Unit-1 Human Resource Management (HRM)
Meaning and Definition
It is concerned with people at work
Managing the people at work
Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function
within an organization that focuses on recruitment of, management of,
and providing direction for the people who work in the organization.
Human Resource Management can also be performed by line managers.
Human Resource Management is the organizational function
that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring,
performance management, organization development, safety, wellness,
benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and
training.
Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within
an organization that focuses on recruitment of, management of, and
providing direction for the people who work in the organization in
developing people through work.
HRM can be defined as a process of procuring, developing and
maintaining competent resources in the organization so that goals of an
organization are achieved in an effective and efficient manner. In other
words HRM is an art of managing people at work in such a manner
that they give best to the organisation.
Nature( Characteristics) of HRM
In other words, HRM is concerned with getting better results
with the collaboration of people. It is an integral but distinctive part of
management, concerned with people at work and their relationships
within the enterprise. HRM helps in attaining maximum individual
development, desirable working relationship between employees and
employers, employees and employees, and effective modeling of human
resources as contrasted with physical resources. It is the recruitment,
selection, development, utilization, compensation and motivation of
human resources by the organization
Human Resource Management is a process of bringing
people and organizations together so that the goals of each are met.
The various features of HRM include:
• Pervasive force:
HRM is pervasive in nature. It is present in all enterprises.
• Action oriented
Its focus attention on action rather than on recod keeping, written
procedures or rules.
• Individually oriented.
It tries to help employees develop their potential fully. It encourages
them to give their best to the organization.
•People oriented
It is all about people at work, both as individuals and groups. It tries
to put people on assigned jobs in order to produce good results.
• Future oriented
It helps an organization meet its goals in the future by providing for
competent and well-motivated employees.
• Integrating mechanism
It tries to build and maintain cordial relations between people working
at various levels in the organization.
• Inter disciplinary function
It is a multidisciplinary activity, utilizing knowledge and inputs drawn
from psychology, economics, etc
Continuous function:
HRM is not a one shot deal. It cannot be practiced only one hour
each day or one day a week.It requires constant awareness in every day
operations.
Scope of HRM
The scope of HRM is very wide. The Indian Institute of Personnel
management has specified the scope of HRM thus:
1. Personnel aspect-
This is concerned with manpower planning, recruitment, selection,
placement, transfer, promotion, training and development, layoff and
retrenchment, remuneration, incentives, productivity etc.
2. Welfare aspect-
It deals with working conditions and amenities such as
canteens, crèches, rest and lunch rooms, housing, transport, medical
assistance, education, health and safety, recreation facilities, etc.
3. Industrial relations aspect-
This covers union-management relations, joint consultation,
collective bargaining, grievance and disciplinary procedures, settlement
of disputes, etc.
Human Resource Management: Objectives
• To help the organization reach its goals.
• To ensure effective utilization and maximum development of human
resources.
• To ensure respect for human beings. To identify and satisfy the needs
of individuals.
• To ensure reconciliation of individual goals with those of the
organization.
• To achieve and maintain high morale among employees.
• To provide the organization with well-trained and well-motivated
employees.
• To increase to the fullest the employee's job satisfaction and self-
actualization.
• To develop and maintain a quality of work life.
• To be ethically and socially responsive to the needs of society.
• To develop overall personality of each employee in its
multidimensional aspect.
• To enhance employee's capabilities to perform the present job.
• To be ethically and socially responsive to the needs of the society:
HRM must ensure that organizations manage human resources in an
ethical and socially responsible manner through ensuring compliance
with legal and ethical standards.
• To inculcate the sense of team spirit, team work and inter-team
collaboration.
HRM Functions
The functions performed by managers are common to all
organization. Generally the functions performed by Human Resource
Management may be classified into two
categories. They are,
i) Managerial Functions
ii) Operative Functions
HRM Functions
Managerial Functions Operative Functions
Planning
Organizing
Directing
Controlling
Procurement Development Compensation Integration Maintenance Emerging issues
a) Job analysis a.performance a.job design a.health& a.grievance a.personnel records
b) Human – appraisal b.work scheduling safety redressal b.human resource audit
Resource b.training c.motivation b.employee welfare b.discipline c.HR research
c) Planning c.executive d.job evaluation c.social c.tradeunion d.HR Auditing
d) Recruitment development e.performance security d.IR e.HRIS
e) Selection d.Career planning appraisal e.teams
f) Placement f.compensation f.collective
g) Induction g..incentives bargaining
h) Transfer h.bonus g.participation
i) Promotion
j) Separation
Managerial Functions:
Planning:
This involves predetermined course of action. In this process
organizational goals and formulation of policies and programmes for
achieving them are chalked out. A well thought out plan makes
execution perfect and easy.
