What is HR management?
HR management is the practice of recruiting, hiring, deploying, and managing employees. People who work in the HR management department work to create, put into effect, and oversee policies and procedures within an organization.
In other words, they are managing the relationship between the organization and its employees as well as how employees relate to each other. An example of this would be a code of conduct . This policy would have been created by the HR management team as a way to make sure that all employees and executives are aware of and acknowledge appropriate behaviour while in the office.
This allows the organization to address any bad behaviour in a way that is both fair and results in a correction of behaviour. Having HR management in an organization may allow the company to create a relationship with their employees that is respectful and trusting. This respect and trust can also be extended to how employees treat each other, as when writing a policy, everyone in the company is on the same level no matter their position.
Going back to the code of conduct as an example, the policy would probably not say something like, “All employees will not participate in drinking on the job, except for executives, who can drink whenever they want.” With this extreme example, you can see how the HR management team may help maintain order within the office, even when dealing with a multitude of positions.
Why HR management is important
HR management is important as it puts the best interests of the organization at the forefront while promoting the interests of the employees. To do this, they manage people in order to achieve the organization’s mission and reinforce the company culture. In other words, HR management makes sure the company’s goals align with its working culture.
The ways in which HR management has a role in both employee and company relations are:
- Maintaining or improving the health of the business
- Monitoring the state of the job market
- Recruiting and hiring talent
- Training and development of current employees
- Making sure compensation and benefits are fair for all employees
- Helping plan team-building activities
Related: Guide to Efficient Recruitment Process for Small Businesses
These roles help uphold the company’s values while making sure that employees are given the respect they deserve.
Objectives of HR management
When studying for an HR management certificate, students learn about the four objectives of HR management. These objectives help them in their work and can be reflected in the types of roles they take on within an organization.
The four objectives are:
- Societal: Make sure that the company and employees are acting ethically. An example of this would be coming up with a policy around equitable pay.
- Organizational: Actions taken to ensure the efficiency of the organization. For example, providing training to new employees.
- Functional: Guidelines to keep the HR management department running smoothly within the organization as a whole. Making sure that resources are being used properly and efficiently.
- Personal: Resources being used to support the goal of each employee. Offering development or educational opportunities.
These four objectives are the cornerstone of HR management and how they do their job. When looking at some of the projects an HR manager takes on, you can see how they directly relate to these objectives, which is key in successful HR management.
7 effective HR management techniques
The following seven examples of efficient HR management techniques:
1. Communicate, do not command
When dealing with employees, try not to reprimand them in public. If an employee has done something wrong, then it is best to talk to them in private. On the other hand, if an employee has been doing great work, try to praise them in front of others. By sticking to this technique, employees will feel more comfortable approaching HR management and will continue to be motivated to produce high-quality work.
Another aspect of this is to be transparent with employees. Employees like knowing what is going on within the company, so if HR management can make sure their communication with employees is open and transparent, then they will have more success at keeping morale high.
2. Build relationships
Having good relationships with employees will allow HR management to do its work while maintaining a positive work environment. Sometimes, people in HR management have to do the hard stuff, like handling employees who have broken policies. This type of task may be much easier if a good relationship with trust and mutual respect already exists.
Another way to do this is to create team-building events that all employees can participate in to get to know each other. When friendships are created within an organization, a positive atmosphere is created where people are more likely to continue to work for the organization, meaning retention rates may increase.
3. Goal setting and development opportunities
Helping people set career goals or find development opportunities is a great way of promoting a company’s values while keeping in mind the interests of the employees. Workers want ways in which they can improve or develop new skills in order to fulfill their career goals. By helping them do this, HR management fosters a good relationship between the organization and staff, meaning motivation to work hard will be high.
Also, by helping staff find development opportunities, the organization might be able to promote from within, which is a great way of saving money on recruitment. Companies may find future leaders when employees are encouraged to participate in career development, which is always a good investment.
4. Nurture teamwork
Ensuring teams can collaborate is another technique HR management can use. Productive teamwork can help projects get done quickly and help employees bond. By fostering teamwork, HR management may boost productivity while maintaining high employee morale.
5. Appreciate and reward a job well done
By rewarding a job well done, HR management is able to maintain or increase organizational efficiency levels, as workers may be more motivated to do their best work if there is a reward or public acknowledgement of their accomplishments. Everyone likes to feel as though they are doing well, so when HR management is able to reward people or teams for one of their achievements, it can mean others are highly motivated to receive that type of reward as well.
6. Confrontation isn’t always bad
If HR management needs to confront someone in the organization, they should try to see it as a learning opportunity. Being able to learn from others is important, and a confrontation could teach an HR manager a perspective they hadn’t considered. HR management tries to be as neutral as possible when issues arise.
This can be very difficult, especially if you haven’t practised taking other people’s perspectives. By having a confrontation with someone, you are often shown a perspective on an issue that you have never thought of, which can be a great lesson for those on the HR management team.
7. Review hiring and recruitment practices
Reviewing your hiring and recruitment practices on a regular basis can make sure that unconscious biases are not impeding talent selection. Embracing people from a variety of backgrounds and viewpoints is important, as you never know where the best talent will be found.
By reviewing hiring and recruitment practices, HR management can help provide all candidates with equal opportunities to work for your company.
Related: Interview Scoring Sheets: Rating Candidates
Looking at the above techniques, we can see how they align with the objectives set out in HR management. It is important for these techniques to be used to help organizational efficiency and continue to build the relationship between the company and employees that has been fostered by HR management.
