James Ritchie:

Introduction to Managing the Human Resource

06 February 2011

This report is an explanation of what Human Resource Management is and what a new
Human Resource Department should actually do.

The personnel department emerged from a system called the factory system back in the
1800s the factory system saw that a function was needed to address the needs of the
worker and the importance of employment legislation to protect the rights of workers. An
early example of this was the factory act of 1833, which was an act to regulate hours
and conditions of work. Traditionally the personnel department only responded to
requests for services and advice from line managers. This role is known as a Reactive
Role.

In the 1980s a more modern approach of the personnel function arrived and played a
role that was more functional towards the business needs of an organisation, for
example having in place people with the right skills knowledge and levels of motivation
to achieve the organisations objectives and allow the organisation to compete
effectively in an ever increasing market. This approach is now better known as the
human resource. This role is known as a Proactive Role.

There is no clear distinction between the services provided by a personnel department

and a human resource department within an organisation. In many ways they both offer
the same services although in some cases there may be slight differences from
organisation to organisation.

The overall aim and objectives of the human resource department is to meet the needs
of the organisations employees, and link the needs of the employees with organisational
aims and objectives. To achieve this an HR function would be to introduce supportive
personnel policies but before making policy decisions HR must be aware of any internal
and external influences that may impact on policy making decisions. This new approach
is to have more involvement in the business needs of an organisation and decision
making at strategic levels anticipating organisation needs and introducing new ideas
communicating between managers and workers encouraging workers to believe that
they are an important asset to the organisation and that their ideas and knowledge is
valued, also involving line managers more in some services that before was only
provided by personnel specialists.

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Typical work activities

The human resources department must have clear understanding of the organisation’s
business objectives and be able to create and implement policies which recruit, select,
develop and keep the right staff needed to meet these objectives. The exact nature of
the work activities will vary according to the organisations needs at the time but would
include,

• Working closely with departments, in a consultancy role, assisting line managers

to understand and implement policies and procedures.

• Promoting equality and diversity as part of the culture of the organisation.

• Liaising with a wide range of organisations involved in areas such as race
relations, disability, gender, age, religion and health and safety.
• Recruiting staff - this includes developing job descriptions, preparing
advertisements, checking application forms, short listing, interviewing and
selecting candidates.
• Developing policies on issues such as working conditions, performance
management, equal opportunities, disciplinary procedures and absence
management.
• Advising on pay and other remuneration issues, including promotion and
benefits.
• Undertaking salary reviews.
• Negotiating with staff and their representatives on issues relating to pay and
conditions.
• Administering payroll and maintaining records relating to staff.
• Advising on employment legislation.
• Listening to grievances and implementing disciplinary procedures.
• Developing HR planning strategies with line managers, which consider
immediate and long-term staff requirements in terms of numbers and skill levels.
• Planning and delivering training, including inductions for new staff.
• Analysing training needs with departmental managers.

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An explanation of some of the roles within a Human Resource Department

• Enabling : writing of policies and procedures that will enable line managers to
carry out their people management activities effectively by complying with
relevant legislation and other obligations placed on the employer.

• Facilitating: the role of chairing meetings and delivering training workshops as

required.

• Guiding: To provide recommendations to the organisation and managers on

matters that can arise like employment legislation, issues arising from business
needs, environmental factors, legal matters, disciplinary, etc.

• Supporting: supporting managers in their decision making, particularly when the

decisions may not be popular or may not be readily accepted by an employee or
a group of employees.

• Empowering: To encourage people take more control and responsibility, and to

encourage them to use their abilities to the max with the minimum of supervision,
and to take control of their work. Showing trust and belief in people. Encouraging
people to be committed to others and working together as a team.

• Intervening: when required stepping in on crucial personnel issues and offering

proposals on how to deal with them, Understanding pressure points on
organisational processes

Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organisation that

focuses on recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who
work in the organisation, deals with issues related to people such as compensation,
hiring, performance management, organisation development, safety, wellness, benefits,
employee motivation, communication, administration, and training.
Human Resource Management can also be performed by line managers.

It is also important for the human resource department to be up to date on the latest
trends in staffing, performance appraisals, compensation and benefits, training and
development, employee and labour relations, and safety and health issues.

Human resource departments have undergone great changes over the past 20-30
years. Many years ago, organisations looked to the "Personnel Department," mostly to

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manage the paperwork around hiring and paying people. Today organisations consider
the HR Department as playing a major role in staffing, training and helping to manage
people so that people and the organisation are performing at maximum capability in a
highly rewarding manner.

The status of the Human Resource Dept will depend on the level of authority required, I
recommend that the level of authority should be of director level and sharing
responsibilities with line managers within the organisation. This should enable
contributions to the development of business strategies, policies and procedures and
the success of the development of the human resource department and ultimately
linking the needs of employees with the organisations aims and objectives.

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