Knowledge Areas in Human Resources Management -Joseph Taiwo.

O Page 1

UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS
FACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA)
IRP 800 (HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT) ASSIGNMENT
NAME: JOSEPH TAIWO. O
Question: Human Resources Management is made up of how many areas of knowledge?
identify the areas and summarise the issues therein.
Answer
There are different schools of thought on the Knowledge areas in Human Resources
Management with each schools coming up with various numbers of knowledge area that its
followers are expected to know. According to The Human Resources Certification Institute
(HRCI), there are six categories of Knowledge areas that are essential for expertise in Human
Resources Management. The knowledge areas are Strategic Management, Workforce
Planning and Employment, Human Resource Development, Compensation and Benefits,
Employee and Labor Relations, Occupational Health, Safety and Security
Furthermore, the Hong Kong Institute of Management defined the scope and depth of the
core knowledge areas that an HR practitioner should acquire. The knowledge areas are Six
namely: Business Knowledge for HR, Employee Engagement, Employment Law, Learning
and Development, Reward Management, Sourcing and Staffing. This Body of Knowledge
embraces a broad spectrum of the knowledge required to carry out HR management and HR
development functions which, in themselves, can be a specialised area.
However, for this paper, I will harmonise the positions of the two institutes and present a
broad body of knowledge in Human resources management which comprises of six (6)
knowledge areas namely: 1. Strategic Business Management for Human Resources, 2.
Employee Engagement, 3. Employment Law, 4. Human Resource Development, 5. Reward
Management, 6. Workforce Planning and Employment.




Knowledge Areas in Human Resources Management -Joseph Taiwo. O Page 2

1. Strategic Business Management for Human Resources
Today, HR people are expected to become the "Business Partner" to their business leaders
which is quite different from their sole functional role in the past. HR professionals have to
take up the role of diagnosing the organization by analysing the problem with reference to the
organisation internally and the external environment. Based on the "symptoms", they provide
information and solutions to the management for further action.
In other words, HR people need to initiate and implement human resource related strategies
which align with the business objectives and can respond to the changing priorities. They
have to work closely with the business leaders steering the strategies and the implementation.
Not surprisingly, HR professionals are required to be more business-focused so as to help
driving the success of the organisation.
HR professionals are expected to provide strategic business management advice to the
management which will include i) Evaluating HRs contributions to organizational
effectiveness. Ii) Formulating HR objectives, practices, and policies to meet the short- and
long-range organizational needs and opportunities, iii) Guiding and leading the change
process.
To proffer strategic business management solutions, here are the key areas which a HR
professional has to pay special attention to:
Business knowledge of HR
Global / environment perspective
Business perspective
Organisational perspective
Individual perspective
Employer branding
Role of HR in business
Major HR process

2. Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is a property of the relationship between an organization and its
employees. An "engaged employee" is one who is fully absorbed by and enthusiastic about
their work and so takes positive action to further the organization's reputation and interests.
Knowledge Areas in Human Resources Management -Joseph Taiwo. O Page 3

With the engaged workforce, organisation is able to benefit from higher productivity and
outstanding performance as employees are more willing to offer their discretionary effort at
work. An organization with 'high' employee engagement might therefore be expected to
outperform those with 'low' employee engagement, all else being equal.
Employee engagement is an on-going process which certain proactive measures have to be
taken throughout the whole HR cycle, including the stages in recruitment, orientation,
training and recognition. It is concerned with the emotional connection that employees have
with their work and their organization.
It involves maintaining effective relationships and working conditions that balance the
employers needs with the employees rights in support of the organizations strategic
objectives. Other areas in relation to employee relations and engagement include
occupational health and safety, corporate wellness and handling industrial relations / unions.
Below provides an overall picture on the relevant issues which every HR professional should
be well aware of.
Employee relations and employee engagement
Employee relations
Employee relations programme objective and effectiveness
Staff communication
Induction and orientation
Staff consultation and participation
Coaching and counselling
Disciplinary action
Grievance handling
Employee Engagement
Industrial relations and unions
Practicing legislation
Managing relationships with unions
Corporate wellness
Employee wellness and work-life balance
Employee health and safety and environmental considerations
Health and safety
Occupational Safety and Health Regulations
Fire Safety Provision and Occupational Safety & Health Regulation
Knowledge Areas in Human Resources Management -Joseph Taiwo. O Page 4

