The outlook of human resource management has changed over time.
From being purely administrative, HR management is now vying to be purely strategic.
This transformation has affected HR jobs in Delhi and many other areas.
What it was
For a really long time the role of a human resource professional has been considered to revolve around personnel administrative functions. Their role constituted hiring, paying, and allocating benefits to the employees. It was, but, considered menial paperwork by the parent organisation.
The human resource professionals had some executive role as well, but for all its worth, this department was considered quite a hindrance in the smooth functioning of the company. It was believed that the only purpose of the HR was to serve the management.
This profession was mostly misunderstood due to the several mistakes made by professionals over a large course of time. Misleading employees, inability to ensure the privacy of workers, and poor handling of domains such as investments, recruitment, and benefit options were some of the reasons.
Need for a transformation
Demeaning the field of human resource management has never been the solution to its problems. What is required is an effective policy of “change” which adds value to this sector and rewards it with all the laurels that it deserves.
Most of the manual functions of an HR professional are now computerised. However, computers cannot help you comprehend the intricacies of company policies like understanding the employee handbook, the sexual harassment policies, regulating attendance, leaves etc. Hence, an active HR backbone is still a company requirement.
The role of an HR needs to transform and align itself with times of today. It needs to be able to think about the future and hence contribute to the improved productivity of the company. An HR executive must parallel the requirements of its evolving parent organisation.
Successful organisations are the ones, who have taken this gigantic leap towards change and are now becoming more resilient, adaptive, customer-centric, and robust in their approach towards progression.
What it is now
HR professionals all around the world are taking on new roles and responsibilities to best serve their company. Such individuals are succeeding in areas such as talent development, talent management, strategic handling of employees, and organisation development.
They are working now as strategic partners. As such they effectively contribute towards the growth and accomplishment of the company objectives and business policies. They are now active participants in the representation of the work systems through which individuals contribute and succeed.
Two facets of Human Resource Management
In such a situation, all the aspects of HR management like hiring, reward, appraisal systems, career planning etc. become aligned with the company business and are thought about as strategic contributors to corporate success. Strategic HR executives make sure that the employees they hire have a high potential for growth and have the ability to learn and mature in the job role appointed to them.
Also, strategic HR executives work hand-in-hand with company owners to find potential successors at an early stage itself. They groom, mentor, and assist them over a period of time, so as to prepare them to take on the company whenever required. Strategic succession planning can keep the organisation on track even after a major leadership change.
Normally in a company, high compensation is given to the employee who has served for the maximum period of time. A strategic HR attitude ensures that the maximum compensation goes to the employee who has contributed the most in the productivity of the company as opposed to those who have just complacently stuck around.
Strategic HR managers make sure that their companies abide by the law and are at the right side of employment policies, including harassment issues and equal employment opportunity laws.
Impact on jobs
HR jobs opportunity in Delhi and many other places took a beating during the period of transformation. Several companies had to let go of their existing workforce and outsourcing HR executives became a commonality. However, this trend will not be a continuous downhill experience. Several companies like Microsoft and BT have now started recruiting employees outside the HR discipline in order to reign in new talent, people capable of providing new insights towards holistic economic growth of the company.
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