Monday, July 18, 2011

Approaches to Strategic Human Resources Management

A Human Resources Executive as a member of top management must determine what policies, programs, practices, and approaches will contribute most to the realization of the organization objectives. This means that in his new role he must be responsible for initiating and implementing-at all levels of management-the most effective utilization of the human assets.
The primary function of the human resources position is to make a major contribution to the development and realization of the organization short-term and long-range objectives while enabling each employee to develop to the fullest extent of his potential. This requires a catalyst and business effectiveness consultant as contrasted with the traditional role of the personnel director.
With these thoughts in mind, the position of the vice-president-human resources might be defined in this way. He reports to the president. His broad function is to formulate, recommend, and implement policies, procedures, and plans to assure the most effective planning, recruitment, selection, utilization, motivation, development, and compensation of the organization human resources; contribute to the development and achievement of the organization long-range and short-term objectives by initiating and implementing employee relations practices which will enable and encourage each employee to realize his personal goals while maximizing his contribution to business effectiveness; provide for the resolution of management problems and the realization of opportunities through innovative approaches to human resources management.
The principal responsibilities of the human resources executive are these:
• Formulate and recommend human resource objectives for inclusion in the organization overall objectives.
• Identify the potential contribution of good human resource management to organizational objectives.
• Identify management problems that can be resolved and opportunities that can be realized through improved effectiveness in human resource management.
• Formulate, recommend, and implement employee relations policies designed to improve individual productivity, job satisfaction, and profitability.
• Make managers aware of their full responsibilities in the management of the human resources entrusted to them.
• Provide the necessary tools, techniques, and methods which foster the development of a business climate conducive to employee innovation and development.
• Establish the necessary procedures and practices for human resource planning, recruitment, selection, utilization, motivation, development, and compensation. Insure that these are incorporated into every manager job performance evaluation.
• Develop and staff the employee relations function to make provision for innovative approaches to labor and union relations, personnel practices and services, training and development, communication, community relations, benefit plan development and administration, and problem solving.
• Serve as a catalyst and business effectiveness consultant in initiating and implementing new approaches to human resources management.
This position can exert a tremendous influence on business results. Therefore, a few words need to be said about each principal responsibility.
Just as important as market position, technological leadership, return on investment, and profitability are organization human resources. Thus its objectives must reflect this hierarchy of importance.
Human resource objectives for any firm might include five points:
(1) Provide stable employment, equitable compensation, desirable working conditions, and opportunities for advancement for employees in return for their skill, care, efforts, dependability, and teamwork.
(2) Provide a climate conducive to the development of each employee potential in accord with his needs, interests, desires, abilities, and willingness to take on additional responsibility to realize his personal and professional career objectives.
(3). Manage the human resources to assure continuing vitality and growth of the company while realizing a profit and providing opportunities for public service.
(4) Provide a sound organization with enlightened leadership to assure maximum work satisfactions for each employee in a decentralized environment.
(5) Define clearly for each individual the responsibilities of his position, along with the commensurate authority that will enable him to make his best contribution to overall organization goals.
Every organization, regardless of its size, must provide for the needs, interests, and desires of its employees within the work environment if it is to earn loyalty, dedication, involvement, and commitment. This is necessary in order to compete effectively for superior talent in the marketplace. Just making these objectives known would serve to attract the kind of employees all organizations want to have. It is, of course, necessary to follow-up with good management of human resources, or high turnover will inevitably result.
To shed some light on the importance of human resource management, it is a good exercise to look at the objectives of a profit-oriented enterprise-a single-product company, in this instance and attempt to identify the potential contribution of effective management of our human assets. The objectives are:
• To obtain and hold 41 percent of the total available market.
• To return 25 percent on invested capital.
• To return 12 percent on sales.
• To be the technological leader in new product innovation.
• To be the leader in introducing new manufacturing processes, methods, and technology.
• To provide a reliable, dependable, safe product at quality levels superior to those of the competition.
• To build public confidence in the company product and services.
• To attract and retain investor capital by providing a favorable return to share-owners.
• To increase the value of the company stock.
• To cooperate with and provide a fair profit to our suppliers, distributors, retailers, and contractors.
• To be a good corporate citizen by discharging our social, civic, and economic responsibilities through commitment of funds and managerial talent.
That superior, dedicated people are needed at all levels of the organization to achieve these objectives is evident. The company seeks to maintain a superior position in markets, technology, product, service, quality, and internal and external relationships. In order to do this, all six concerns of top management in obtaining, utilizing, motivating, developing, compensating, and retaining good people must be satisfied. These should be incorporated into the objectives listed above.
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Human Resource Management - All About HRM

