HRM:Notes BSCS

HRM Notes

Define HRM
Human Resource Management (HRM) is the term used to describe formal systems devised
for the management of people within an organization. The responsibilities of a human
resource manager fall into three major areas: staffing, employee compensation and benefits,
anddefining/designing work.
“The human mind is our fundamental resource.” ... Edwin Flippo defines- HRM as
“planning, organizing, directing, controlling of procurement, development, compensation,
integration , maintenance and separation of human resources to the end that individual,
organizational and social objectives are achieved.”

Levels of hierarchy
First-Level Managers
First-level managers, sometimes called lower-level managers, are at the bottom of the
managerial hierarchy. They are in contact with nonmanagement employees, often serving as
supervisors or retail managers, or in other capacities that involve the day-to-day business
operations. Their tasks often include scheduling, budgeting, human resources activities and
disciplinary measures.
Mid-Level Managers

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Mid-level managers, or middle managers, are a step above the first-level managers. They
serve as intermediaries between lower-level managers and the highest level within the
management hierarchy. These managers may still be involved in the daily company
operations, but they often depend on the input of first-level managers. Mid-level managers
are generally operations managers or general managers, but they can also serve as regional
managers.
Upper-Level Managers
Upper-level managers are the top executives in a company. They rely on input from mid-
level managers to determine what direction the company is heading and if any changes need
to be made. Upper-level managers usually include chief executive officers, chief financial
officers and other top leaders responsible for developing the company's vision and making
the executive decisions that affect the organization's future.
Types of Hierarchy
1. Pyramid Hierarchy

2. Breakdown Hierarchy

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Difference b/w goal and objective

Goal Objective
Plan: Broad plan Narrow plan
Action: Generic action Specific action
Example: I want to achieve success in the I want to complete this thesis on

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Goal Objective
field of genetic research and do genetic research by the end of
what no one has ever done. this month.
Goals may not be strictly Must be measurable and
Measure:
measurable or tangible. tangible.
Time frame: Longer term Short to medium term
Something that one’s efforts or
The purpose toward which an
Meaning: actions are intended to attain or
endeavour is directed.
accomplish; purpose; target.
Principle: Based on ideas Based on fact
What do Goals and Objectives look like if they are different?
ExamplesofGoalsandObjectives
Goals:
1. I want to be the best musician in the school
2. We will be the number 1 supplier of….
3. I want to maintain a good knowledge of the profession.
Objectives
1. we will sell xxx units by June next year.
2. I will pass my stage 3 business French assessment.
3. We will deliver 90% of the contract by…
In coaching, agreeing the direction of goal, which can often be seen as softer, emotional and
more engaging first, helps both the coach and the individual to narrow down the actions into
specific SMART Objectives.
So what is the real difference between goals and objectives?
Simple – your desired outcome, scope and time frame… one is a goal… the other an
objective.
Difference b/w source and Resource
Source
A source is a point of origin from which we can obtain something useful or valuable.
For example: Dairy products are a rich source of calcium.
Fruits and vegetables are sources of energy and nutrients for our bodies.
A source is a place or person from which you can obtain something useful or valuable.
Resource

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A resource is something that helps us to accomplishing a certain goal or to perform a specific

function.For example: The sun is a resource of renewable energy for us.
The public library is a valuable information resource.
A resource is something that can be used to perform some function.
The computer store is a source from which I can buy a laptop.
Once I have the laptop, it is a resource.
Another example would be paint brushes when you are painting a picture. They are a
resource, not a source.
Many times, a source is the same as a resource, but not always.
Difference b/w effectiveness and Efficiency
Effective – Adequate to accomplish a purpose; producing the intended or expected result.
Efficient – Performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of
time and effort.
The difference between effectiveness and efficiency can be summed up shortly, sweetly and
succinctly – Being effective is about doing the right things, while being efficient is about
doing things right.

An Example
For a practical example, consider the differences between activity effectiveness and activity
efficiency among your sales reps. Every sales team has daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly
goals that, when achieved, are representative of the effectiveness of their roles. If your reps
are tasked with making 70 calls each day, and they easily hit their numbers, they are effective
at their jobs.

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Being a HR manager what activities would performed?

Core Functions of HR
Human resources (HR) professionals conduct a wide variety of tasks within an organizational
structure. A brief review of the core functions of human resource departments will be useful
in framing the more common activities a human resource professional will conduct. The core
functions can be summarized as:
Staffing
This includes the activities of hiring new full-time or part-time employees, hiring contractors,
and terminating employee contracts
Staffing activities include:
 Identifying and fulfilling talent needs (through recruitment, primarily)
 Utilizing various recruitment technologies to acquire a high volume of applicants (and
to filter based on experience)
 Terminating contracts when necessary
 Maintaining ethical hiring practices and aligning with the regulatory environment
 Writing employee contracts and negotiating salary and benefits
Development
On-boarding new employees and providing resources for continued development is a key
investment for organizations, and HR is charged with maintaining a developmental approach
to existing human resources.
Development activities include:
 Training and preparing new employees for their role
 Providing training opportunities (internal training, educational programs, conferences,
etc.) to keep employees up to date in their respective fields
 Preparing management prospects and providing feedback to employees and managers
Compensation
Salary and benefits are also within the scope of human resource management. This includes
identifying appropriate compensation based on role, performance, and legal requirements.
Compensation activities include:
 Setting compensation levels to match the market, using benchmarks such as industry
standards for a given job function
 Negotiating group health insurance rates, retirement plans, and other benefits with third
party providers

