The Role of HR in Organizations
HR is the bridge between the organization and its associates. It facilitates business operations, similar to the finance or engineering teams. The focus is on the attraction, development, promotion, and success of people. Without HR, it is difficult to imagine the development of skilled associates, who are essential cogs in the wheel that enables the organization to reach the top.
When one looks at the resources of an organization, one typically thinks of the physical assets needed and available, and then looks at the workforce. Most organizations follow the path of using HR for compliance and employee relations. There is no doubt that these are important aspects. However, the true value of HR comes from being a business partner, understanding how you make money, and what talent you need to grow and be successful within an organization.
Functionally, it may seem that HR recruits, hires, manages and processes payroll, trains as required, and places people in the right positions within the organization. However, there are many other aspects that go into making all this possible. HR actually helps the organization reach its goals and objectives faster than the fixed period of time. The HR department manages the talent pool and provides management support in accomplishing organizational objectives.
In other words, HR handles intellectual management; being in charge of recruitment, employer and associate relations; assisting associates in developing their careers by being in charge of training. HR is an integral part of the business that manages the workforce in a way that can be as productive and efficient as possible with the resources available. It ensures compliance on all employee-related issues, not only to reduce the risks of employment but also to assist line managers in the training, development, and motivation of staff.
Line Managers and Directors have expertise in the operation of the business, budgeting, forecasting industry developments, and general commercial awareness. HR works with the management team to ensure business goals are achieved through people management. They will look at effective recruitment, reward and recognition, absence management, performance management and appraisals, disciplinary and dismissal, learning and talent management.
HR is literally the character and the face of an organization, which enhances the value of an organization. It begins from the time when a prospective professional walks in for an interview in the organization until they leave the premises. Whether successful or not is another question, but the way the prospect gets treated, and the way the complete recruitment activity is scheduled, tells a lot about the company. All of this shows what a pivotal role HR plays in any organization.
Today, all over the world, there is a talent crunch; therefore, recruitment is a costly affair, and the costs are constantly rising. Every business is at risk if the processes are not within reasonable prices and best practices. HR holds the responsibility for this aspect called recruitment. HR cannot be a reactive solution to these problems, but it can help a company proactively attract, hire, and retain talented associates by following the correct procedures for improving the organization's reputation, credibility, and commitment from staff, thus becoming an employer of choice and reducing unnecessary and unplanned overheads and labor turnover.
Recruiting is a time-consuming process, which requires specific techniques and knowledge (that's why HR is so important). It is what connects potential employees with potential employment. It helps the company to sift through the candidates and select the best ones fitting the job requirements! And if we are talking about a big company, then the HR Department is irreplaceable!
When a prospect gets hired, it is HR's responsibility to ensure that this individual in the company is properly utilized like the others, as per their ability to perform assigned duties well and also to act as a devil's advocate so that problems and issues are resolved immediately. In short, it is to ensure the smooth functioning of workflow, a good working environment, etc.
Associates, at least in the knowledge industry like IT, are the capital, the real investment in terms of cost to business as they are employed to produce goods and services, in that, they are the revenue generators, so it is important to facilitate management correctly.
Other different levels of HR support come from basic policy and process formation to administration management, welfare management, cultural management, right through to strategic management at the board level. A value-added HR organization can provide a strategic look at the demands of the business, the future needs of the organization from a talent perspective, and the actions necessary to meet those needs for the business.
Some of what has been already said provides a fairly good insight into the tactical part of the HR role; however, there is an aspect of the function that is overlooked due to the history of how companies have used the department in the past, and that is the strategic value an HR professional can provide a company. Large companies, for instance, have a large HR team of 50-100 associates at various levels in addition to advisors and consultants with a variety of specializations and expertise. Some smaller/medium businesses can have a small team of HR assistants or perhaps outsource their HR to get more expert professional support from an external provider. Every business will have a different need depending on their industry, staff issues, and management structure.
HR is the best support mechanism for the management, managers, and associates together, to be successful, so the activities are much more than one can imagine and cast a list.