Think human resources, and what comes to mind is the tough-as-nails
Catbert, a character from the phenomenally successful comic strip,
Dilbert. He's someone who "enjoys crushing the spirit of the company's
employees", as the evil director of HR. As far as humor is concerned,
everything needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, as with the character
of Catbert, who manages to turn every employee's life into a nightmare
with his devious policies.
Of course, things are well-exaggerated
and far from the truth in this comic strip. Nevertheless, the fact that
so many find Catbert amusing, and identify with his behavior goes to
show the kind of image that HR personnel have been laden with. It's
unfair to associate their work with monstrosity, as a department used by
the management to send out veiled reprimands.
The HR department
has a lot on its hands, and topping the list is the delicate task of
acting as a liaison between the employees and the management. What
follows is a brief description of the various functions performed by the
HR department.
Functions of Human Resource Department
1. Recruitment
By
far the most important of all the duties covered by the human resource
team, recruitment takes up a large chunk of the company's priorities.
Recruitment begins with making the company's presence felt in the job
market by advertizing vacancies, participating in job fairs, or hovering
around the university circuit.
Choosing the appropriate people
from a large pool of applicants is a tremendous responsibility. This
involves an acute sense of perceptiveness while sifting through the
hoards of applications that come a company's way.
After the
shortlisting procedure is over, the HR department moves on to the task
of scheduling and conducting interviews. Here, the HR managers have to
assess the candidate on various levels, right from their educational
qualifications and talent, to their character traits. They may also have
to apply various methods of evaluation to zero in on the right people
for the job. Conducting background checks on the selected candidates may
also come under the aegis of the HR department.
2. Motivation
An
important task that the HR department executes is motivating the
employees to excel at what they do. Motivation for the employees, comes
mostly in the monetary form. The HR department has to evaluate employee
performances, and devise an appropriate rewarding system. This can
include the following -
Equities
Bonuses
Increments
Awards
Complimentary vacations
Flexibility in working hours
The
HR team, through its motivational programs should seek to maximize
employee retention statistics, and instill a sense of bonding among the
organization and the employees.
3. Planning Growth
The HR
policies, ideally, should be working in tandem with the company's
policies. However, this may not always happen. Nevertheless, the HR
department has to ensure that there is minimal conflict of interest, and
that everyone contributes to the overall success of the company.
Human
resource is the biggest asset of any organization, and it is up to the
HR team to make the most of it by implementing training programs to
better the employee performance, and ensure that each employee strives
to utilize his/her optimum ability. This can be done by promoting
interaction among the employees that results in a healthy exchange of
ideas and cultivates a good working environment. Also, employees must be
encouraged to be more proactive when it comes to devising ways to
increase the output.
4. Implementing HR Policies
HR
policies cover employee safety and welfare. The HR team has to oversee
all aspects of rendering a safe and healthy environment for the company.
This includes periodic checks of all equipment, materials, and work
spaces.
They also have to implement various employee welfare
schemes that offer assistance to employees at different levels. These
may include maternity/paternity leave, work-from-home options, insurance
schemes, employee welfare funds, recreational activities, etc.
Promotions,
transfers or expulsion of services are also tasks handled by the human
resource department. Promotions are conducted and are predominantly
based on the overall performance of the individual, accompanied by the
span or tenure he/she has served the organization. The human resource
department also looks at lowering the attrition rate in the company by
introducing policies that offer a good working environment with suitable
remuneration.
5. Establishing Fair Work Culture
It is
usually the HR team that has to deal with and sort out employee
grievances. At times, if situations get aggravated, the company or the
employee may take the legal discourse to settle disputes. An important
function of the HR department is to iron out the disputes and
differences in an amicable manner, as far as possible. However,
complaints involving malpractice, treachery, fraud, harassment, etc.,
should be dealt with in the appropriate manner, in line with the
company's policy.
The HR department has to ensure that
discrimination of any kind does not exist in the workplace. The
employees and members of the management should be made aware of the
existing anti-discrimination policies. They have to see to it that every
person working for the organization is treated on a fair and equal
platform.
The HR department functions with the primary aim of
motivating and encouraging the employees to prove their mettle and add
value to the company. This is achieved via various management procedures
like workforce planning and recruitment, induction and orientation of
hired task-force, employee training, administration, and appraisals.
Read more at Buzzle:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/functions-of-human-resource-management.html