Organising:
This is a process by which the structure and allocation of jobs
are determined. Organising involves each subordinate a specific task,
establishing departments, delegating authority to subordinates,
establishing channels of authority and communication, and
coordinating the work of subordinates.
Staffing:
This is a process by which managers select, train, promote and
retire the subordinates. This involves in deciding the type of people to
be hired, recruiting prospective employees, selecting employees, setting
performance standard, compensating employees, evaluating
performance, counseling employees, training and developing
employees.
Directing:
Directing is the process of activating group efforts to achieve
the desired goals.
Controlling:
This is the process of setting standards for performance,
checking to compares see how actual performance compares with these
set standards and taking needed corrective action.
The operating functions already outlined forms the entire
gaument of day to day functions of HRM.
Human Resource functions are concerned with a variety of
activities that significantly influence almost all areas of an
organization and aim at:
Ensuring that the organization fulfils all of its equal
employment
opportunities and other government obligations.
Carrying out job analysis to establish the specific requirements
for
individual jobs within an organization.
Forecasting the human resource requirements necessary for the
organization to achieve its objectives – both in terms of number
of employees and skills.
Developing and implementing a plan to meet these
requirements.
Recruiting and selecting personnel to fill specific jobs within an
organization.
Orienting and training employees.
Designing and implementing management and organizational
development programmes.
Designing systems for appraising the performance of individuals.
Assisting employees in developing career plans.
Designing and implementing compensation system for all
employees.
At present HRM functions can be seen as the amalgam of
organizational behaviour, personnel management, industrial relations
and labour legislation.
Evolution of HRM
1917-18:
1st formal personnel department created to deal with tight
labor market, high turnover, waste and inefficiency, widespread
strikes, union growth, government intervention, takeovers
1920’s:
HR used to “win” worker cooperation, through ensuring job
security, benefits, etc.
1930’-50’s:
“Human Relations” recognizes that there are psychological and
social influences to worker satisfaction, cooperation, performance; first
focus on groups (not teams).
1960’s:
Work design, rather than communication and cooperation in
groups, is the key to increasing worker motivation. Small work group
design leads to greater employee effort, group work provides
opportunities for “self-actualization”; work is more interesting and
fulfilling.
1970’s:
Quality of Work Life (QWL): emphasis on the value of human
resources. PM becomes HR.
1990’s-Present:
TQM, reengineering, globalization, strategic HR, new
technologies, diversity, contingency models, holistic approaches to HR.
HRM models include “high involvement”, “high commitment”, “high
Performance work system”, “innovative work practices”. HR becomes
HRM.
Overall Organisation(HRM)
Organisation of Personnel Department
1. Organisation structure of PD in small Enterprises
By small enterprises we mean the enterprises employing
less than one thousand employees. In such enterprises PD may or may
not exists. Generally the personnel manager is appointed in the
organization who is supposed to perform the staff function. An idea of
the organization of PD may be drawn from the following chart.
Board of Directors
General Manager
Purchase Mgr Sales Mgr Personnel Mgr Accounts Mgr
2. Organisation structure of PD in Medium size Enterprises
Medium size enterprises cover all those enterprises which
employ persons between one thousand and two thousand. The chart
may depict the organization of a PD in medium size enterprises.
Board of Directors
Managing Director
General Manager
Personnel Manager
Recruiting Salary & wage Training Section Labour welfare Industrial relation
Administration
3. Organisation structure of PD in Large size Enterprises
Large size enterprises are such enterprises which employ more than
two thousand persons. The nature of personnel problems is typical and
quite different in such organizations as compared to hose of other
smaller organizations. PD in each region is again divided on functional
basis under the supervision of a sectional head. The following chart will
make the price clear.
Board of Directors
Managing Director
General Manager
Personnel Director
Personnel Manager
Recruiting Salary & wage Training Section Labour welfare Industrial relation
Administration
Thus the organization structure of the personnel department
in each organization may differ according to the needs and the size of
the enterprises.
