Human resources: definition and core functions

Human resources also contribute to the development of an organization by providing insight as to what resources are available and necessary for the continued success of an organization. Human resource management helps an organization to achieve success through the recruitment, training, and retention of valuable employees.

Human resource management aides in the management of people within an organization in both a structured and methodical manner. Human resource management is also charged with the management of people within an organization from an overall perspective. Through the management of people within an organization, human resource management is responsible for traditional human resource functions such as staffing, personnel retention, payment and determination of benefits, performance management, change management, and exit interviews and related processes ("Human Resource Management (HRM)," 2011). Additionally, human resource management is responsible for managing people in the form of a collective relationship between the staff and management ("Human Resource Management (HRM)," 2011).

Human resource management must assert their position within an organization and prove that the department's existence is not solely contingent on ensuring that the organization complies with government labor regulations. Human resources must prove their ability as a valuable asset to an organization in every step of an organization's strategic planning process and should be involved in environmental scanning, organizational assessment, strategy development, implementation, and performance measurement ("The Role of HR in Strategic Planning," 2008). The goal of strategic planning is to identify and exploit opportunities and mitigate risks, align goals and initiatives, and allocate resources for desired organizational results ("The Role of HR in Strategic Planning," 2008). Furthermore, human resources help to ensure compliance, both an organizational level and at a federal level; human resources also provide consultative services within an organization which may aid in leadership development, performance management, and employee relations and engagement ("The Role of HR in Strategic Planning," 2008). Human resources should also assist in the implementation of strategies and initiatives that are deemed to be necessary in the strategic planning process; attention should also be paid to workforce planning and succession planning ("The Role of HR in Strategic Planning," 2008).

Within an organization, human resource management must fulfill several functions. These functions include manpower planning, employee selection, employee motivation, employee evaluation, employee services, industrial relations, and employee development. Manpower planning requires the assessment of present and future staffing needs. In order to determine these needs, human resource personnel must analyze a present workplace's profile and adjust to anticipate an organization's future needs ("Human Resource Management," 2011). These future projections are dependent on present sales and production forecasts, the impact that future technological advancements will have on present labor performed manually, changes in labor, changes in employment practices, and legislative and government changes in labor policies ("Human Resource Management," 2011). Manpower staffing also requires that human resources ensure that an organization is not overstaffed as overstaffing may lead to loss of revenues, loss of efficiency, and creates workplace redundancy. Employee selection helps an organization to employ competent workers. Job descriptions within an organization help to define the physical and mental requirements of a job position, the qualities and attitudes desired for an open position, and also help to define the undesired characteristics of an employee ("Human Resource Management," 2011). Interviews conducted will further help to determine a candidate's aptitude, achievements, and general intelligence. Human resources play an important role in employee motivation. Though financial rewards and a job's conditions of service are determined by external factors, human resource management must utilize behavioral sciences to determine what motivates people and help them to attain a sense of achievement through rewards that may be psychological or physiological. Employee evaluation within an organization will also help to determine to what extent an employee is motivated to perform required tasks. Evaluation helps to improve an organization's performance through employee improvement, helps to identify potential prospects within an existing employee base, and helps to link financial rewards to job performance. Because human resource managers often do not have the opportunity to evaluate employees directly, employee evaluation is occasionally conducted by supervisors and managers ("Human Resource Management," 2011). Human resource management also includes the provision of employee services. These services pay attention to the mental and physical health of an organization's employees, helping to retain existing employees and attracting others. Employee services may include providing loans to employees to providing counseling services ("Human Resource Management," 2011). Within certain firms, human resource management is responsible for industrial relations. In order to successfully perform this function, human resources must keep up-to-date with the law and advise managers of changes therein; conduct negotiations; ensure agreements are reached and observe that agreements are maintained; correct situations that may go wrong; provide impetus for the introduction of joint-consultation between workers and management within an organization that may contribute to decision making processes; and provide statistical information about the workforce as it pertains to negotions ("Human Resource Management," 2011). Lastly, human resource management is responsible for the education, development, and training of an organizations employees. These tasks help to develop employees for "higher-grade" tasks and help to raise the efficiency and performance standards of an organization.