Human Resource Roles And Responsibilities

HR Roles and Responsibilities Paper

Human resource management is described as "the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees' behavior, attitudes, and performance."(Noe, R., Hollenbeck, J., Gerhert, B., Wright, P. (2003). Fundamentals of human resource management, 1e. McGraw-Hill Companies.) The human resource department is essential to the progress of an organization. When a company is equipped with a good human resource department it will tend to grow and prosper. The role of the department is to identify employees who are worthy of hiring, and knowing how to determine where they will fit into the company. Another role is that of knowing the laws, establishing company policies, monitoring benefits as well as salaries. With the ever changing economic status of the market in today's society companies must realize how the importance of having a qualified department. Knowing how to present strategies and policies that will help a company to stay above water in times of a financial crisis is of the utmost importance.

The human resource management is affected by changing trends in society. Three that have been chosen to show how the role of the human resource management is changing according to these trends are:

1. Globalization: according to the HRMagazine "the increasing importance of global business to a company's bottom line means that international assignment management will only grow in importance as a critical skill for Hr Practitioners." (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhert, Wright &, 2003, p. 1)When a company is considering globalization the company should take into consideration the human resource professional and the way that person will react to being reassigned to a foreign country. The person will be introduced to an entirely new culture as well as new and different laws that govern that country. In addition, considering one's family and how it will be affected is important in order to know if the person will be able to function effectively and efficiently without family concerns. If a company is able to expand globally it will be beneficial to the progress of the business as well as adding experience to the transferring employee.

2. Diversity: in today's business diversity is beginning to become very important in the growth of an organization." The argument that organizations should structure responsibility for reducing inequality may seem commonsensical, but today's popular diversity programs often focus on changing individuals. Failure to designate accountability may cause efforts to fall by the wayside as managers juggle competing demands. Hastings, R. (2007, February 1) In order to have a more harmonious workplace one must invest in extensive diversity training and hiring practices. Although, companies think diversity is a good idea they do not truly know how to handle the change. Employers not willing to step out of his or her comfort zone may in the long run find it hard to complete. "The concept of diversity as a strategic factor in organizational performance- enhancing company brand and reputation and supporting the inclusion of different people in the workplace-is gaining ground. The growing importance of workplace diversity is a strategic tool to promote company performance, brand and organizational reputation. (Lockwood, 2006)Knowing the importance and proper training of diversity in the workplace is an important step towards having a more effective organization and one that is willing to change with the times, and allow for growth.

3. Ethics: according to the textbook ethics is defined as "the fundamental principles of right and wrong." (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhert, Wright &, 2003, p. 1)In the human resource industry ones' judgment should always be based upon what is the right thing to do and to make sure one is in line with the law. In some organizations it