3. Employment Law
Employment laws concerns with the legal relationship between employers and employees.
Legal issues revolve around hiring and firing, sexual harassment, workplace discrimination,
workplace health and safety, and the rewards to employees are all related to employment
laws.
HR professionals have to display solid understanding on various employment-related
legislations and need to apply the relevant knowledge to the specific situations appropriately.
By ensuring the organisation complying with the legal requirements with regard to the
employment, HR professionals help protect the organisation against damaging claims.
Simultaneously, the risk of conflicts between the organisation and employees are minimised.
Basically, the Employment Ordinance provides the framework for a comprehensive code of
employment. It covers various aspects including set up and termination of employment
contract, wages, leaves, sickness and maternity. In order to be lawful and effective HR
practitioner, it is essential to acquire the knowledge on the following areas including:
Basic legal knowledge in Nigeria
Employment legislation
Employees Compensation Scheme (NSITF)
Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance
Mandatory Pension scheme
Upcoming / proposed legislation

4. Human Resource Development
Learning and development is a critical factor for people at all levels of the organisation and
the organisation as a whole to grow and develop, particularly under the complex and fast-
changing environment.
HR Practitioners need to have the knowledge of putting in place structures that will ensure
that the skills, knowledge, abilities, and performance of the workforce meet current and
future organizational and individual needs. This will involve Developing, implementing, and
evaluating programs and activities that address employee training and development, change
and performance management, and the unique needs of particular employee groups.
Knowledge Areas in Human Resources Management -Joseph Taiwo. O Page 5

Employees' capability and adaptability is one of the key pillars to support the organisation to
keep up its competitiveness and improve the performance. In connection to this, it is
necessary for the organisation to link up the learning and development management with its
business needs and human resource planning.
To foster the learning culture in an organisation, employees should be provided with different
learning opportunities to motivate them for continuous learning and further development.
Most importantly, the organisation should be balancing the organisational training
requirements with individual needs.
Learning and development in the organisation
Linking learning and development management with business needs
Linking learning and development planning with HR planning
Assessing needs, learning design and learning methodologies
Training delivery and facilitation
Post-training evaluation and sustaining effectiveness
Organisation development
Building a learning organisation

5. Reward Management
The concept of reward management does not simply refer to the payroll function. It covers
the formulation and implementation of the strategies as well as the practice of pay system. It
involves Analyzing, developing, implementing, administering, and performing ongoing
evaluation of a total compensation and benefits system for all employee groups consistent
with human resource management goals.
Reward, of which can be in terms of monetary or non-monetary, is the key factor to attract or
retain talents and to motivate employees to become good performers. Undoubtedly, positive
recognition for people facilitates better morale and performance among employees, which in
return leads to high productivity for the organisation.
An equitable, market-based and cost-effective reward management system should be
developed in order to acknowledge an individual or team with accomplishments. A structured
reward management system helps building a high-performance culture for an organisation
where its employees are linked up to work together towards the business goals and
Knowledge Areas in Human Resources Management -Joseph Taiwo. O Page 6

objectives. Apart from establishing a reward management system with justice, it is also
essential for the organisation or employers to maintain clear and close communication with
employees on the reward policies. In general, "Reward Management" covers various aspects
including:
Total Reward
J ob analysis and job evaluation
Base pay
Pay for performance
Benefits
Mergers & acquisitions
Payroll administration
International reward management
Reward communication
Performance management

6. Workforce Planning and Employment
Getting the right people for the right position at the right time in an organisation is not a
simple, easy task. By identifying, attracting and matching the best talents to the positions
where they can bring the potential into full play, the organisation maximises its productivity
and gains the edge in the business.
Sourcing and staffing is not a one-off process to fulfil the current needs. Instead, starting
from the workforce planning, it is a significant process for the organisation to manage and
balance its resource in response to the changing needs as well as the short and long-term
organisations strategies. In practice, it has crucial influence on the success of the day-to-day
functioning of the organisation.
Nowadays, sourcing and staffing activities are not the only responsibilities of HR
professionals. Most often, they have to partner with the line managers who are increasingly
involved in the process. Every step including analysing the job, specifying the job
description, attracting and selecting the applicants, making the appointment and induction is
critical for hiring the right person. Hence, to avoid wasting the resources for recruitment, HR
people should have a clear understanding on the issues.
Knowledge Areas in Human Resources Management -Joseph Taiwo. O Page 7

Human resource planning
Manpower planning
Succession planning
Sourcing and staffing
Options of sourcing and staffing
Outsourcing, insourcing and labour supply
Recruitment
Selection
Employment
Engagement
International resourcing






























Knowledge Areas in Human Resources Management -Joseph Taiwo. O Page 8

Crim, Dan and Gerard H. Seijts (2006). "What Engages Employees the Most or, The Ten Cs
of Employee Engagement". Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved on the internet
References
http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com on 25
th
February, 2014.
HR Certification Institute (2014): Body of Knowledge- Retrieved from the internet
http://www.wgu.edu/wgu/hr_body_knowledge_pop
Konrad, Alison M. (March 2006). "Engaging Employees through High-Involvement Work
Practices". Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved on the internet
http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com on 25
th
February, 2014.