees (Griffin 2006, p. 194). iv. Performance evaluation In order for employees to be motivated to work more, the HR department is tasked with evaluating their performance and promoting those that deserve to be promoted. Evaluation of employee performance may also bring negative outcomes as while others may receive a promotion others might lose their jobs because this may lead to the termination of their contracts. Appraisals may also come along for employees during the process of performance evaluation and the benefit that this has is that it makes individuals to be at better positions for promotions even if they are not promoted at that particular time (Leatherman R & Leatherman D 2008, p. 186). v. Acts as an employee resource for an organization In many organizations, cases of harassment and abuse of employees are common in which the HR department acts as their place refuge where they can report to when they feel that their rights have been violated. The HR department has the responsibility of setting up channels that employees can report any form of abuse perpetrated against them and making them feel free from being victimized out them making such reports to the management (Austin & Sternberg 2007, p. 105). Therefore, this department helps in emphasizing an organizations zero tolerance on bullying, harassment of any kind and abuse at the workplace. The department also acts as a mediator for employees that have experienced such treatment in the workplace by helping them resolve such issues as amicably as possible while seeking to protect the reputation of the organization. Based on this, the HR department manages the relationship between the unions in an organization and the company to ensure that there is unity among them for the benefit of the employees. vi. Training and development Other than providing training on safety for employees, an organization through the human resource department should also provide employees with other forms of training that they may include orientation trainings especially when the company has developed a new organizational culture. Trainings can also be in areas such as leadership and professional development so as to help nurture more leaders within an organization for the good and benefit of the company. Essentially, leadership training may be a necessity, especially after performance evaluation when there are vacancies left to be filled when some employees have been promoted or the employment of others has been terminated. This can also be helpful to new employees as this is likely to communicate the professional and development opportunities that await them when they begin working at the organization. The opportunities may be in the form of promotions of employees or tuition reimbursement for those seeking to study while working at the organization as a way of achieving personal growth (Fallon & McConnell 2006, p.138). Human resource theories Over the years, human resource practitioners have moved and applied strategic human resource management, which is a more advanced practice that focuses on helping organizations to meet the needs of their employees to the maximum so as to foster workplace productivity. Strategic human resource management (SHRM) safeguards the interests of their employees while also promoting the company goals, meaning this practice creates a balance between being the relevant parties in an organizational setting. Human resource practitioners that apply SHRM understand the influence that this can have to employees as it tends to create an environment that conducive enough so as to yield productivity. The basic principle in SHRM is that of planning and anticipating the needs of employees, which in turn helps increase the retention rate of the employees working in an organization (Mello p. 200). As part of effective planning, the HR department together with its practitioners should assess what the employees want and also gauge what the organization can give to avoid promising on what they cannot deliver. Many HR practitioners believe that investing in human capital can be the gateway for a business to achieving competitive advantage as long as they are satisfied. As a result, SHRM is a strategy that includes the application of factors such as motivation, rewards, training, education, and satisfaction in ensuring that the human resource department acts as a link between the management and the employees (Kaufmann & Panni 2013, p. 404). a) The vertical integration approach Dyer and Holder defined strategic human resource management as having four critical features that include the organizational level, focus, roles, and the framework (Armstrong 2012, p. 476). For one, the organizational level feature refers to the final decision making organs in an organization while the focus aspect means that a business focuses on being more effective. The roles aspect requires that the employees implement the decisions made by managers while framework requires the application of strategies through a certain framework. This then creates the vertical integration approach to human resource management. b) The competitive advantage approach In recent years, companies have shifted from relying on financial and technology resources as the main avenues in which they can achieve competitive advantage to depending on the human capital for achieving this aspect. Essentially, competitive advantage that relies on human capital requires that employees develop a sense of commitment to the organization that they work for by tapping on their skills and competencies in achieving the same (Snell & Bohlander 2013, p. 36). A company through its human resource function can be said to be achieving competitive advantage when they implement strategies that add value to their workforce and are not being implemented by other companies. Based on Porter’s five point focus on achieving competitive advantage, the human resource can apply practices