Human Resource Management (HRM) is the branch of management that concerns itself with the management of an organization's most vital resources - the people who individually and collectively contribute to the organization's growth and development. Earlier referred to as "personnel management", HRM basically deals with staffing, developing the capabilities of people, retaining, and compensating them in keeping with their individual performances and organizational requirements.

The HRM discipline is an academic theory that believes that employees are individuals with varying needs and goals, and cannot be thought of as just production resources. The discipline takes a positive view of employees, and seeks to align their personal goals with those of the organization, thus leading to the development of the two in synergy. For this end, HRM also seeks to provide employees with adequate training and mentoring so that they gain an understanding of processes and systems typical of the organization.

HRM in modern organizations includes the activities concerning workforce planning, recruitment of talent, induction or onboarding, training and development, and compensation and performance appraisal. HRM may also extend to cover travel management, labor relations, and employee benefits administration.

At the higher level, HRM strategy deals with the best ways to implement HRM policies. While an organization's HRM policies may cover several aspects such as recruitment, training, appraisals, and compensation, an overall strategy is required to align all areas of HRM.

Several universities offer programs for the study of HRM.http://business-square.com/ The first institute for the college-level study of HRM, the School of Industrial and Labor Relations was set up by Cornell University. Since then, a number of colleges in the US have initiated courses for the study of HRM. Some of these include the University of Minnesota, Michigan State University, and Ohio State University.

HRM may include jobs that cover general HRM functions or specialized HRM functions. There may be careers only concerning recruitment and placement, or there may be positions only for training development managers. Sometimes, compensation and benefits tasks are handled by compensation analysts or salary administrators.

Apart from the regular graduate colleges offering programs in HRM, there are a great many other courses available for managers who may want to upgrade themselves or take refresher courses in order to enhance career options or just improve their knowledge of the subject. Post-graduate diploma programs are available in several eminent colleges. These deal with the new innovations in the field of HRM and familiarize people with the latest developments in the field.

For the busy managers, there are some part time courses in HRM available as well. These can be attended in the evenings or on weekends. A valuable option for those people who are unable to take time off from their regular jobs, the curriculum of the part time courses should be studied with care before decisions to enroll are taken up. Make sure that the curriculum suits your training needs before you sign up. Also, check for the reputability of the organization before you join. It is important that you come out of the course achieved your goals.
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About HRM Watches and Training

HRM is an instrument conceived for training sessions. If you have one which allows you to download the data on your computer, then you have an impressive amount of information you can use. You will definitely see the improvement on your bike once you understand the factors which influence your cardiac rhythm.

You will always pedal better in competitions that when you train. This is what happens with most of he persons who train correctly. It is very difficult to make decisions based on the HRM watch when you compete. There are even people who have given up on chasing the platoon because their heart rhythm was too elevated. This is a huge mistake because cycling is a much too complex tactical fight, which is why your experience is much more important than your cardiac rhythm.

Heart rate target zone is the term used to describe the different areas for which a HRM can be set. Most of the users of a heart monitor watch use standard settings and use programs with standard percentages, which are calculated depending on the maximum heart rhythm. These programs are far from reality when we refer to someone who wants to take things seriously. These target zones have to set according to the personal experience and according to tests, not to a general formula. The most important thins is not to set a too short span between the minimum and the maximum heart rates. If you do this, you will reach the limit very quickly and it will be difficult for you to remain in the right zone.
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Human Resource Management (HRM) - What You Need to Know

Human Resource Management (HRM) is an expansive term, covering a broad spectrum of functions relating to the employment relationship and strategic aims of employers. One of the biggest challenges for HR professionals falls under Recruitment and Hiring. Here are a few tricks of the trade that seasoned HR professionals want you to know about building a strong team:

Quality over Quantity

It is more important to cast nets in the right places, than to cast many nets in the hopes of ending up in the right place. Make it your business to know where the top talent in your industry hangs out often, and check in at that locale often to stay current.