HRIS (Human Resource Information System)
Introduction
Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is a systematic
way of storing data and information for each individual employee to aid
planning, decision making, and for submitting of returns and reports to
the external agencies. Human Resource Department requires large
amount of detailed information. The quality of personnel management
departments, contribution largely depends upon the quality of
information held by it. The information required may be
i. Duties and responsibilities of every job in the organization.
ii. Skills possessed by every employee.
iii. Organization’s future human resource needs.
iv. Current productivity of human resources and
v. Identification of training needs.
Acquisition, storage and retrieval of information present a
significant challenge to the management. However, once the database
is created, maintenance becomes easier.
HRIS is basically used for the following purposes:
a) Storing information and data for each individual employee for future
reference.
b) Providing a basis for planning, organizing, decision making,
controlling and a host of other human resource functions.
c) Meeting daily transactional requirements such as marking present,
absent or granting leave.
d) Supplying data and submitting returns to government and other
statutory agencies.
Formerly HR departments of various companies used to share
hardware and files with other departments. Later, companies began to
develop information systems devoted exclusively to human resource
applications. These systems came to be known as HRIS.
Types of Information stored in HRIS
Storing
Same of the applications which could be computerized and
the nature and type of information that can be recorded and stored are
described below.
1.Personnel Administration
It will contain information about each employee, such as
name, address, date of birth, date of joining the organization, and
information about next of kin and family. The facility should allow the
user to maintain a number of address records such as permanent home
address, local postal address, and the address of next of kin.
2.Salary Particulars
Salary review procedures are an important function of the
human resources department. Details of present salary, last increase
and the proposed increase will all be compiled and stored.
3.Leave / Absence Recording
An important requirement of HRIS is providing comprehensive
and accurate method of controlling leave and absences. A complete
leave history for each employee, days of absence, delay in reporting are
all stored. Eligibility of leave, medical, maternity leave under credit,
leave encashment, eligibility are all stored.
4.Skill Inventory
HRIS is used to record acquired skills and monitor a skill
database at both employee and organizational level. This will give the
necessary information to identify employees with necessary skills for
certain positions or job function.
5.Medical History
The HRIS may be used to record occupational health data
needed for industrial safety purposes, accident monitoring, exposure to
potentially hazardous materials, and so on. For example, hearing loss,
nervous debility in certain work areas may be monitored and results
recorded on HRIS. The records of periodical medical examinations may
also be maintained.
6.Accident Monitoring
The system should record the details of the accidents for the
injured employees. This could highlight accident prone areas or
accident prone times within the organization.
7.Performance Appraisal
The system should record individual employee’s performance
appraisal data such as the due data of the appraisal, scores for each
performance criteria, potential for promotion, and other information to
form a comprehensive overview of each employee.
8.Training and Development
The system should record the details of training imparted,
training evaluation development opportunities given and availed. The
type of training needed may be identified and stored.
9.HRP
The HRP plan, extensions, plan executed, to be executed
strength and weaknesses of the plan, plan evaluation etc, may be
recorded.
10.Recruitment
Recruitment pool, screening, preliminary selection etc, may be
stored for HRIS.
11.Career Planning
Placement, training, selected candidates for career planning,
supervisors view can be stored.
12.Collective Bargaining
Wage, salary administration, bonus, negotiations, trade
Unions views, most welcome and least resistant measures may also be
recorded.
Steps In Implementing HRIS
Following are the steps in implementing HRIS.
1.Inception Of Idea
Idea should originate somewhere. The originator should
make a preliminary report justifying the need for HRIS and illustrate
how it could assist management in making certain decisions.
2.Feasibility Study
The cost-benefit analysis of HRIS in terms of labour and
material as also intangible savings, such as increased accuracy and
fewer errors should be highlighted.
3.Selection Of Project Team
Once the feasibility study has been accepted and the
resources accepted, a project team should be selected. The project team
should consist of a human resource representative, who is
knowledgeable about the organization’s human resource functions and
activities, and the organization itself, and also a representative from
management information system. As the project advances, additional
clerical people from the human resource department will have to be
added.
4.Defining The Requirements
A statement of requirements specifies in detail exactly what
the system needs to do. A larger part of the statement of requirements
normally deals with the details of the reports that will be produced.
