Human Resource Management versus Personal Management

Human Resource Management versus Personal Management

Abstract

Companies have within them a very crucial department of Human Resource (HR) Management, which is responsible for the formal arrangements and management of its workforce. The three primary functions of the HRM in a company are recruiting, remunerating, and defining of work. The HR department also works to equip, lure, and maintain a competent workforce for continued development. The corporate world is always changing, especially in its structure, to meet the demands of the market and also encourage productivity. Ideally, the HR department does not necessarily change as well, but it is tasked with ensuring the employees and stakeholders adapt to such changes. The HR department can act proactively or reactively to these changes as long as it handles its tasks to effectively bring the workforce around any fears associated with such changes.

Human Resource Management versus Personal Management

Areas to Cover

• Human Resource (HR) Management-Planning; – I will start with a well-rounded definition of the term, where it is applied, and its effects.
• Attracting in HR; – Here, I will proceed to commence with the functions of HR. Attracting is among its significant functions; hence I will navigate how the HR department works to attract a workforce.
• Developing in HR; – This comprises another of HR’s principal functions. Here, I will research and indicate what development entails in a company concerning human resources and how the HR department works to develop it.
• Retaining in HR; – A company would probably not develop and grow consistently if it kept losing its human resource to its competitors. Therefore, the HR department is responsible for retaining such workforce hence becoming another one of its essential roles.
• Parts of Management in HR; – At this instance, I will navigate the various parts of the HR department management and how they effectively work together for the benefit of the employees and the company.
• Types of changes in HR; – Finally, I will focus on the HR department’s role in managing changes within organizations and companies. Such changes, namely reactive and proactive, could be due to internal restructuring to improve productivity or align with the industry’s current standards.

Introduction

An organization of people is crucial, especially in situations where they are assembled for a long time to achieve a common goal. Businesses, private and public organizations as well as institutions typically have many people working within them. Hence, these workers need to be well organized to help achieve specific goals within such organizations. Therefore, Human Resource (HR) Management is the part of the organization or company that serves as the manager of workers. Furthermore, the HR manager and the department are responsible for bringing in the right staff, compensating workers, and designing and defining work in an organization or business. In the event of changes happening in the industry or within, HR management is responsible for the workforce development and response to align with such changes. This paper will delve into HR management and planning, its functions, parts, and types of modifications dealt with by HR teams.

Essentially, the Human Resource Management provides expertise in productivity for an organization by way of efficiently and effectively managing its employees. Therefore, an HR department will look for ways to enhance their role by continually ensuring that human resources are properly nourished and replenished for the good of the organization. The strategic role played by a management and planning section of human resources comprises various functions, as indicated below.

1. Selection and Hiring; – The kind of employees to match and coincide with the vision, mission, and structure of an organization need to be carefully chosen before admission. Employer-employee relations are also an essential factor in business and organization, achieving its objectives and growth. In that case, the HR manager has a task to incorporate elements of employee relations into the employer’s selection and hiring strategy (Mayhew, 2019). Employer strategies such as promotion-from-within work well in many cases as they act as a way of motivating employees by increasing their confidence with their employer. HR management also sources new talent from outside to fill into vacant positions within the organization, which again follows the objectives, goals, and policies within such an organization. The following are stages considered in the recruitment process of employees.

• Job analysis; – in this step, a job is defined, described, and specified. The HR management is that case responsible for identifying tasks for a particular job and rolling out the requirements perspective employees need to fulfill.
• Sourcing for prospective employees; – An organization can employ techniques that lure such employees from either within or from outside.
• Evaluation; – This step is vital because it helps determine candidates’ competency, skills, qualifications, and experience for an available position.
• Selecting the right fit; – The final step involves determining who stood out in the above three steps. After candidates are brought on board, they become part and person of productively driving the Agenda of their hirers.

1. Remuneration and Benefits: – Different companies, institutions, and organizations have different payment structures, all determined by various factors. Business models, government policy, trade unions, image, and reputations are just but a few of such factors. In their role to compensate and award benefits to the workforce, HR management considers such factors. The HR department has a considerable influence on the kind of decisions they make when it comes to paying scale. Since one of its roles is hiring, decisions around pay have a power of employee satisfaction, which is essential for an organization’s ability to attract a talented and skilled workforce (Mayhew, 2019).

• Regarding strategic plans for pay and benefits, HR managers consider workforce availability, budget constraints, labor market conditions, and job evaluations (Mayhew, 2019). In addition, such a strategy would constitute, among other considerations, the employer’s weight on choices of satisfying the workers and making the company stakeholders happy. Hence, the HR management plays a significant role in assisting the company management develops a payment plan that serves the two choices reasonably.

