Human Resources Roles And Responsibilities

In today's business environment there are a variety of changes happening that have a huge impact on human resource management. These changes include trends in globalization, technology, diversity, e-business, and ethics. "Changes in the population, in technology, in employees' expectations, and other aspects of the business environment place heavy demands on modern HR professionalsÐ'--and anyone else involved in management (The McGraw-Hill Companies)."

There are six main steps for human resources to stay on top of their changing environment. "Step 1 is scanning the environment. Step 2 is identifying the business strategies and, at a very high level, describing the workforce implications. Step 3: assessing the current workforce need. Step 4 is exactly the same as Step 3, but applies to the future workforce. Step 5 is driving the plan. In Step 6, the business groups, regions and countries pivot from strategic work force planning into an operational six-month workforce plan tied to affordability (Brossard, Gerard)."

Scanning the environment allows human resources the knowledge of movements in the workforce "such as major workforce market trends, demographic changes and the political environment (Brossard, Gerard)." Within these trends is the current growth of e-commerce along with a "shift from a manufacturing to a service and information economy, has changed the nature of employees that are most in demand (The McGraw-Hill Companies)."

With a consistently changing workforce the diversity rate is growing both ethnically and racially. The U.S. labor force states "the 2006 workforce will be 72 percent white (and non-Hispanic), 11 percent black, 12 percent Hispanic, and 5 percent Asian and other minorities. The fastest-growing of these categories are "Asian and other" and Hispanics because these groups are experiencing immigration and birthrates above the national average (The McGraw-Hill Companies)."

In order for human resources to keep up with the demands of diversity communication, development, performance appraisals, and employee relations need to be fair. From a staffing point of view it is important not to be biased against minority groups. From the perspective of work design employees need different types of schedules that allow them to meet non-work needs. In terms of training, it is clear that employees need to be aware of the damage of discrimination, racism, and stereotyping can do.

Due to globalization and the development in e-commerce the workforce now companies need to be available 24 hours a day seven days a week. The biggest challenge for a company is figuring out a plan that keeps "the machines running while allowing employees to balance work and rest. Flexible work schedules and flexible job assignments also provide organizations with a way to adjust to slow periods without laying off valued workers (The McGraw-Hill Companies)."

Organizations must recruit from a diverse population, establish bias-free HR systems, and help employees understand and appreciate cultural differences