Human resource management is simply the assignment of appropriate jobs to persons as well as the creation of an atmosphere in which the organization's staff can successfully use the available resources. The entire human resource management process is the beating heart of any firm. It performs numerous functions that keep the organization together and allow it to flow and function smoothly (Manion, 2011). Human resource management duties include managing employee relations, managing the organization's payroll, supervising employees, determining staff needs, employee recruiting, staffing, disciplining employees, and negotiating with employee unions. These functions are discussed further below. Management of employee relations entails activities such as ensuring harmony among employees within the organization and negotiating deals with employee unions. Management of the organization payroll involves the payment of the employees and ensuring that employee benefits are well calculated and accounted for. It is essential ensuring that employees are paid on time and according to their job descriptions. Determination of the employee needs is done through various channels and avenues such as suggestion boxes and focus group channels. Employee recruiting is the process of hiring new employees into the organization. It goes without saying that it is the same human resource department that fires employees. It takes care of the paperwork and legal principles and organization policies when performing these acts. The staffing function involves the assigning of employees to the various tasks they are qualified for in the various offices of the organization. Last but not least, the human resource management is in charge of employee discipline. It is charged with ensuring that the employees follow company policies, mission, as well as vision and appropriate action is taken in case they do not do so (Lussier, 2012).
Human Capital
Human capital refers to the entirety of the human being as a resource to the organization. What this means is that the knowledge of the person, his physical strength, his personal life, his habits and his creativity are what constitute human capital. To be clear, human capital includes the directors of the company, the staff, machine operators and virtually every person that is connected to the organization. These are attributes of the employee that can contribute to his productiveness in his work. Human capital is important on several levels. It is important as a means of creating other forms of capital such as machinery and equipment. Human capital is equally important in managing every other form of capital in the organization. As such, human capital is needed in order to accomplish anything in an organization (Baker, 1999).
Endearing Employees
To show employees that they matter, the human resource team must engage in employee-centered activities. They must treat the employee as the consumer at this point. As such, they must listen to the complaints of the employees and take meaningful action. It is important to note that meaningful action must be taken; otherwise, it quickly becomes pointless to air grievances. In addition to this, there should be a scheme for awarding hard working employees. Awards can take the form of financial compensation, gifts and days off. To establish a close connection to the employee, there must be clear communication channels that are easily accessible by the employees. Both of these factors are mandatory. The second last means is compensating the employees appropriately. This means that the employee should be paid proportionately to what he/she has done. This avoids cases of demoralization and unhealthy competition. The last action that the human resource officials can take is incorporating the employee contributions into the policies and day to day running of the organization. This encourages employees to make a contribution which is helpful for the firm (Lindley, 1984).
Humanization of the Workforce
I would humanize the workforce by engaging them in various activities that would bring out their potential and capabilities while fostering a human culture. The first activity would be the creation of a collaborative environment. This can be achieved by encouraging the employees to cooperate while performing overlapping tasks rather than compete. Additionally, I would open up communication channels so that there is ease of communication vertically, horizontally and diagonally in the organization. I would encourage social activities that emphasize on face to face communication. These would take the form of end year parties and sports activities scattered throughout the year. Humanization starts with caring. As such, I would ensure that I pay attention to details of employee circumstances. For example, I would be keen on pronouncing employee names correctly. This sounds simple but it is powerful. The name is one thing that the employee owns and is usually unique to him/her. It identifies the employee. As such, getting it right shows that you cared enough to get it right (Schwartz, 2010).
Conclusion
Human resource management is important to the success of an organization. It is essentially what bridges the organization assets and its vision and mission statements. As such, it is imperative that an organization invests appropriately in managing its human resources well.
Works Cited
Baker, D. (1999). Strategic human resource management: performance,alignment, management.
Librarian Career Development, Volume 7, Issue 5.
Lindley, Clyde. J. (1984). Putting ''Human'' into Human Resource Management. Public
Personnel Management, Volume 13, Issue 4.
Lussier, H. (2012). Human Resource Management: Functions, Applications, Skill Development .
SAGE Publications, Inc; 1 edition.
Manion. (2011). From Management to Leadership: Strategies for Transforming Health. Jossey-
Bass; 3 edition.
