Understanding Organisations and the Role of Human Resources Essay Example for Free

Understanding Organisations and the Role of Human Resources Essay Human Resources are the most vital resource for any organization. It is responsible for each and every decision taken, each and every work done and each and every result. Employees should be managed properly and motivated by providing best of their abilities as per the industry standards. There are many activities in HR that the employee’s working in the HR department needs to partake in to support an organisation. Below are three that I have decided to focus on Recruitment and selection: When it comes to recruiting for an organisation, an HR employee has a lot to get involved in. They are the ones that arrange, or provide assistance in posting vacancies, developing and implementing recruitment strategies, identifying and selecting candidates, assuring all pre-employment requirements are met, and confirming job offers. Advertising the job role is something an HR employee has to do. They can advertise job roles in many different ways such as internal emails. Most companies start out emailing internal employees about current job vacancies incase another employee would like to apply for the role or a friend or family member would. This is cost effective as no money is spent on advertising publicly; therefore if they are working within a budget, this is a good way to save money. Advertising publicly can become an expense. If an HR employee does choose to advertise publicly such as in the local paper, then they will have to work on writing the advertisement and sending the advertisement to the local papers. One way of advertising publicly without affecting any budget is by advertising on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin, and posting the advertisement on job websites such as Reed.co.uk, indeed.co.uk, and totaljob.co.uk. This is a good way to advertise a job vacancy as no costs are incurred and it is guaranteed to be viewed by many possible applicants. Other ways in which an HR employee advertises for vacancies is through a Recruitment Agency. This can become quite expensive, but it’s down to the agency to find the suitable candidates and notify the HR employee about the prospective clients. If a large number of applications are received, this will prevent the interviewing of all applicants by the HR employee, even though all applications are reviewed and applicants whose qualifications and experience seem most appropriate to the opening for which they have applied  are generally selected for screening interviews with the HR employee and possibly another member involved in the recruitment process such as a Team Leader, Manager, or Director. If successful, the HR employee will notify all the applicants interviewed for the specific vacancy, and they will also notify them of the outcome of the selection process. Before conducting an interview, an HR employee has to be aware of the following †¢Familiarising with the duties and requirements of the position they are looking to fill. †¢Making sure they can answer general questions about the organisation and the benefits provided. †¢Formulate questions that will focus on job-related issues such as asking the can didates how they would deal with real life, job-related situations. †¢Write down and organize the questions in the order you will be asking them. †¢Review applicant’s CV and application. †¢Put the applicant at ease with introductory and welcoming remarks. †¢Ask open-ended questions which require behavioral descriptions rather than simply â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no† answers (i.e., have them describe a work situation in which they handled stress well rather than just asking if they can â€Å"handle stress well†). †¢Stay away from questions that have more to do with personal lifestyle than job experience. Phrase the question so that the answer will describe on-the-job qualities instead of personal qualities. If the question is not related to performance on the job, it should not be asked. General Administration of the employees Another aspect an HR employee has to deal with is the general admin of their employees. The HR department with have every employee’s personal details such as address details for sending out letters, pay-slips, or any other documentation. Bank details to make sure the employees wages go into the employees account. Passports, any qualification certificates, birth certificates, right to work, sickness forms, medical information, etc. Any of this information is liable to change in which case, it is down to the employee to notify the HR employee and it is the HR employee’s job to correct, amend and store away this information. Part of the admin is making sure the filing system is maintained and up to date, Supporting with training development administration including updating training records, and other ad hoc duties that support the smooth running of the office and  the HR department Payroll and compensation: Another aspect on an HR employee’s job is to ensure that all staff receives their wages accurately and on time, usually on a monthly basis. Most of the time, when dealing with payroll, producing the pay slips is the most important part of pay roll. The HR employee has close communication with managers and other employee’s such as Team Leaders to find out about any new recruits, promotions, benefits, and any other aspects that need to be considered when dealing with an employee’s wage. Compensation is the reward received by the employee’s in return for their contributions to the organisation. It is an organised practice that involves balancing the work-employee relation by providing monetary and non-monetary benefits to employees. Compensation is an integral part of human resource management which helps in motivating the employees and improving organisational effectiveness. Other compensation is determining and providing the compensation packages to the employees that are aligned with the business goals and objectives. In some cases, organisations have to take special measures regarding compensation of the employees so that the organisations retain the valuable employees. The compensation systems have changed from traditional ones to strategic compensation systems. Ways HR professional support Line Managers and their staff Building Relationships with employees The primary reason human resources and line managers should work together is because both parties have a vested interest in ensuring the company achieves success. Through working together, line management becomes more proficient in tactical human resources functions. This frees up time for human resources professionals to devote more time to strategic HR management. Everybody working in an organisation should develop the right culture and behaviours between everybody working for the organisation. HR employees do this by coaching and working with line managers to help them to better understand the range of tools at their disposal to help develop and train the employees of the organisation. This can range from linking specific performance measures such as behavioral, attitude, willingness, and quality  of an employee’s work, and if needed, making exceptions and goals for an employee to work towards. When HR is working with line managers, the HR employee should posses the ability to build effective relationships with other employee’s in their organisation. This will enable the HR employee to communicate the translation of the HR and business objectives in a language that both sides understand. Only then can the relationship be built on a platform of mutual respect and trust where both sides work as a team. HR employees need to make line managers aware of the support that is available to help them to develop their talent management capability. Line Managers recognise that it is up to HR employee to raise their profile in terms of what they can offer and bring to a business making them a more reputable employee for the organisation Conflict Resolution Workplace conflict is inevitable whenever department employees represent different cultures, work styles and personalities. When conflicts arise, line managers typically seek the advice of HR in resolving issues between employees or issues between employees and their managers. If there is already tension between HR and a member of the management team, it can be difficult for HR to determine what underlies the conflict and how to resolve it. A positive working relationship between HR and any employee in a management status will make it easier when handling workplace investigations and solving the differences between staff. When HR and line management work together, it’s easier for HR to investigate workplace issues because the human resource staff may have greater confidence that line managers document their employment actions and decisions appropriately and according to company policy. Department Staffing The human resource department’s main function is to support the workforce needs of the organisation. HR and line managers should communicate regularly and frequently to determine the skills and qualifications that are required to make sure that department functions are running smoothly. Whenever there’s a vacancy in a line manager’s department, an HR recruiter or employment specialist and the line manager review the job description to  determine who might be suitable for the roll internally. During the recruitment and selection process, HR advises line managers on how to identify qualified candidates and existing department staff capabilities. Performance Management Training and development is an HR function that prepares line managers for a number of leadership tasks. One task is conducting employee performance appraisals. Human resources practitioners develop learning objectives based on line managers’ understanding of the organisation’s coaching philosophy. Leadership training topics include how to provide employees with constructive feedback and how to conduct fair and unbiased assessments of employee performance. HR and line managers should therefore work together to ensure the organisation maintains a consistent approach to performance management. Inconsistencies within an organisation’s performance management system negatively impact employee job satisfaction, which is another reason HR and line managers, should work collaboratively.