Ideel Hr Department

Ideal HR Department

Blessing Nwoke

Southern New Hampshire University

        January 28, 2015        

An ideal HR department should be one that is flexible, motivated, skilled etc. He/she should be able to hire and retain top talents who are competent and knowledgeable. One that is able to manage change processes and improve organizational competencies. The ideal HR professional should be able to continuously embrace change and create a great workplace for its employees. To effectively hire the right talent for the job, the ideal HR department would:

• Start by determining the ideal recruiting target to include performance level, experience level etc.
• Develop and deploy contents that would help sell the organization and make it desirable to the minds of the target talent audiences
• Develop an application process that is less tedious/frustrating so applicants can finish easily without any hassles
• Once application is received, they should be paired to the most appropriate jobs to avoid routing applications to the wrong jobs
• After sorting the application, resumes and applicants should be screened to see if they meet the job requirements
• At this stage, the goal would be to gather more information from the candidates via phone screening. It would help in determining which candidate would advance to an interview.
• The next step is to conduct a formal interview and other assessment activities. Here the candidate is given a chance to sell himself/herself on why they are the best candidate for the position in question.
• After the interview, the best candidates are selected for the job and then a reference check should be carried out candidates to make that information provided is true an accurate.
• The next step should be the offer process. This process should have the sales and influence component that work to improve the likelihood of top candidates accepting.

The ideal HR should embrace and promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. A diverse and inclusive workplace helps to foster creativity, drive innovation and help guide business strategies. Diversity plays a major role in business success, as it allows businesses to draw from the best talent regardless of personal demographics. Although the inclusion of different ethnic, religious, sexual identity and gender groups in the workplace could make some employees uncomfortable: it’s the company’s responsibility to ensure that its employees' receive an intensive training on diversity and building team dynamics. By doing this, employers can make great strides towards promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 

The ideal HR department should have an obligation to provide their employees with a safe work environment and responsible for meeting employees’ needs in areas that include job satisfaction, advancement, employee recognition, financial needs stability etc. To accomplish this, the HR department could design an organizational structure. The lines of communication should be built into the structure. Effective communication within an organization helps to serve as a foundation for planning, organizing and leading.  It also helps leaders in an organization and its subordinates achieve team goals. It helps build trust between all levels of employees because with an open line of communication between employees there is that sense of transparency. It also creates a sense of self-worth. Employees feel valued and trusted when they are able to voice their opinion and be heard.  They feel like their voice matters. Managers/leaders are able to make their subordinates feel valued through communication by voicing recognition and praises when necessary. In summary it is important to communicate with employees to identify/implement the support they need. Furthermore, the HR department should have a sound structure that ensures it has the right people in right positions: should ensure it hires the right talent so it can make best use of its resources and in turn give the company a chance to grow and expand. Furthermore, as the company strives for growth its structure should evolve with it. As a company grows, there should be room for career opportunities and advancement for its employees. At my current job, employees are considered first before any outside applicant. I think it is a good system because it really cuts down on the hiring process and makes employees feel like they have room to advance in their career. Personally, I think that organizations should help pay for its employees to go back to school for advancement in their field. This also boosts stability because a happy employee will have no intention of leaving thereby decreasing the amount of employee turnover.

The ideal HR department should consist of professionals who are credible business partner. To be a credible business partner as defined by Grossman the HR professional should

• Serves as an advocate for his/her employees (credible activist). 
• Focus on shaping the organization and monitoring employees activities (Talent Manager/Organizational Designer)
• Monitor the business activities and its impact on the organization (Strategic Architects)
• Act as a liaison between the organization and its outside vendors and how their products and services affect the organizations. Aids in business execution and Manages payrolls etc. (business ally)
• Makes sure that policies and procedures are implemented and practiced.(Operational Executor) 
•  Be an authentic reflection of the organization’s values and principles while promoting transparency and justice.
•  Make all employees feel like, their voice matters, and that people in positions of power listen to learn and engage with their subordinates.
•  Help each individual feel like they are reaching their full potential and achieving their performance goals by investing in adequate training and development.
• Create a positive climate where your followers’ energy is directed towards winning against competitors versus defending against internal detractors from what you’re trying to accomplish.

Therefore an ideal HR professional who is a credible business partner should be a credible activist, talent manager/organizational designer, strategic architect, business ally, operational executor, respectful of its employees, provide adequate training for its employees etc. I also believe that there has been a continuous change in HR roles over the years. Technology has played a very important role in HR. As explained by Dr Steven in his future of HR article, he divided the role of HR over four generations: