HR Must Firmly Strike a Balance to Remain Relevant

Okolo Emmanuel A

A thought on human resource management (HRM) will tickle brain cells. This topic encapsulates a whole lot of ideas and can be broken down into numerous processes. HR processes include; workforce planning, recruitment, induction/orientation, skills management, training/development, personnel administration, compensation (wage and salary), time management, benefits administration, personnel cost planning, performance appraisal and reward.

Here are two expert opinions on HRM. According to Wikipedia: “HRM is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organization’s most valued assets – the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business.

The terms “HRM” and “HR” have displaced the term “personnel management” as a description of the processes involved in managing people in organizations. Simply stated, HRM means employing people, developing their resources (skills/talents), utilizing, maintaining and compensating them for services in tune with the job and organizational requirement.”

Torrington and Hall (1987) define personnel management as: “a series of activities which: first enable working people and their employing organizations to agree about the objectives and nature of their working relationship and, secondly, ensures that the agreement is fulfilled”

Permit me to infer from the two definitions above that the human resource function involves everything that has to do with placing the employee in the right position to deliver maximally, while not putting the organization at a disadvantaged position. This permits the HR function to act as a guide and a counselor if and when the need arises (to the management and the employees alike)! The HR function intermediates between the people and the organization.

This is a daunting task as it requires the HR function to take sides with the management while also being on the side of the employees. To achieve this, the HR manager has to possibly become a psychologist so as to deal with the different temperaments that he/she is confronted with on a daily basis which could lead to frictions that could impair the wheel of progress.

This demands that the HR department though also employees as well as a part of management should rely on guiding professional ethics for carrying out its duties. Anything short of professional discharge of these functions without undue influence from management rubbishes the HR department and makes it virtually non-existent or just another tool in the hands of management. This function therefore calls for a high level of integrity and fairness.

I pitch my tent with the fathers of modern management theory who say that people are the greatest assets of any organization and we should pay special attention to this asset. This therefore puts a heavy burden on the HR department of any establishment to recruit good employees and also seek the best ways to retain them. Studies have shown that in the long run, an organization incurs more cost recruiting frequently than by retaining staff.

There is a need for the human resource function to always seek ways of cutting cost for the organization and ensure that there is a decent environment at the work place for staff development and best business practice (in line with this, where there needs to be reforms, the HR function has to be bold to make the suggestions).

Okolo Enebi  Adejoh is the PA to the CEO of Marketing Mix Co, a Lagos based marketing consulting company.  He can be reached on 08064126280