Dr. Shahid Amin
The concept of Human Resource Management or HRM has evolved from the personnel management. The focus of the personnel management was to get work done from the employees for the remuneration paid to them. Earlier employees never received a high priority and were not involved in decision making process. There were hardly any attempts to boost the morale of the employees. They were just treated as tools and a liability to the organization. Employees were never treated as the assets of the organizations, but were seen as a cost and expenditure to the organization. Personnel officers in charge mostly used to be rigid instead of being flexible and interactive with the employees. There was hardly any care and attention for the welfare of the employees. It was also found that punitive measures were mostly used when any error was committed by the employees. But being harsh to the employees backfired and damaged the reputation of the organizations. The huge competition in the market and then focus on the growth and development of the organizations pressed the need for better human resource management practices by the organizations.
Human Resource Management or HRM is a term which means management and development of employees in an organization. HRM treats employees as rich and valuable resources to the organization. It highly focuses on what better can be given to the employees for extracting the desired work. It also encourages participation of employees in decision making and their suggestions are most valued. The top priority of HRM is flexibility in work, welfare and work life balance to employees. The authors Decenzo and Robbins reveal that since every organization is made up of people, acquiring their services, developing their skills, motivating them to higher levels of performance and ensuring that they continue to maintain their commitment to the organization is essential to achieve the objectives of an organization. This applies to all types of the organizations like government, business, education, health or social action etc.
Aspirants must have at least a relevant bachelor’s degree in order to secure a career in this field. Some employers do require a master’s degree in Human Resource Management. Degrees are usually in human resources management, business administration (MBA) or a related field. A degree in human resource management (HRM) can be applied to almost any organization in any sector. It’s a versatile qualification for dealing with recruiting and staffing, compensation and benefits, training and learning, labor and employee relations, organization development and general people skills etc. It is more advisable for HR professionals to possess specific expertise in one or more potential HR areas. Students with bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees in this field can be eligible for management positions in the organizations. Those who earn master’s degrees in human resources have the opportunity to move on to work at senior-level management and directorial roles. Some of the career titles for HR professionals include HR executive, HR manager, Recruiter, Benefits counselor, Personnel analyst, Training development specialist, Benefits specialist, Compensation and job analysis specialist, Training and development manager, Human resource generalist, Employment services manager etc. Aspirants can also opt for doctoral and research programs in Human Relations Management after completing their master’s degrees and can secure a bright career in academic and research fields. In order to prove successful and an effective HR, aspirants need to develop top skills in communication, conflict management, decision making, ethics, organization skills and some more human resource skills. Salaries in this field are handsome but it will depend on the credentials, nature of the industry and years of experience etc.
The role of human resources professionals in the organizations is to foster a positive work environment through effective employee-employer relations. Human resource professionals not only have to take care of the weak and unproductive employees but also the best ones. They have to take care of those good ones who are able to do more effectively and productively and contribute to a company’s overall direction, thereby ensuring that company goals and objectives are accomplished. The HR teams in the organizations have to be more focused on adding value to the strategic utilization of employees and ensuring that employee programs are impacting the business in positive and measurable ways.
There is an ever increasing challenge for the human resource professionals because of immense business competition, globalization, technology, diversity, changing laws etc. The new concepts are also emerging like E-HRM, Green HRM etc. Some experts are of the opinion that the increasing technological force will replace the human resource and their role or effort in the organizations. It must be noted that productive manpower will always be in demand in any type of organization. There are some small and medium level organizations where HR departments have now been taken over by the general administration departments. The crux is everyone has to prove their presence worthy in organizations and HR professionals are not an exception. Machines and technology are also developed by the human force only and those machines and technology need to be operated or at least monitored by the humans. It is hence justified that companies will always be in hunt for smart, talented, skilled and qualified professionals for their growth, prosperity and development.
(The author is Assistant Professor, ITM University Gwalior)
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