1. (A) Soft HR treats employees as the most important resource in the business and a source of competitive advantage Employees are treated as individuals and their needs are planned accordingly whereas hard HR treats employees simply as a resource of the business like machinery and buildings. • Soft HR concentrates on the needs of employees; their roles, rewards, motivation where as hard HR identifies workforce needs of the business and recruits and manages accordingly. • Soft HR Strategic focus on longer-term workforce planning whereas hard HR Short-term changes in employee numbers that is recruitment and redundancy. • Soft HR encourages strong and regular two-way communication whereas hard HR has minimal communication, …show more content…
Logistics, Sales, Production and Research and Development are examples of Line divisions. Staff divisions are ones that support and control the execution of these business activities, but take no direct part in their supply. Human Resources, Marketing, Information Technology and Finance are typical examples of Staff divisions. • At line levels the HR activities involve interpreting policies and procedure whereas at staff levels create the policies and procedures. • The HR activities at line levels involve controlling labour costs whereas the staff levels support and control execution of these business. • The HR function of developing employee skills level necessary for production at line level does not apply to staff levels who do not take part in supply. • The HR function of creating and maintaining departmental morale does not apply at staff levels that are in different departments. • The HR function of recruiting requires the involvement of line level manager at line level due to the specific skills required whereas at staff levels the managers only need
The HR department officials in most organizations perform as they should. In most cases, they also focus on achieving the right things. Human Resource departments focus organizing, controlling, and hiring employees in organizations. When organizations apply HR practices, the results are great client satisfaction, a good net margin, and reduced sickness absence (Richard and Johnson, 2001). Vermeeren et al. (2014) posit that there is a great relationship between performance and HRM. Most organizations use the human resource department to ensure that operations run smoothly.
In an era of organizational flux due to competition and globalization, companies and employees are faced with constant change. Leaders must be able to adapt to change as the environment shifts. HR has been known as the organizational change agent, administrative expert, and employee advocate. More recently they have been regarded as business strategic partners for many organizations. In order to be successful and remain competitive in today’s market, Human Resources (HR) must be considered a strategic partner if an organization wants to flourish. Top executives today commit significant resources to ensure that their company’s functions are capable of rapid change and achieving their
The emphasis is on support and empowerment. The HR manager listens well and communicates personal warmth and openness. This leader empowers people through participation and attempts to gain the resources people need to do a job well. HR managers confront when appropriate but try to do so in a supportive climate
The HR department ensures there is a sustained quality to relationships. They establish and communicate policies, practices and rules the organization expects both management and employees to follow. After establishing a job description, manager will work closely with HR team to review and learn of the recruiting process. Having the manager work closely with HR ensures that legal obligations and policies are followed throughout the hiring process. HR will also help assist with matching the job description to the salary required for the position.
HR professionals have to think carefully about what they are doing in the context of their organization and within the framework of recognised body of knowledge. They have to perform effectively in the sense of delivering advise, guidance and services that will help the organisation to achieve its goals.
| Explain how different organisational structures and management roles can impact on the HR Function (AC: 1.3)
The fundamental difference between a line activity and a staff activity is that a line activity involves the actual producing of a product or service, while a staff activity’s purpose is to provide support for the line departments actually producing the good or service (Fallon & McConnell, 2007). As Fallon & McConnell (2007) point out, a line activity moves the product or service towards completion, whereas a service activity serves to assist the organization in achieving efficient operations by supporting the line departments. In a healthcare setting, one example of a line activity would be the work complete by nursing service, such as the changing of a wound dressing and subsequent treatment. Without the wound dressing change and treatment
HR liaise between management and employees to ensure that policies and procedures are applied fairly and consistently and interaction with the HR department is
I will explain, with related examples, why HR professionals are required to manage themselves, groups and teams, manage upwards and across the
HR also serves organisations by handling administrative duties such as payroll, supporting workplace safety and advising line managers regarding employee relations (Mayhew, 2014).
HRM’s purpose is to ensure that success is achieved through its people, to retain and expand the customer profile whilst increasing and maximising profit. Organisations need HRM who know the business, can influence the culture, and make positive change, within an organisation (Ulrich, 1997). Line managers have a partnership with HR, so a full analysis of the external environment can be assessed. It is likely that where employee involvement practises are pursued, line management are aware of corporate strategy, including mission statement and values.
Whether an organization consists of five or 25,000 employees, human resources management is vital to the success of the organization. HR is important to all managers because it provides managers with the resources – the employees – necessary to produce the work for the managers and the organization. Beyond this role, HR is capable of becoming a strong strategic partner when it comes to “establishing the overall direction and objectives of key areas of human resource management in order to ensure that they not only are consistent with but also support the achievement of business goals.” (Massey, 1994, p. 27)
Human Resource Management is a vital function in any organisation and operates in legal and social environments that are becoming increasingly complex. It is defined as the process and practice of managing and advising executives on staff recruitment, selection, retention and development (Clegg, Kornberger & Pitsis 2011). In the post-bureaucratic era, these management styles have altered to cater towards satisfying employees through intrinsic rewards by providing pride, relationships, meaning and a sense of accomplishment through their work (Clegg, Josserand & Teo 2006). Throughout this essay, the evolution of human resource management from the bureaucratic era’s ‘hard theories’ to the post-bureaucratic era’s ‘soft theories’ will be
Strategic human resource management as described by Nel et al. (2011:562) is “long-term, top-level management decisions and actions regarding employment relationships that are usually made and performed with the overall general strategic management of
The HR department must also ensure that problems pertaining to the employees are not escalated at higher levels within the organization. This is how the effectiveness and efficiency of the department is judged in every organization.