Know What You Are Looking For

How can you find anything if you don't know exactly what you are looking for? Analyze the position you want to fill and also consider the culture of your workplace. Your star will must be the right fit for both.

Stick to Your Guns on Deal Breakers

Just as you should feel sure of the qualities you seek, you should also know what you do not want. You should only get the best and qualified people to work for you. It is important to consider the characteristics or shortcomings that will be deal breakers and don't compromise just to fill the vacancy.

Prescreen

This is the most popular tool by good recruitment firms. Pre-screening is an invaluable tool and should not be neglected during the recruitment process. Many deal breakers can be identified through a short phone call or email to prospective candidates prior to moving forward.

Make the Interview Valuable

Take time prior to a face to face meeting to be sure of the questions you want to ask. Don't shy away from the difficult ones. Use the interview to be clear about the expectations and working environment of the job vacancy.

Check References

Always compare your first impressions with those of a prospective employee's past employers. After all, you have likely met just once or twice; sure the meetings have gone well but are they genuine? Anyone can charm their way through an interview.

Recruitment and selection is a risky business process as it can be difficult to determine who the right person is for your team. Through positive Human Resource Management (HRM) techniques, your search efforts will be strengthened and the chances of finding a star for your team, improved.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6203493

Tips for Good Human Resources Management

Human resources is a term that has undergone a bit of a transformation over the past few years. Although HR is still involved with the hiring of staff, they role is of a much more strategic nature than it once was. In the past it was a career that was quite administrative in nature. There was a lot of work involved with company policy, procedures and the orientation of staff. Today human resources management is more to do with building and strengthening the employees as an asset to a company. It has been found that if you want your company to do better than its competitors, then having a cohesive and productive workforce on your side will help you get there.

Human resources management carries out the leg work to ensure the employees of a company are happy, fulfilled by their jobs and on a clear career path. There is a considerable amount of strategic planning involved in HR in the modern business world. If you want to go one step further than your competitors then human resources may be the area that helps you get there. If you want to find out more about the best ways to carry out human resources and learn some tips for success then read on.

Honesty and transparency are absolutely vital when it comes to human resources. Whatever project you are implementing you should be open with your staff. A good example of this comes in talent management. It is important for strategic planning and decision making when a CEO and senior management team can see the direction a company is heading. Identifying future key players and even the next CEO through talent management helps this a great deal. Talent management shouldn't be done under the radar however. Be open and honest with staff. Tell them why you are carrying out performance monitoring and assessments. Ask them what they hope to achieve over the coming years. By working together with staff you will be able to glean more information from them which will help with the processes and ensure there is no resentment or mistrust between staff and management.

Another good tip for successful human resources management is to treat employees as individuals. This means scheduling one to one meetings with them on a regular basis and ensuring each member of staff is clear on not only their own career paths, but the path of the company too. When the employees at a company feel valued and appreciated and can see clear direction for their progression within an organization, their productivity and desire to see the company do well increases. This is good for everybody, not to mention the company's bottom line!

It is not always a good idea to carry out human resources tasks yourself, but instead hire professionals to do it for you. When you hire a company who specialize in HR management then you know that your company and your staff are in the hands of the very best. As well as having access to the vast knowledge base of experience that HR professionals from an outside company have, you will receive the benefits of a variety of specialist HR software. From employee assessment software to performance monitoring tools, you will have a huge resource pool of equipment, software and tools at your disposal. This can be of great benefit to the employees and the company as a whole.

When it comes to Human Resources Management you should ensure your company is doing it well. Half hearted attempts to help the staff and increase morale could leave the employees dissatisfied. To ensure you are providing the best human resources management to your employees, look to HR outsourcing as the solution. From recruitment process outsourcing to employee performance monitoring and talent management, an outside team can provide all your HR needs leaving you the time to concentrate on your core business activities.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5840843