Human Resource Management Overview Essay

Introduction Most go through their day to day actions giving no thought to all of the people that are behind the scenes making everything that they do go smoothly. From making important business calls on your cell phone while traveling, to getting your lunch in a timely fashion so that you can get back to work. Without human capital none of this would be possible, these businesses are nothing more than a bunch of empty building once the human capital is removed from them. IT is the job of the Human Resource Management (HRM) to make sure that there are qualified people filling all of these positions to make business flow as smoothly as possible every day and to make your experience the best that it can be. The following paper will address what Human Resource management is as well as what the primary function of this department is. Lastly it will address the role that HRM plays in an organizations strategic plan. What is Human Resource Management? Human Resource Management is a function of a group of a group of people or a department that has the primary tasks of recruiting, training, and compensating employees, as well as ensuring that all rules and regulations are followed and that all of the tasks being completed are in line with the organizational goals. This is accomplished through the six core functions of HR which are; Workforce Management, Total Rewards, Risk Management, HR Development, Employee Relations, and Strategic Management (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2013). The workforce management function of HRM is primarily concerned with workforce planning and employment strategies. This includes determining what skills are necessary to complete the jobs, recruiting and  selecting the best possible people to fill the position, and maintaining the records of each employee as well as those that have been terminated. The total rewards function of HRM is the function that deals with all aspects of employee compensation, from salaries to benefit packages and everything in between. Receiving ones paycheck, a raise, bonus, or enrolling in medical or dental coverage that you are eligible for are all things that are taken care of through the total rewards function of HRM. The primary job of those who work in the risk management function of HR is to identify any labor related risks to the employees and the organization, and then to assess, manage and monitor these risks. This is not only limited to safety issues but also includes improper or inadequate training and failure to comply with legal regulations regarding labor laws. The employee relations function of HR deals with just that, Employee relations. It is their job to try and build and maintain positive relationships between the employers, mangers and employees. They are also the ones that will be contacted when there is a dispute that needs resolved or workplace policies or procedures need to be implemented or changed. Lastly the strategic management function of HR is a combination of all of the other core functions as they have been listed above. The strategic management function is primarily concerned with ensuring that all other aspects of HRM interact effectively throughout the organization and all contribute to the goals or support of others in reaching the goals of the organization. What is the primary function of HRM? The primary function of HRM can become quite foggy at times. You see the primary of function of HRM will vary depending upon which area of HR you are immediately dealing with. However, since it is impossible for a business to operate without human capital then clearly the primary function of HRM is to manage the human capital within an organization and provide a clear link between the goals of the organization and all whom work there (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2013). Mind you the HRM team is not the ones that are making the decisions; they are merely making suggestions and bringing insight to those that do make the decisions for the organization that they work for. When the HR is performing well then it should be easy for the employees to see the link between what it is that they do and how it contributes to the  achievement of the organizations goals. What is the role of HRM in an organization’s strategic plan? The role of HRM in an organizations strategic plan is actually quite complex. HRM’s role is to work with the decision makers in the organization and evaluate and develop and organizational strategy. This is in part accomplished through identifying, analyzing, and balancing of external opportunities and threats with the internal strengths and weaknesses. By identifying external opportunities and threats they are then able to work closely with the decision makes to develop a clarified business strategy after which they will realign the HR functions and the key people practices so that they work best with the organizational strategy. They will then create and needed competencies and behaviors to get everyone on the same page and realizing the strategy of the business and the results that are to be expected. Lastly they will re-evaluate the strategy and refine it where necessary to help the business stay aligned an on track to accomplish the goals that it has set out to accomplish. Conclusion Businesses would be nothing other than hollowed out building without the people that are involved in running them daily. Without the human aspect of a business then a business would not be. It is for this reason and this reason alone that makes the HR department or team of any business to be that of a highly valued one, because without the proper people in the proper places, with the proper vision and goals, any organization is going to fail. HRM makes it possible to accomplish all of these and do so consistently. Reference DeCenzo, D., & Robbins, S. (2013). Fundamentals of Human Resource Management (11th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.