The objective is to make sure that the mission of an HRIS truly
matches with the management’s needs of an HRIS.
5.Vendor Analysis
The purpose of this step is to determine what hardware and
software are available that will best meet the organization’s needs at
the least price. This is a difficult task. This involves discussions with
various vendors on how their HRIS will meet the organization’s needs.
6.Contract Negotiations
The contract stipulating the price, delivery, vendor’s
responsibilities with regards to installation, service maintenance,
training to organization’s employees etc, may be
negotiated.
7.Training
Project team members may first be trained to use the system
and then they could train all users from other departments.
8.Tailoring The System
It involves making changes to the system to best fit to the
organizational needs.
9.Data Collection
Data is collected and fed into the system.
10.Testing The System
The object of verifying is to test the output of HRIS and make
sure that it is doing what it supposed to do. All reports to be critically
analysed.
11.Starting Up
Even after testing, some additional errors may crop up. These
errors surface during start up. These are to be sorted out.
12.Parallel Running
Just for the security, the new system is to be run in parallel with
the old till the new system stabilizes and people gain confidence in its
operation.
13.Maintenance
Proper maintenance of the system and maintenance of secrecy
of records are to be guarded. It normally takes several months for HR
people to get acquainted with HRIS.
14.Audit
After a year or so, the project team should audit the
performance of HRIS and if required, corrective actions should be
taken. Large organizations generally install computerized HRIS system
because it enables them to collect, process and use large amount of
data. It links the various subsystems of HRM.
Benefits of HRIS
Following are the benefits:
Higher speed of retrieval and processing of data.
Reduction in duplication of efforts leading to reduced cost
Better analysis and decision making.
Higher accuracy of information and reports generated.
Fast response to answer queries.
Improved quality of reports.
Better work culture.
Streamlined and systematic procedures.
More transparency in the system.
Limitations
Following are the limitations of HRIS.
Expensive interms of finance and manpower requirement.
Inconvenient to those who are not comfortable with computers,
particularly top bosses.
Human Resource Management: Major Influencing Factors
In the 21st century HRM will be influenced by following
factors, which will work as various issues affecting its strategy:
• Size of the workforce.
• Rising employees' expectations
• Drastic changes in the technology as well as Life-style changes.
• Composition of workforce. New skills required.
• Environmental challenges.
• Lean and mean organizations.
• Impact of new economic policy. Political ideology of the Government.
• Downsizing and rightsizing of the organizations.
• Culture prevailing in the organization etc.
Human Resource Management: Futuristic Vision
On the basis of the various issues and challenges the following
suggestions will be of much help to the philosophy of HRM with regard
to its futuristic vision:
1. There should be a properly defined recruitment policy in the
organization that should give its focus on professional aspect and merit
based selection.
2. In every decision-making process there should be given proper
weightage to the aspect that employees are involved wherever possible.
It will ultimately lead to sense of team spirit, team-work and inter-
team collaboration.
3. Opportunity and comprehensive framework should be provided for
full expression of employees' talents and manifest potentialities.
4. Networking skills of the organizations should be developed internally
and externally as well as horizontally and vertically.
5. For performance appraisal of the employee’s emphasis should be
given to 360 degree feedback which is based on the review by superiors,
peers, subordinates as well as self-review.
6. 360 degree feedback will further lead to increased focus on customer
services, creating of highly involved workforce, decreased hierarchies,
avoiding discrimination and biases and identifying performance
threshold.
7. More emphasis should be given to Total Quality Management. TQM
will cover all employees at all levels; it will conform to customer's needs
and expectations; it will ensure effective utilization of resources and
will lead towards continuous improvement in all spheres and activities
of the organization.
8. There should be focus on job rotation so that vision and knowledge of
the employees are broadened as well as potentialities of the employees
are increased for future job prospects.
9. For proper utilization of manpower in the organization the concept of
six sigma of improving productivity should be intermingled in the HRM
strategy.
To conclude Human Resource Management should be linked
with strategic goals and objectives in order to improve business
performance and develop organizational cultures that foster innovation
and flexibility. All the above futuristic visions coupled with strategic
goals and objectives should be based on 3 H's of Heart, Head and Hand
i.e., we should feel by Heart, think by Head and implement by Hand.