1. Development and Training; – It constitutes one of the costs that many business managers through the HR management avoid hence the prevalence of hire-from-within. Therefore, HR managers work hard to ensure a smooth flow of knowledge and understanding of an organization’s way of doing things primarily for employees in lower ranks. Hiring from outside and more so for the more prominent positions could, at times, be expensive. Also, the availability of a workforce with the necessary skills to fit such positions is limited. Hence, HR management has a role in carrying out development and training to prepare an existing workforce to take up such posts. Companies have succession plans, promotion-from-within, as well as performance evaluation all under the HR department for the same purpose (Mayhew, 2019). Among the factors that enhance employee motivation and loyalty to remain with a company are training and development.
2. Defining Work and Responsibilities; – It is a significant part of any organization because having employees who understand roles, responsibilities, and positions help the management coordinate and account for all work done (Mayhew, 2019). Defining work comprises identifying and elaborating tasks and procedures that together lead to a particular output. Therefore, every job comes with specifications, skills, and experiences required to operate it in the most productive, effective, and efficient way possible. Job definition is among the critical elements of an HR strategic plan. A department strives to develop and promote cultures and behaviors needed for continuous development and transitioning an organization’s competency.

Part of the Human Resource Management involves effectively handling employees at all times. However, such could become a tall order for the HR management team, especially when experiencing an organizational change. Employees tend to be resistant to change during such scenarios, and it is up to HR to strategically develop ways to help everyone be on board. According to the Heathfield (2019), resistance to change comes naturally in the instance employees are required to change. Moreover, change is accompanied by new habits, new ways of thinking, and acquiring new skills. For a company, they bring change to meet the demands of a particular vision or bring re-alignment of employee structure to achieve productivity. In most cases, employees are afraid of what lies on the other side of the picture and hence cling to the only way they know how to do things instead of embracing such change (Heathfield, 2011). There is no doubt change affects every employee; hence it is crucial for the body responsible for such people in an organization to take charge and bring a balance amidst everything.

The following comprise ways in which HR managers can effectively manage employees amidst change.

• Proper Communication; – For HR management trying to implement changes encouraged by the company, it is best if they incorporate the employee in the process. Such could be achieved by talking to them about it, welcoming their input, and listening to any grievance thereof. Employees have a significant impact regarding any changes being pursued hence bringing them onboard, especially before such a change is implemented helps reduce resistance (Heathfield, 2011). Communication can be vertical and horizontal depending on the organization and could be carried out through discussion forums, meetings, memorandums, among other methods. Ideally, before implementing change, communication is crucial in every department, and such notification should entail specific reasons or benefits for the organization and the employee.
• Selecting a leadership team – HR management should establish a leadership team to have a proper and smooth change process in an organization where employees relate well and cast out the fear of the unknown(Heathfield, 2011). A leadership team should essentially embrace a cross-section of employees in the organization. Having team leaders to spearhead change can help lower-level employees identify with the intended changes well than they could under the supervisory of regular management. Employees are core to growth, and embracing their cooperation as early as possible by working as closely as possible with them could reduce their resistance to change.
• Encourage employees to provide feedback; – Such is possible through maintaining an open line of communication at every level of the organization. Continuous improvements, change of details, and tweaking are examples of changes that are common within organizations changing, and they require to be embraced for purposes of development (Heathfield, 2011). Therefore, HR management will need to do such the changes are also employee-oriented. There is transparency, communication, and trust, which are the basis for a supportive environment for change.

Change can be due to many factors, and the workforce could be part of the areas that could be negatively affected by such change. There are instances of downsizing, redundancy, and even temporary layoffs that come with change. Also, the change could be accompanied by positive news for existing employees with hefty benefits, promotions, and wage rise and employment for new ones. In any case, the HR management needs to develop a reactive or proactive strategy to handle any arising challenges efficiently. On the one hand, a proactive approach in a changing environment involves being able to anticipate problems arising from staffing and training activities (Lister, 2020). Proactive change comes with trying to mitigate potential risks and failure in the future due to change instead of capitalizing on such change from the beginning. On the other hand, a reactive strategy involves HR being less devoted to any anticipation, planning, and mitigating risks before change happens (Lister, 2020). The reactive process is regarded as the best as it is cost-effective, especially in small organizations.

References

Heathfield, S. M. (2011, July 17). How to reduce employee resistance to change in the workplace. The Balance Careers. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-reduce-employee-resistance-to-change-1918992

Lister, J. (2020). Reactive vs. proactive human resource management. Small Business – Chron.com. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/reactive-vs-proactive-human-resource-management-18595.html#:~:text=The%20difference%20in%20a%20proactive,down%20to%20planning%20and%20forethought.&text=A%20reactive%20strategy%2C%20while%20less,effective%20for%20your%20small%20business

Mayhew, R. (2019). The strategic role of human resource managers. Small Business – Chron.com. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/strategic-role-human-resource-managers-11782.html