In an interview, I was once asked: Why does HR need to be in a company? Is it required that an HR department should be there? The interviewer also asked, why can't a person working in another department handle each function of HR so they can run the show? What is the requirement of having an HR department in a company? If there are only 30 employees in a company, is HR required there? Or if there are 50 employees in a company, is HR required there? He says, "I don't want HR, but I can run the organization." Please provide an answer on this. How can this be handled? He adds, "I am going to purchase software where most functions can be done through the software itself." Please suggest.
From India, Bangalore
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3From India, Bangalore
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Dear Ms. Binu,
Before answering these questions, I would like to ask:
Why do we normally keep our cash in the bank when we can keep it at home?
Why do you require a driving license issued by the government authority when you are sure that you are a good driver?
The questions can be many, but the answer remains the same, i.e., it is the value we attach to an individual.
Similarly, when the human being is considered a resource instead of personnel, two points emerge:
1. Resources need to be used effectively and economically. It requires a system, i.e., the HR department, to synergize resource utilization with availability and requirements.
2. The need for continuous development at par with the process requirement.
Underutilization not only results in lower employee engagement but also affects business deliverables.
This is one reason why HR is required. There are infinite reasons, such as IR, Admin, facility management, Hospitality, welfare, Safety, and so on.
Hence, the next time you attend an interview, answer the questions using these details.
With regards,
Dadan Raj Tiwari
From India, Mumbai
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Before answering these questions, I would like to ask:
Why do we normally keep our cash in the bank when we can keep it at home?
Why do you require a driving license issued by the government authority when you are sure that you are a good driver?
The questions can be many, but the answer remains the same, i.e., it is the value we attach to an individual.
Similarly, when the human being is considered a resource instead of personnel, two points emerge:
1. Resources need to be used effectively and economically. It requires a system, i.e., the HR department, to synergize resource utilization with availability and requirements.
2. The need for continuous development at par with the process requirement.
Underutilization not only results in lower employee engagement but also affects business deliverables.
This is one reason why HR is required. There are infinite reasons, such as IR, Admin, facility management, Hospitality, welfare, Safety, and so on.
Hence, the next time you attend an interview, answer the questions using these details.
With regards,
Dadan Raj Tiwari
From India, Mumbai
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Greetings,
The Business Units are run by leaders . the talents work closely with them . Hence they are the ones who manage them through every crest and ebb . But then , they would require the custodians and think tanks with specialised knowledge who can give them a solution as a third party view at the time , when decision making for Talent.
Suppose a Business Unit is closing down. The BU Head would call upon HR to conduct an assessment and request for recommendation on the talents. It is true that the BU Head is clear about whom he would be let go . But for rational decision making which is free from Biases, he would need to run a standard assessment based on the set parameters. If it is a very small organization, and all the assessment centre is computerised the BU Head might not need anyone. But then would the productive time spent by a BU Head justify the time spent by him in assessing the talents.
Moral of the story is, HR is a support function. It acts a custodian championing different areas such as Employee Champion, Strategic Business Partner and etc. When a company allows HR to handle these function rather than letting the business/ operation leadership manage it , It saves on valuable productive hours of these executives. Incase an organization doesn't bother that cost, it will lead to micromanaging by the leaders, which would increase their accountability exponentially.
Software are an enabler not the core of HR Functions. Even if the company have spent heavily on the softwares they would still need some to run it! Mindlessly entering data and drawing results will lead to a calamity! Even to understand if the software is running fine, one would need to understand the HR Functions! That itself defeat the process to an extent. On the top, process improvement are a must , given the changing need of every business. Hence not just one needs to know the HR functions, but needs to be an expert as well!!
Hence it is wiser to hire specialised people to manage the function rather than letting everyone do everything!
Your answer to the question might differ as you may have experienced it differently. But just an eg, think about it , the firms that produce cars don't make the mechanical experts sell them to the customers.
Getting back to division of labour, Specialised talents perform duties within their area much effectively than the non-specialised ones. In terms of individual learning, getting exposure of different areas in management adds value . But that should be focussed on how that experience will strengthen the core ! There are companies who practise job rotation where a leader can understand different functions within the company and then return to their core function. This helps them make a balanced decision, and not to start working on and running every function !
Regards,
(Cite Contribution)
From India, Mumbai
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The Business Units are run by leaders . the talents work closely with them . Hence they are the ones who manage them through every crest and ebb . But then , they would require the custodians and think tanks with specialised knowledge who can give them a solution as a third party view at the time , when decision making for Talent.
Suppose a Business Unit is closing down. The BU Head would call upon HR to conduct an assessment and request for recommendation on the talents. It is true that the BU Head is clear about whom he would be let go . But for rational decision making which is free from Biases, he would need to run a standard assessment based on the set parameters. If it is a very small organization, and all the assessment centre is computerised the BU Head might not need anyone. But then would the productive time spent by a BU Head justify the time spent by him in assessing the talents.
Moral of the story is, HR is a support function. It acts a custodian championing different areas such as Employee Champion, Strategic Business Partner and etc. When a company allows HR to handle these function rather than letting the business/ operation leadership manage it , It saves on valuable productive hours of these executives. Incase an organization doesn't bother that cost, it will lead to micromanaging by the leaders, which would increase their accountability exponentially.
Software are an enabler not the core of HR Functions. Even if the company have spent heavily on the softwares they would still need some to run it! Mindlessly entering data and drawing results will lead to a calamity! Even to understand if the software is running fine, one would need to understand the HR Functions! That itself defeat the process to an extent. On the top, process improvement are a must , given the changing need of every business. Hence not just one needs to know the HR functions, but needs to be an expert as well!!
