Human Resource (hr) Roles and Responsibilities

Human Resource (HR) Roles and Responsibilities

In a conversation with my boss, K. Hodges (personal communication, May 16, 2007), companies are seeking to change the role of their HR organization to an organization which is a highly proactive partner, playing a leadership role in helping to frame the company's operating strategies to meet corporate objectives. This is a changing role of Human Resources management (HRM). This leadership role includes globalization, technology, diversity, e-business, and ethics.

PR Newswire (2007) published an article regarding globalization on April 27, 2007. The news stated majorities around the world believe economic globalization benefit national economies, companies, and consumers. This report was based on a global poll conducted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and WorldPublicopinion.org, in cooperation with polling organizations from around the world. I believe this associates with HR management. Any systems that influence employees' behavior, attitudes, and performance, through changes that revitalized a company is centered around the HRM. Globalization is a system that is influencing employees. Highest support is found in countries with export-oriented economies like China, South Korea, and Israel. About 60 percent in the United States think globalization is mostly good ("Wire Feed," 2007). Economist.com (2001) stated antagonist of globalization claim that poor countries are losers from global integration. The Economist submitted a report from the World Bank demolishes claiming poor countries' economy that are more globalize are growing faster than poor countries that are less globalize. In fact, they claim these poor countries have grown faster than rich countries.

Technology is helping organizations manage everything from recruiting and benefits to attendance and training. As information systems get smarter and self-service takes hold, the HR professional's role is undergoing a spectacular change. I believe HR is working closely with computer technology. As computers take over more data-management tasks, the HR person's job becomes less about forms and numbers and more about using technology to support company objectives and handling the people side of things. I found that the use of new technology in HR not only produces cost efficiencies, but also creates better communications and employee engagement. Duncan Brown, author of Personnel Today (2007), stated the technology is evident through intranets and self-service systems; improving job design to facilitate flexible and home working at IBM; and supporting what one HR director called "the most important people management relationship: between the immediate line manager and their staff." He further stated that history shows that the use and exploitation of new technology is a social process in which the human dimension is rarely given sufficient prominence. The success of outsourcing and off shoring activity itself is dependent on effective people management: in building relationships and trust; and recruiting, retraining, transferring and redeploying staff effectively.

Alison M. Konrad, Ph.D., Professor of Organizational Behavior, made predictions based on future trends in workplace diversity. Her prediction is based on demographics gathered and she believed three major trends in workplace diversity that are likely to affect organizations in the next 10 to 20 years:

1. The populations of industrialized countries will age rapidly.

2. Workers with disabilities will require accommodation.

3. Immigrants will become increasingly important to economic growth.

4. Members of the Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities will demand respect and inclusion.

5. Members of diverse religious communities will demand respect and inclusion (Konrad, 2006).

I concur with Ms. Konrad's forecast. These trends are foreseeable based on demographics and their likely progression. HRM would do well to plan for it.

E-business is a complex subject, but I define it as doing business by electronic means. Frank Jones, Vice President of IBM Corporation, provides his definition as exploiting the combined power of the internet and information technology to fundamentally transform key business strategies and processes. Telecommuting is one e-business that is used all over this nation and a trend HR management should recognize. Telecommuting offers benefits to both employees and companies. For employees, telecommuting increases quality of life by enabling a meshing of personal and professional lives. The ability to work from home can assist workers with child or elder care issues; transportation restrictions; or employees who may be physically unable to report to work on a daily basis due to health-related issues. A survey, extracted from International Journal of Management (2006), was conducted by Robert Half, world's largest financial recruiter. He conducted a survey of 1,400 CFOs asking which incentives attract top talent for accounting positions. The ability to telecommute and/or work a flexible schedule ranked second among 33% of CFOs surpassed only by higher salaries (46%) offered to candidates. Other economic benefits that companies can realize from telecommuting include productivity gains,