Human Resources is an integral part of
business management and organizational development. Recruitment, executing
compensation policy and implementing exit formalities are considered to be some
of the conventional roles of HR. In fact, HR personnel have been primarily
associated with hiring and firing only. However, owing to changing economic and
management scenarios, these traditional roles of HR have undergone a
metamorphosis. Modern day HR personnel are more involved in the 'strategic'
part of business management.
Scope
of HR Beyond Hiring and Firing
The primary objective of HRM is to
create an employee-centric work environment. As HRM is a connecting link
between management and workforce, its focus should be on improving the
employee-employer relationship and create a conducive environment for employees
to work. To achieve this, an HR professional must shed his traditional image
and adopt newer ways to devise and transform his conventional profile of hiring
and firing. Given below are some of the job responsibilities of HR beyond
hiring and firing.
Employee Development and Training
An HR professional must constantly look
out for newer ways to enhance the personal and professional growth of
employees. Implementing training programs is a good way of achieving this. The
training topic can be specific, pertaining to an organization's intrinsic
strategies or it can be generic such as communication, business ethics etc.
Devising Compensation Plans
Although HRM has traditionally being
associated with only the 'execution' of compensation policies, modern day HR
personnel are expected to get involved in 'formulation' of compensation plans
as well. An HR must be able to devise a fair compensation and benefits plan
that is competency based.
Implementing Performance Evaluation
Methodologies
An HR must upgrade his knowledge
regarding the latest performance evaluation tools and techniques. It is
important to establish a common ground for evaluating the performance of
employees to develop a sense of trust. HR and OD consulting firms are extremely
efficient in this area.
Ensuring Employee Welfare
This is the gist of all HR roles and
responsibilities. An HR must never ignore the 'human' part of Human Resources
Management. An HR should supervise all the policies related to employee health
and safety at workplace. An HR should also ensure compliance with all the
mandatory employee welfare policies, such as ensuring there is a committee to
address issues such as sexual harassment, racial discrimination etc.
Thus, the roles and responsibilities of
HR have become even more critical from the point of view of an organization as
well as employees.
