Evolution from personnel management to modern human resource management

Human Resources

A Four Section View of Human Resource Management

The Traditional vs. The New

The traditional view is personnel management which is a group within the organization that helps employees by seeing to their welfare and by seeking to help them perform on the job. Personnel management is involved in recruitment of individuals to fill staffing holes and to make sure that those employees have all the tools they need to be successful in their position within the company (Bach & Sisson, 2000, 3).

The new view that most organizations have is that they should focus more in human resources than personnel management. Human resources traditionally is a part of the organization that is more concerned with assisting behind the scenes than being involved directly with employees (Mathis & Jackson, 2007, 6). They give the employee the information that they need and no other. Of course, human resources has undergone a transformation in recent years with a total quality approach. Human resources now is less focused on the output of the company and has gone back to more of the focus on the employee that was a facet of personnel management. This means that the company is concerned with the quality of the products that they produce, but they are more focused on increasing the quality of the employees, and interactions with employees, because the new belief has gone back to a happy employee is a productive employee (Hakes, 1991, 24).

Since the company has now become more concerned with what the employee thinks, every individual shares in the decision making that goes on with the company. The employee then feels more engaged and is willing to give more of themselves to the employer. They feel ownership in the company because they have more input into their own situation. They know how the business operates and they are given the ability to react to situations that affect them.

This is also an anti-union response from many employers. Since many in the management team would like to keep the layers between them and their employees to a minimum, they would rather not have union interference. If the company treats the employees with the respect that they deserve, then they will be able to keep this direct line to them. The company will also run better because there is more ownership from the employs and a closer relationship with management.

Section Two: Recruiting and Selecting Suitable Employees

Every company uses job descriptions that give employees, or potential employees, an idea of what is expected of them. These are usually considered the minimum requirements and the employee may be required to give more if they are going to progress in the company.

The recruiting process requires many facets, and it involves different hiring methods for different types of employees and for employees from different generational backgrounds. This means that recruiting older employees, who probably already have experience in the industry, is a different matter than recruiting young people directly from college or a trade school.

Arthur (1998, 8) says that, "the recruiting of older workers may require some deviation from customary hiring practices." This means that older workers are not interested in the same things that younger workers are. Older workers want stability and they want to know what they will be doing to the smallest detail. Therefore, recruiting the older age group may mean a more directed recruiting plan.

Younger workers have grown up with the advances in technology that most companies work with these days. Thus it may be a good to use "methods for recruiting younger workers [that] include using interactive techniques, such as CD-Rom's, and revising company brochures to focus on new technology, promotional opportunities, geographic alternatives, and family leave policies" (Arthur, 1998, 9). Even the CD is outdated. Many recruiters, who are hip to the new ways of disseminating information, will use such tools as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace to advertise a need for employees. The old standby that has worked for many years, help wanted ads, has also gone electronic. Many older and younger workers are using such tools as craigslist to find openings. The company that wants to have the best employees will use all methods of recruiting that are available to them and not just job fairs or want ads.

The ways that a company have recruited primarily though have not changed all that much. Small companies and those which have felt the pinch of the recent downturn may want to use cost-saving measures. "If money is a primary concern when it comes to recruiting, explore the possibility of using job posting, HR files, employee referrals, government agencies, direct mail, referrals from clients, and school placement offices." (Arthur, 1998, 48). These avenues will give the recruiter a much larger base to work with.

Selecting the best employee may still require some additional screening prior to hire. "Tests certainly seem to be useful recruitment and selection tools." (Arthur, 1998, 251). With the number of prescreening instruments available, a company should be able to find one that fits the pool they wish to recruit from. Also, "selecting employees from a pool of pretrained candidates generally works best in plant or manufacturing environments requiring the operation of equipment or machinery." (Arthur, 1998, 67). This means that the employees that are available right now who have had the required training on the machines used, may be the best employees possible. There are a lot of people, especially from manufacturing, who are currently unemployed. These people need jobs that they can just step into, and the employer, needing to cut down on training costs, wants that also.

Section Four: Rights and Procedures on Exit from an Organization

When an employee needs to separate from s company there are certain procedures that the human resources manager or other appropriate manager must perform. Bizmanualz (2008, 225) recommends that the human resource manager;

"Complete and exit interview; review and update the positions duties and responsibilities; review the medical insurance and other employee benefits continuation/conversion; escort the employee to clean out their desk area and then out of the building (if the employee is terminated); ensure that all company property has been retrieved; the human resource manager should last prepare a statement that will be made to the other employees concerning the discharge."

Of course, discharging/firing/terminating an employee is a delicate business. If the employer is in an "at will" state, then they do not have to have a reason for termination. But, the employee can still take any grievance to the labor board, so the employer should have had a rational reason for the action. The employee can also bring other action against the employer if it is a wrongful or biased termination. Another consideration for the human resource manager in this case is unemployment insurance. Different states have differing rules, and the employer must know their rights and inform the exiting employee of theirs. This is a potentially volatile situation and the employer should make every effort to make the transition a safe and smooth one.