Dear Aby, Sushant, Nizar and Archna,
Thanks for your responses.
Aby,
Do you think the HR manager is to align the human resource to the business? If yes, how can he do this if he does not know the business or have 'the business literacy'? If he does not know how to sweep, how can he visualise/understand the HR issues related to managing the peole who are into sweeping activity? If you closely observe, the CEOs, I mean the successful ones, the entrepreneurs, are quite passionate about the business they are into, they are keen to understand the business processes including the technical & HR processes, they love the products and that is why they succeed.
If, as HR professionals, we keep saying there is no need to know sweeping to manage the sweeper, then that is a serious problem. If we try to manage the most important capital (HR) of the business with superficial knowledge or no knowledge about the business, then it cannot be a good management. If you are appointed the HR manager of a logistics company having 1000 truck drivers, you may not be able to learn truck driving, but should go, sit with drivers while they are driving, observe them on the job. And, at least you must know car driving / traffic problems/vehicle related problems so as to understand the HR/IR issues related to managing these drivers.
And on cooking I need to say something. We should have cooking in our school and college as a part of curriculum. Cooking is a fundamental knowledge that any human being should have for survival. If you see, the defence personnel are able to cook their own food. I feel cooking should be taught as a compulsory practical subject in schools and colleges. Many foreign countries have it like this. I understand in Australia, cooking & baking are taught to everyone at school level. It is part of the curriculum. If one wants to learn more about it, he can have option, but basics are compulsory.
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Sushant,
Your answer is really good.
But, HRD minister is certainly not managing the country's human resource as implied by the name of his post.
Human resource development is all about education & training, it is not about managing the so many other aspects of people management.
If you mainatin HRD Minister is managing the country's human resource, so does the Health Minister as he is dealing with more fundamental aspect of HR.
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Nizar,
You are very much right. This is what I have been stressing.
Of course, I want to add certain points later to what you said.
But, I do not want to simply accept that HR manager is not managing the human resource and the designation is a misnomer.
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Archna,
As I told you already, the company or the managers do not own any person working for the company or its department. The company is only hiring the .
So, ownership over the people or reporting relationships are not issues here. It is all about who is managing the human resource.
If you think HR manager is not directly managing the people, but indirectly and ultimately he is the one managing all the human resource, let me tell you this. Suppose, the Operations Manager has mishandled a people issue and there is a strike because of it. Will you accept the ultimate responsibilty and offer to quit?
When you are dealing with certain aspects of Human Resource Management, like training, career development etc. you have a tendency to assume that you are managing the human resource. But, is it true?
Please see how much responsibilty a line manager has towards training his people on the job. On-the-job training continues to be one of the best training methods even today. So, the line manager is also dealing with training.
The HR manager creates and maintains only the system for training the people. Moreover, the HR manager is not the only faculty for training. He very much depends upon line managers, internal faculty or external faculty.
If you have an external faculty training your employees, will you agree if I say he/she is managing your human resource? You probably will not, because it is not proper to say yes.
Then, how does your presence inside the company will change the concept? Can you please throw more light on your view substantiating your point?
Recruitment is not human resource management because the resource at that point is not yet with the company.
Recruitment is pre-HRM activity. You are just in the process of acquiring the resource.
Pregnancy & delivery issues are different from child care & child development issues.
Let me again give you the example of the company doctor. He is dealing with the health aspects of employees - the most important and fundamental need of people, people management, and also employees' health is the need of company. It is purely people related. It is not about finance or production. Is he therefore managing the human resource? Yes or No?
Jeevaneyan