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Academic Library System

Notes • Close co-operation between HR and the top/senior management, in the development of
the corporate strategy. Theoretically, a senior HR representative should be present when
an organization’s corporate objectives are devised. This is so, since it is a firm’s personnel
who actually construct a good, or provide a service. The personnel’s proper management
is vital in the firm being successful, or even existing as a going concern. Thus, HR can
be seen as one of the critical departments within the functional area of an organization.
• Continual monitoring of the strategy, via employee feedback, surveys, etc.

The implementation of an HR strategy is not always required, and may depend on a number
of factors, namely the size of the firm, the organizational culture within the firm or the industry
that the firm operates in and also the people in the firm. An HRM strategy can be divided, in
general, into two facets the people strategy and the HR functional strategy. The people strategy
pertains to the point listed in the first paragraph, namely the careful correlation of HRM
policies/actions to attain the goals laid down in the corporate strategy. The HR functional
strategy relates to the policies employed within the HR functional area itself, regarding the
management of persons internal to it, to ensure its own departmental goals are met.

6.2.1 Functions

The Human Resources Management (HRM) function includes a variety of activities, and key
among them is deciding the staffing needs of an organization and whether to use independent
contractors or hire employees to fill these needs, recruiting and training the best employees,
ensuring they are high performers, dealing with performance issues, and ensuring your personnel
and management practices conform to various regulations. Activities also include managing
your approach to employee benefits and compensation, employee records and personnel policies.
Usually small businesses (for-profit or nonprofit) have to carry out these activities themselves
because they can’t yet afford part- or full-time help. However, they should always ensure that
employees have and are aware of personnel policies which conform to current regulations.
These policies are often in the form of employee manuals, which all employees have.
The HRM function and HRD profession have undergone major changes over the past 20–30
years. Many years ago, large organizations looked to the “Personnel Department,” mostly to
manage the paperwork around hiring and paying people. More recently, organizations consider
the “HR Department” as playing an important role in staffing, training and helping to manage
people so that people and the organization are performing at maximum capability in a highly
fulfilling manner.

Task Explain the functions and responsibilities of HR department in a company.

6.3 Job Definitions

A job analysis is the process used to collect information about the duties, responsibilities,
necessary skills, outcomes, and work environment of a particular job. You need as much data
as possible to put together a job description, which is the frequent outcome of the job analysis.
Additional outcomes include recruiting plans, position postings and advertisements, and performance
development planning within your performance management system.

The job analysis may include these activities:
• reviewing the job responsibilities of current employees,
• doing Internet research and viewing sample job descriptions online or offline highlighting
similar jobs,

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