Hence it is wiser to hire specialised people to manage the function rather than letting everyone do everything!
Your answer to the question might differ as you may have experienced it differently. But just an eg, think about it , the firms that produce cars don't make the mechanical experts sell them to the customers.
Getting back to division of labour, Specialised talents perform duties within their area much effectively than the non-specialised ones. In terms of individual learning, getting exposure of different areas in management adds value . But that should be focussed on how that experience will strengthen the core ! There are companies who practise job rotation where a leader can understand different functions within the company and then return to their core function. This helps them make a balanced decision, and not to start working on and running every function !
Regards,
(Cite Contribution)
From India, Mumbai
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With due respect to responders, the question raised by the interviewer clearly indicates that he or she was testing the interviewee by probing. Maybe the probe was to find out if the interviewee had any knowledge of the law of the land and also about the various activities of an HR function.
Whether the company/organization sets up an HR department or outsources the functions will depend upon its size and stage in its life cycle. However, to succeed and grow, various HR functions need to be carried out. Please see http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejou...1899270_1.html
A brief look at http://www.bized.co.uk/educators/16-...esson/hrm1.htm shows that an interviewee with a sound knowledge of the area of HR could impress the interviewer by drawing a mind map. However, like many students do, if the interviewee had forgotten what was taught (and hopefully learned), they will not be able to answer the questions and may only flounder.
Have a nice day.
Simhan
From United Kingdom
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Whether the company/organization sets up an HR department or outsources the functions will depend upon its size and stage in its life cycle. However, to succeed and grow, various HR functions need to be carried out. Please see http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejou...1899270_1.html
A brief look at http://www.bized.co.uk/educators/16-...esson/hrm1.htm shows that an interviewee with a sound knowledge of the area of HR could impress the interviewer by drawing a mind map. However, like many students do, if the interviewee had forgotten what was taught (and hopefully learned), they will not be able to answer the questions and may only flounder.
Have a nice day.
Simhan
From United Kingdom
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Hi Binu,
I would suggest just letting such "nuts," as Dinesh calls them, be. There are two categories of people: those who don't understand and those who don't want to understand and therefore ask such questions. This person falls into the second category. There are times when you can't do anything about a situation, but yes, you must put your best foot forward and answer the question, explaining the pros and cons.
With respect to software, "even to run a machine, you need a man."
Regards,
Vidhita
From India, Mumbai
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I would suggest just letting such "nuts," as Dinesh calls them, be. There are two categories of people: those who don't understand and those who don't want to understand and therefore ask such questions. This person falls into the second category. There are times when you can't do anything about a situation, but yes, you must put your best foot forward and answer the question, explaining the pros and cons.
With respect to software, "even to run a machine, you need a man."
Regards,
Vidhita
From India, Mumbai
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With all due respect to people who think that the interviewer was odd, I would suggest that they read my post above and also visit [How big should your HR department be? - Management - Express Computer India](http://itpeopleindia.com) ([Search On Cite](https://www.citehr.com/results.php?q=How big should your HR department be Management Express Computer India) | [Search On Google](https://www.google.com/search?q=How big should your HR department be Management Express Computer India)).
In small organizations, it should be possible to allocate some of the HR functions to different individuals and have the CEO oversee the HR operations, as it may not be efficient to employ a full-time HR person.
Simhan
(I am not an HR Expert).
From United Kingdom
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In small organizations, it should be possible to allocate some of the HR functions to different individuals and have the CEO oversee the HR operations, as it may not be efficient to employ a full-time HR person.
Simhan
(I am not an HR Expert).
From United Kingdom
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HR is an important element in an organization. It is one of the crucial departments within the organization. Its purpose is to provide motivation among workers, training and development for employees, and performance appraisals to evaluate workers in the organization to determine if they deserve to be promoted.
Thank you.
From Malaysia, Kuching
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Thank you.
From Malaysia, Kuching
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hi (Cite Contribution) how will you argue with the assumption that, all departmental heads or functional managers need basic knowledge in human resource practises.
From Ghana, Accra
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From Ghana, Accra
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Hi (Cite Contribution),
How will you argue with those who are of the view that all functional managers need basic knowledge and perform some activities of human resource practices within their departments?
From Ghana, Accra
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How will you argue with those who are of the view that all functional managers need basic knowledge and perform some activities of human resource practices within their departments?
From Ghana, Accra
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Greetings,
I agree there are organizations that are geographically located with many centers across the continent. Most of these centers might not be big enough to afford support service personnel. Hence, there would be a corporate HR based out of the Head Quarter, who would run the processes along with the local center head, who would belong to any function.
Business leaders hold shared responsibility in HR initiatives such as Corporate Social Responsibility, leadership development, and etc., but then as the word goes, it's a shared responsibility to ensure business support to make these initiatives a success. It's not overriding each other's responsibility or micromanaging. It's all about building synergy and letting the specialist run the core functions.
Regards, (Cite Contribution)
From India, Mumbai
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I agree there are organizations that are geographically located with many centers across the continent. Most of these centers might not be big enough to afford support service personnel. Hence, there would be a corporate HR based out of the Head Quarter, who would run the processes along with the local center head, who would belong to any function.
Business leaders hold shared responsibility in HR initiatives such as Corporate Social Responsibility, leadership development, and etc., but then as the word goes, it's a shared responsibility to ensure business support to make these initiatives a success. It's not overriding each other's responsibility or micromanaging. It's all about building synergy and letting the specialist run the core functions.
Regards, (Cite Contribution)
From India, Mumbai
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