Human Resource Functions Described in This Free Essay

Human resource management is an essential sector for any organization. For complete effectiveness, the human resource team ought to be experts in a variety of significant functions. The HR team plays a role in various aspects of the staff's career, from recruiting to hiring to several job aspects in the organization. A productive HR team effectively executes the procedures and policies of the company keeping the employees productive and motivated. Although human resource management can be helpful and useful for the improved success of a company, the HRM's primary function is to improve the productivity and effectiveness of the workforce towards the firm, and this can be achieved through the planning, hiring, training, and compensation functions of the HR.

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Primary Human Resource Functions

HR planning is an organized evaluation of the workforce needs in ensuring that the organization has skilled employees for each task. When preparing a planning program, the HRM needs to remember that the employee's interests have a say on what needs to be achieved (Griffin, 2017). Examples of the HR planning activities include: determining the overall needs for the workforce, identifying the company's plans, objectives, and goals, and assessing in-house skills. Neglecting these needs can lead to reduced motivation which can result in unnecessary poor performance. After successful planning, the HR personnel can then be in a position of selecting and hiring the necessary staff. Planning prevents the organization from plunging into the issue of unstable employee market. Hiring is the process of recruiting new part-time and full-time employees and contractors. Hiring activities include: reviewing job applications, performing background checks, interviewing potential candidates, generating employee contracts, negotiating benefits and pay, upholding ethical recruitment policies, and making use of several recruitment strategies to acquire a good number of applicants. The hiring process provides the organization with a pool of qualified personnel.

After the right staff has been hired, they need to be trained. Training is instilling skills on the employees with the aim of seeking long-term changes in the staff's behavior, attitudes, and knowledge to improve the company's productivity. Notably, a well-presented and well-organized training program generates and upholds an organization's workable competitive benefit (Griffin, 2017). Examples of training programs may include team-building activities, training on communication, training in technical skills, and training on ethics and sexual harassment issues. Training contributes to an organizations success in that, the objectives and goals will be achieved more effectively with a reduction in costs since there will be less employee absenteeism and turnover as well as fewer accidents and errors. Human resource managers also have to administer, generate, and enhance the compensation systems. Retaining excellent links is determined by several factors. Compensation has outstanding benefits and wages which can eventually govern how well the workforce feels about the company and the probability of working with the organization in the long run. Examples of compensation include bonuses, sick leave, vacation time, health benefits, and reasonable pay. Creating an operative compensation structure and determining the best benefits packages for every member of staff are necessary functions for the HR manager. Employee compensation thus leads to improved organizational performance and a competitively advantaged business.

Hard and Soft Human Resource Approach

Human resource management is often labeled as a notion with two different approaches: hard and soft. These are entirely different along some magnitudes, which have been applied by several critics as strategies to classify approaches to managing people based on the utilitarian-instrumentalist or developmental-humanist principles (Daemane, 2014). The soft approach can be categorized as advanced functions which concentrate on the employee's views as valued assets and a source of competitive benefit. On the other hand, the hard approach is a primary function that opposes the close integration of human resource practices and policies with a business approach that is accomplished by focusing on reducing labor costs and increasing productivity (tutor2u, 2018). Functions of HR such as compensation is part of the hard method. These business assets are generated based on their leadership, motivation, and commitment qualities.

When taking the example of an organization that compensates its workers for their performance, the staff tends to be more productive. The soft approach would apply to the 'touchy' feeling to those who prefer seeing the employees being compensated. However, the disadvantage of taking such a soft approach is that when the whole workforce is compensated, the labor cost leaves an organization at a competitive disadvantage. While a hard approach perceives employees like a commodity, it stipulates that employees can only be compensated when they accomplish the company's main goals (tutor2u, 2018). This approach can be perceived to lead to a more cost-friendly staff whereby decision-making focuses on the leaders.

Nevertheless, it pays relatively little attention to the worker's needs. Wages and salaries are not the only reasons why employees hold on to their jobs, but those who trust that their benefits and rewards are competitive and fair have a higher likelihood of thinking twice before quitting a job that gives them real incentives for their hard work. Human resource planning which incorporates benefits and compensation analyses reveals areas for progress on the employer's compensation system. The function of HR in guaranteeing a reasonable compensation strategy might improve the company's appeal to the staff, providing it with an employee retention perspective and a competitive advantage. Therefore, an organization using the hard approach can suffer from a rise in labor turn over and absenteeism.

Conclusion

The changes to the workforce composition force managers to put more effort into HR planning. This variations in the labor force not only contribute to the hiring of personnel, but also the methods of training, motivation, and compensation. I would prefer working for an organization that mainly applies a balance on both the hard and soft HR approach. This is because, in today's knowledge of the economy, where human capital determines the success and growth of a firm, both soft and hard HRM approaches are essential. However, we need to remember that, the hard and soft criteria are academic, but then in organizations, an HR manager is likely to adopt the elements of both the hard and soft HR without focusing on their differences (Daemane, 2014).

I believe this balanced approach will help me as an employee to turn the work environment to an improved and comfortable place thus reducing stress. I will also be in a position to experience an autonomous feeling of leadership and enjoy my rights in the employment sector. Additionally, with the hard approach, there will be an increased diversity and equality when interacting with my colleagues thus leading to a positive and productive competition when exploring my skills and talents. In most cases the human aspect is neglected about how people are managed, making most employees unhappy leading to a high labor turn over that affects organizational performance. It is thus appropriate to balance both the soft and hard model of HRM approach to achieve a well-motivated workforce, an increase in organizational performance, and reduce labor turnout.

References

Daemane, M. M. (2014). Human resources management (HRM) and trade unions' compatibility:'soft-hard'model digestion for human capacity building and sustainable productivity at workplace. Journal of Emerging Trends in Economics and Management Sciences, 5(7), 121-130. Retrieved from http://jetems.scholarlinkresearch.com/articles/HUMAN%20RESOURCES%20MANAGEMENT.pdf

Griffin, R. W. (2017). Management (12th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning.

tutor2u. (2018, February 27). Soft and hard approaches to HRM [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDYrUcP-EiM