Human Resource Management and Business Success

Human Resource Management

In any organization there needs to be certain aspects that are handle whether it be small or big business. Most decisions that keep organizations running smoothly come from the Human Resource department. HRM is the backbone of any organization and it is in this department that the business or organization can further distinguish itself from its competitors. Human Resource Management includes a variety of functions such as: What staffing needs you have and whether or not the organization needs to hire employees to fill the needs of the organization. Also dealing with the hiring and staffing process it is important that present and future employees perform at the highest levels by evaluating employees performance on a quarterly basis. Maintaining the organizations rules and regulations is also important. Activities also include employee benefits, compensation, records, and personal policies. In this paper I will discuss the importance of each function of human resource management department.

Fist and foremost the most important part of the human resource department is to hire the specific numbers of individuals needed to carry out the organizational needs, tasks, and goals. The penalties for being understaffed are costly. Understaffing can set back an organizations specialization or (niche), productivity, and customers. On the other hand overstaffing is very costly and expensive. It is also costly because of modern laws that protect the American worker.

Planning staff levels requires the human resource department to assess the present and future needs of the organization by comparing it to present and future resources needed. This is important because it balances out the main economic issue of supply and demand. A great way to do this is to assess the workforce needed by the projection of where the organization would like to be in 1, 3, even 10 years. This is why the human resource department is so important because in order to expand there will be an exceptional amount of statistical analysis during the companies start up process. The future analysis will give the organization an advantage, because this analysis can predict what future demands the organization will have to acquire to take advantage of future hiring needs as well as underproduction needs. Future hiring or downsizing requires an organization to take into consideration the necessary external factors they may encounter.

These external factors include sales and production forecasts, technological advancements or changes, changes in employment practices, and changes in government policies such as: payroll, taxes or health and safety requirements. All these things are taken into consideration to effectively carry out organizations future intentions to keep productivity at maximum levels. After analyzing the organization in various areas and understanding staffing levels it is important to choose individuals that will carry out the organizations tasks effectively and efficiently.

The hiring process is a long and sought out procedure but very important to productivity to any organization. Every organization wants to attract the most qualified employees and match them with the job they are most suited. The responsibilities of the employee are an important factor in deciding whether they should be paid hourly or have a yearly salary. After this decision is made it is also important to them to decide if it needs part time, full time, seasonal, or independent contract employees. In order to maximize productivity it important to select the most qualified candidates. To find these individuals their needs to be an approval from the resource department for the position or positions needed. Also, there needs to be a staff meeting to think of creative ways of how to accomplish the work without adding or downsizing in staff, before the decision is made to hire the committee should try and think of ways to improve processes, divide work differently, or eliminate work that is unnecessary.

If it is decided that staffing needs to be increased there is a certain process that needs to be followed to find the finest applicants. After the gain of approval is established a search and screen committee needs to be recognized. The search and screen committee should develop and prioritize key qualifications, skills, characteristics, traits, and experience sought in a candidate. This will assist the human resource department in developing an ad or job description to promote and advertise. This is a very important part in the hiring process, because this allows the organization to recruit and attain the best possible candidates for future hiring.

A job description is important because this process simplifies the recruitment of possible candidates and also cuts down on time to find potential candidates. A job description should clarify tools, equipment, and the proper education requirements needed to perform the job. In addition a job description should point out what skills, knowledge, salary, and experience is needed to carry out specific goals or outcomes. Specific personality qualities that are necessary should also be put in the job description. Another thing that should added is what the applicant will be responsible and accounted for and will also be evaluated accordingly. After the job description is perfected it is time to recruit the proper candidates.

Recruiting strong, effective employees is a key to success. The screen committee should first be informed that affirmative action will take place. Equal opportunity and empowerment statutes should be taken into consideration to avoid legislative lawsuits. There are many ways to recruit applicants to accomplish your organizations needs. I will discuss the possible ways of recruiting each having their own advantages.

The first step is to look for internal candidates. Look at your own employees to fill vacant positions. There may be one who is ready for a promotion. You have the added benefit of knowing the work habits of this person. Plus, the candidate knows the organization. Promoting from within is also good for employee morale, as other employees will see opportunities for advancement. In order to do this the organization should send out an all-company e-mail notifying that applications are being accepted. All present employed staff members that are qualified should be encouraged to apply.

Another way is to put the job description in classified or want ads. These can be included in local newspapers, trade magazines, the Wall Street Journal and the National Employer's Weekly. This is a good way to explore your candidates over a wide area. Furthermore, notifying employment agencies is also an excellent way to recruit. The downside is that employment agencies charge a fee to finding a full time employee, but the upside is that they will already have a long list of resumes and will have already done a screening and reference check of the individual. The most effect way is take advantage of technological advances on the internet. Putting the job description on a job website is also a very effective way of recruiting applicants. The Web contains a great number of sites that have job postings, want-ads and resumes of prospective employees, such as Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com and Indeed.com. Talking to University career center is another effective way of getting possible applicants. College students that have proven themselves in college are well aware of the real world work environment and can also bring more creative and innovative ideas into your organization. After advertising the job description it is now time to select your potential candidates that have the necessary qualifications. The next step is the interviewing process.

There are many things you can find out about a candidate through the interview process. It is very important because the candidate selected will likely be working with the department manager and other associates. Before you begin interviewing candidates, you should prepare some general questions. You will also want to take some time to review each job candidate's resume or application. This will give you the opportunity to prepare questions that are relevant to the candidate's work history. An important note is the candidate is trying to find out if this job best suites him or her not if him or her is best suited for your company, with that said, it is important to find out about the individual as much as possible. Ask direct or open-ended questions so the applicant can give specific answers. Also asking situational or behavioral questions will allow the interviewee to analyze what the applicant will do in certain situations and provide reasonable options. Asking questions such as: Describe the most creative thing you have done in your career? This type of question allows the interviewee to assess how creative the applicant is in applying creative and new innovative ideas.

In addition asking question about leadership such as: Have you ever been assigned to take on the lead project? This type of question can help the management understand how the work groups succeed, and understanding the context of organizations goals. Another good question to ask is! What are your strengths and weaknesses? This will allow the person that is conducting the interview to recognize how he or she will impact others; convincing them to perform certain activities; gain respect;, and inspiring them to work toward organizational objectives. These are all important questions to ask and based on the applicants' answers the committee can form a decision in selecting the best applicant. Other questions should include information on communication skills, and organizational and development. The final stage of the hiring process is to