such as providing incentive pays, job security, participation and empowerment, skill development, and information sharing among a list of other practices that can motivate employees. When employees are rewarded and compensated for the efforts that they put in their work, then they are highly likely to remain loyal to their employers (Conrad 2010, p. 109). This in turn makes the organization to have a competitive advantage over their rival companies. c) The resource-based approach In this approach, creating value for employees can be a great resource to an organization and can be an effective way of ensuring that a company achieves competitive advantage over their rivals (Stahl & Björkman 2006, p. 49). Essentially, competitive advantage for a company has to be sustainable and this can be through the human resource department of an organization being flexible to the needs of the employees. The benefit of being flexible for an organization is that it can be a perfect way for reducing operational costs while increasing efficiency. A HR department should strive to be unique as compared to other organization so as to ensure that their employees remain loyal and also remain highly productive, which should be in line with the achievement organizational goals. This can also be an effective way for a company to achieve competitive advantage because the HR department will be able to utilize its resources to the maximum, which include the human capital. Motivation theories One of the key responsibilities of HR managers is to motivate the employees working for an organization to be sure that they are consistent in helping achieve the organizational and financial goals. In order for this approach to yield results, it is pertinent for the HR department to conduct a proper research that will be able to ascertain how best to motivate their employees instead of just applying the available strategies (McConnell, Phillips & Gladwin 2012, p. 109). For instance, a research may find that employees prefer to have better working hours rather than a pay hike, meaning that it would be misinformed for the HR function to apply the latter than the former as a way of motivating employees to work more. Therefore, the motivational strategies should be in line with the needs of the employees and not based on what the HR department feels as the best for the company. This can also tally with Abraham Maslow theory on the hierarchy of needs as this also focuses on the needs of individuals while trying to motivate them to do better. The needs that employees may have can either be psychological, security, belongingness, esteem or self-actualization so it is pertinent for HR managers to ascertain the type of needs that their employees have so as to meet them effectively (Griffin & Moorhead 2009, p. 86). Herzberg’s two-factor theory Another motivational theory that a HR department can use to motivate their employees to do more is the Two-factor theory by Herzberg in which the motivating factors are known as satisfiers. The factor that can influence employees to remain loyal and influence a company to achieve competitive advantage is hygiene. Hygiene coupled with satisfiers are essential in motivating employees because the human capital cannot work effectively in a non-conducive environment where there is no security or the salary does not satisfy them (Sapru 2008, p. 222). Like in any other motivational theory, it is pertinent for managers to research on what the employees need in order for a company to gain competitive advantage over rival companies or ascertain ways to improve so as to increase employee performance. Diversity management With the concept of globalization having taken over the globe, it has become pertinent for HR departments to learn how to effectively manage diverse workforces because this has become the norm. Labor has become internationalized as companies seek to become more efficient in the industries that they operate in. With this, HR practitioners have come to understand that diversity management is a necessity when it comes to strategic human resource management because the application of this can ensure that an organization stays relevant in a global competitive market (Pless & Mark 2011, p. 123). The role of HR practitioners is to train other managers and employees on the importance of appreciating workplace diversity and also point out their roles in the process. The key concept in diversity management is that an organization should see its employees as unique individuals and should eliminate prejudicial treatment and appreciate their differences. The harnessing of the different backgrounds, skills, competencies, backgrounds and talents of the individuals working in an organization can be a strength for HR practitioners as this influence innovativeness, effective teamwork and employee productivity. Conclusion As witnessed above, the role of the human resource function and its practitioners in an organization is critical as their involvement tends to have a high influence on the performance of employees within the same. Further, human resource practitioners have the responsibility of conducting research as a way of finding out what their employees need in order for them to be more productive. This means that the HR resource should strive to meet the needs of their employees in order for them to achieve maximum efficiency. The human resource function also has the responsibility of adding value to employees by motivating them in order for them to help in achieving both organizational and financial goals of a company. Therefore, the HR function is tasked with planning for the workforce through creating job descriptions, hiring and also ensuring that the employees concerns are addressed, which in turn boosts the relationship between an organization and its employees (Caruth, DL, Caruth, GD, & Pane 2009, p. 118). 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