The Evolving Function of Human Resources in an Organization
The HRM (Human Resource Management) function is an essential component of every firm, making it one of the most important support roles overall. Aside from finance, which serves as the lifeblood of the organisational support functions, the human resources management function, more than any other support function has the responsibility of ensuring that the organisational policies and procedures are implemented, as well as taking care of any complaints that employees may have.
For example, it is typical practice for the HRM function of many firms to mix activities like recruiting, training, assisting during performance reviews, mentoring workers, and deciding on compensation structures and grades. This indicates that the HRM function has its work cut out for it in terms of taking care of the “people” side of the organisational processes. In other words, the HRM function has its chore cut out for it.
The preponderance of the services sector is largely responsible for the meteoric rise in the importance of the human resource management (HRM) function. This is because the ascendancy of the information technology, financial services, and business process outsourcing industries has meant that people are the most valuable assets for organisations. As a result of this, an increasing number of people who are interested in working in human resources are attempting to carve out a career for themselves in this sector as a result of the growing need for HR specialists.
The transformation from a reactive to a proactive way of thinking
Many people have the impression that the human resources manager is someone who listens to the grievances of workers, makes an appearance at performance reviews, and is generally helpful only when there is an actual need for his or her services. This is the traditional way of thinking that was prevalent in the old world, in which HR managers were only responsible for these operations.
The reason for such perceptions is that the majority of us are used to hearing our parents and other individuals from older generations refer to HR managers as labour officers whose primary role is to take care of payroll and disputes. These older generations also refer to HR managers as “workers.” But things have changed, and in the last several decades, the HR function has developed a significant role in its own right, whereby HR practitioners are proactive and anticipatory in their approach. Instead of waiting for a crisis to occur and then resolving it, HR managers anticipate potential problems and take measures to prevent them from occurring.
In addition, unlike in previous generations, when there was a possibility of lockouts and strikes in the manufacturing sector of organisations, there is no place for these in the services sector. As a result, the role of HR professionals has evolved to the point where they have shifted from a reactive mode to a proactive mode. Because of this, human resources professionals in many multinational corporations hold what are known as one-on-one meetings, also known as individual meetings, with employees regularly. The purpose of these meetings is to try to understand employees’ complaints, solicit feedback, and generally focus on how to prevent any kind of crisis from occurring.
The Human Resource Management Professionals and the Demand for HR Classes
Apart from recruiting, training, and payroll, which still have a lot of relevance to the HRM function, the inclusion of the activities outlined above has brought a touch of glamour to the generally staid and monotonous profession of human resource management (HRM). It should come as no surprise that educational institutions such as XLRI have seen a rise in demand for the human resources training they provide.
Additionally, even at other management colleges, there has been a rise in the number of graduates opting to specialise in HR-related fields. This trend is expected to continue. The HR profession is today highly sought after and is not something that is pushed to the margins, as shown by all of these trends, which all lead to the same conclusion.
It’s Not All Work and No Play for HR Professionals
The transformation of the function of human resources management is especially apparent in the information technology and business process outsourcing (IT and BPO) industries, where HRM departments are also responsible for organising offsite events. These gatherings, which typically take place at a resort or a hotel, allow workers to discuss problems in a laid-back and leisurely manner away from the confines of the office. The Human Resource Management function has become quite busy as a result of this trend since there is a great deal of preparation that goes into arranging these events. In fact, in international companies like Fidelity, this is now handled by dedicated HR professionals in addition to the normal workforce.
