Hr Roles and Responsibilities

The labor and the way people are working are changing on a daily basis. The early years of the 21st century have shaken the complacency of U.S. workers and forced them to take a fresh look at the ways they are working. (Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhert, B., Noe, A., Wright, P. M. (2004)) Human resource managers (HRM) have to keep up with the latest trends within the work force. Human resource professionals need to be aware of trends in the composition of the external labor market, because these trends affect the organization's options for creating a well-skilled, motivated internal labor force. (Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhert, B., Noe, A., Wright, P. M. (2004)) Trends such as globalization, technology, diversity, electronic business (e-business) and ethics have had a major influence on HRM.

In order to be successful and competitive, companies have to operate on an international level. To meet these challenges, U.S. businesses must develop global markets, keep up with competition from overseas, hire from an international labor pool, and prepare employees for global assignments. (Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhert, B., Noe, A., Wright, P. M. (2004)) Companies such as General Electronics, Coca Cola, Microsoft and Walt Disney place emphasis n customer service, satisfaction, and innovation. Recent studies have shown that companies who operate on a multinational level, have workforces and corporate cultures reflecting a global market tend to be very successful. Placing this value on employees requires the companies to emphasize human resource practices, including rewards for superior performance, measures of employee satisfaction, careful selection of employees, promotion from within, and investment in employee development. (Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhert, B., Noe, A., Wright, P. M. (2004))

Many employers nowadays find talent within a global workforce. Organizations with international operations hire at least some of their employees in the foreign countries where they operate. (Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhert, B., Noe, A., Wright, P. M. (2004)) The constant change with technology has helped employers to operate overseas. Changes in technology in countries such as Africa, Central America, and South America have help to create more opportunities. Hiring in such areas gives employers access to people with potential to be eager to work yet who will accept lower wages than elsewhere in the world. (Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhert, B., Noe, A., Wright, P. M. (2004))

HRM must consider differences in cultures and business practices in order to ensure employers are successful on a global scale. In order to expand into China, Starbucks had to do research in motivation and needs for potential managers. Starbucks distinguished itself as an employer by emphasizing its casual culture and opportunities for career development. (Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhert, B., Noe, A., Wright, P. M. (2004)) Starbucks sends potential managers to Tacoma, Washington to learn trend secrets of brewing coffee. Boeing is another example of an organization that trains foreign employers in the United States. Future workers from foreign countries such as Poland and India return to their native country with the knowledge and skills needed to design and manufacture aircrafts.

Advancements of computer technology have also had a major impact on human resource. Large quantities of employee data (including training records, skills, compensation rates, and benefits usage and cost) can easily be stored on personal computers and manipulated with user-friendly spreadsheets or statistical software. (Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhert, B., Noe, A., Wright, P. M. (2004)) These features combine to create a Human Resource Information System (HRIS). HRIS can analyze, retrieve, manipulate, etc any information related to an organization's human resource. An HRIS can support strategic decision making, help the organization avoid lawsuits, provide data for evaluating programs or policies, and support day-today HR decisions. (Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhert, B., Noe, A., Wright, P. M. (2004)) As shown Table 1, technology such as internet portals, shared service centers, and application service provider has had a major influence on HRM. (Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhert, B., Noe, A., Wright, P. M. (2004))

Table 1

Technology What it does Example

Internet portal Combines data from several sources into a single site; lets user customize data without programming skills. A company's manager can track labor costs by work group.

Shared service centers Consolidate different HR functions into a single location; eliminate redundancy and reduce administrative costs; process all HR transactions at one time. AlliedSignal combined more than 75 functions, including finance and HR, into a shared service center

Application service provider (ASP) Lets companies rent space on a remote computer system and use the system's software to manage its HR activities, including security and upgrades. KPMG Consulting uses an ASP to host the company's computerized learning program.

Business intelligence Provides insight into business trends and patterns and helps businesses improve decisions. Managers use the system to analyze labor costs and productivity among different employee groups.

Managers use the system to analyze labor costs and productivity among different employee groups. Although advancement in technology can be very resourceful, it can also have a negative impact as well. For example, rapidly changing technology can cause employees' skills to become obsolete. Organizations must therefore carefully monitor their employees' skills and the organization's needed skills. (Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhert, B., Noe, A., Wright, P. M. (2004))

With the labor force becoming diverse in racial and ethnic terms, HRM faces yet another challenge. The greater diversity of the U.S. labor force challenges employers to create HRM practices that ensure they fully utilize the talents, skills, and values of all employees. (Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhert, B., Noe, A., Wright, P. M. (2004)) Bureau of Labor Static's 2006 projected the workforce to be 72% white (and non- hispanic), 11% black, 12% Hispanic and 5% Asian and other minorities Along with the greater racial and ethnic diversity, more women are in the paid labor force than in the past. (Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhert, B., Noe, A., Wright, P. M. (2004)) The number of women in the work force has been at least 46% since 1994. At least 3/4 of these women are working full time. Employers will have to ensure that employees and HRM systems are free of bias and value the perspectives and experience that women and minorities can contribute to organizational goals such as product quality and customer service. (Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhert, B.,