Set Motamedi
February 24, 2023
Human capital is one of the most important drivers of progress and innovation
in any given business. Understanding how to leverage this via effective use of
human resource management is critical to your business’s sustainable and strategic long-term growth.
Below, we’re discussing what human resource management is, as well as
answering the question(s):
What is managing human resources? And what does it look like on a practical, tactical scale?
What is human resource management?
Human resource management is the art and science of managing and directing
your organization’s team members. It’s an all-encompassing term that covers
critical elements of the HR process, such as management, recruitment, hiring,
and onboarding. It can also extend to the “soft science” elements of leading
other people, such as cultural development and personal development tasks that
are generally relegated to the HR department to support.
Anything that contributes to your workplace culture or employee support areas
can be considered an extension of human resource management in a small
business or corporation.
What are the roles (or functions) of human resource management?
There are many different areas to address in your human resources strategy. If
you find yourself asking “What is a human resource manager?” we
invite you to broaden your question – instead ask yourself what roles and
functions are yet to be fulfilled that could fuel your team’s success. This
can span across several different people, and may not fall to any one specific
person (such as a human resource manager.) However, we do want to note that
this process looks different on a per-business basis, and we encourage you to
do your recruitment map and research to determine which role(s) best suit your
needs.
Let’s discuss the many different roles of human resource management in the
workplace.
1. Workplace culture development
Your culture is fostered, not found. Creating a culture of engagement requires
active participation and strategy from your team of human resource
professionals. There are many different elements of workplace culture
development, including:
Incentive programs
Personal and professional development initiatives
Cultural strategy work and implementation support
Employee profiling and research
Competitor analysis
Ongoing workplace assessment support
2. Employee performance support
Your organization’s success comes down to the caliber of your team. Investing
in tools and roles that facilitate ongoing research into areas of employee
performance and success can help you to better leverage your human capital –
as well as empower your team members to seek out personal and professional
development opportunities more strategically.
3. Recruitment and retention
Recruiting and maintaining a team of high-performing individuals requires the
expertise that a skilled human resource manager can offer. There are a number
of legal and interpersonal areas of strategy that ought to be considered
before the implementation or execution of any of these strategies, which is
where your HR manager can truly shine.
4. Administration, legality, and safety
Beyond supporting the organization in an administrative function, human
resource managers and expert HR services support your business in a proper
legal and administrative function. Maintenance of employee records, management
of employee complaints and feedback, and interpersonal support may also fall
into this vital category.
How can an HR management service help you?
Whether you’re an established organization or a small/startup business, your
brand can benefit from trusted human resources support experts or third-party
HR companies. Here are just a few of the ways you can excel with the support of HR
strategists:
Strategic growth
Your team members are the key to strategic and sustainable growth. Human
resource managers can best leverage and develop this important element of
strategy and refine your structure to suit your current business needs. They
can do this by offering strategic insights and analysis on your current staff
and operations, aligning the next steps to your upcoming future goals.
Preemptive protection
Areas of workplace legal risks can be complex, expensive, and catastrophic if
not well-managed. Getting and staying ahead of your current risk profile is
critical to your brand’s image and long-term success. Having an HR influence
in every area of your system creation and operational management can promote
an environment of safety, preemptive precaution, and success.
Long-term success
Managers aren’t the only people responsible for the long-term success of your
team members. Your HR department can provide valuable insight and resources
when it comes to retention, workplace function, and other key employee support
tools, such as onboarding documents, HR policy refinement, or employee
handbook creation.