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 Discussing raises and other compensation increases and/or decreases with employees in
the organization
 Ensuring compliance with legal and cultural expectations when it comes to employee
compensation
Safety and Health
Achieving best practices in various industries include careful considering of safety and health
concerns for employees.
Safety and health activities include:
 Ensuring compliance with legal requirements based on job function for safety measures
(i.e. hard hats in construction, available counseling for law enforcement, appropriate
safety equipment for chemists, etc.)
 Implementing new safety measures when laws change in a given industry
 Discussing safety and compliance with relevant government departments
 Discussing safety and compliance with unions
Employee and Labor Relations
Defending employee rights, coordinating with unions, and mediating disagreements between
the organization and its human resources is also a core HR function.
Employee and labor relations activities include:
 Mediating disagreements between employees and employers
 Mediating disagreements between employees and other employees
 Considering claims of harassment and other workplace abuses
 Discussing employee rights with unions, management, and stakeholders
 Acting as the voice of the organization and/or the voice of the employees during any
broader organizational issues pertaining to employee welfare

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Being a registrar what task or activity would you conduct commencing 6th semester
Registrars are probably best known for performing marriage and civil partnership
ceremonies, usually within a register office.
However, they carry out a variety of other responsibilities which help document all stages of
someone’s life, ranging from recording details of births in the area through to issuing death
certificates.
Typical duties for a Registrar may include:
 Interviewing parents after a baby’s been born
 Issuing birth certificates
 Performing marriage duties and officiating civil partnerships
 Interviewing family members after a death
 Issuing death certificates
 Informing a coroner if there are any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death
 Sending statistical information to the Office of the Register General
Being a lecturer what task or activity would you conduct commencing 6th semester?
Public Speaking
Time Management
Self-motivation

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Inter-personal communication
Class Activities
Well behave
Interaction
Human Resource Management Challenges/factors.
There are number of human resource management challenges (HR Challenges) that need to
be address as it is an important function of any organization. These HR challenges might be
environmental challenges, organizational challenges and individual challenges, etc. Always
remember that these challenges are not related to the single dimension; rather they are
directed towards multi-dimensional issues that should be tackled with immediate care.
Following are the broad categories of the Human Resource Management challenges in the
today’s competitive world.
HRM Challenges
A. Environmental Challenges
B. Organizational Challenges
C. Individual Challenges
A. Environmental Challenges:
The environmental challenges are related to the external forces that exist in the outside
environment of an organization & can influence the performance of the management of the
organization. These external forces are almost out of control of the management of the
organization. These can be regarded as threats to management & should be handled in a
proactive manner.
Following are the list of human resource management challenges that considered as the
environmental challenges.
1. Rapid Change
2. Work Force Diversity
3. Globalization
4. Legislation
5. Technology
6. Job & Family Roles
7. Lack of Skills
8. Staff
9. Company culture
10. Economic conditions

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11. Competition
12. Politics
13. Customers and Suppliers
1. Rapid Change
The world is changing at a faster rate because change is constant from several centuries. So
the management of the organizations should be quickly adaptive to the changing requirement
of the environment otherwise they become obsolete from the market. The human resource
management of an organization plays a basic role in response to the environmental change.
The HR department should adopt such policies that can avail the new opportunities of the
environment & keep the organization away from the newly emerging threats.
2. Work Force Diversity
The changing environment provides both the opportunities & threats to the human resource
management of the organization. The HR manager should adopt such policies that can make
possible the diverse work force of employees. Although on one hand diversity creates big
problem but in the long run, the survival & performance of the organization is flourished.
3. Globalization
One of the serious issue that today’s organizations are facing is the issue of globalization. The
world is converting into global business and severe competition is started between domestic
& foreign companies. Such competition results in the laying off the effective workforce of
the organization. The HR department can play an important role in keeping the culture of the
organization as global & wider.
4. Legislation
It is the old environmental challenge that is faced by organization since many decades. There
are certain labor laws that are declared by the government for the benefits of the working
employees. Some of these laws are disadvantageous to the interests of the organizations so it
is a one of the big challenges for the HRM to implement all those labor laws within the
organizations. If any of such law is violated, serious actions are taken by the relevant
government authority that may result into serious penalty for the management of the
organization.
5. Technology
The technology is also growing with great speed especially in the field of computer &
telecommunication. New methods are emerging that quickly dominates the older ones &
makes them obsolete. Therefore the skills required by the employees also changes with the
changing technology & this would compels the worker to advance the skills three to four

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times throughout their working lives. So there comes a burden on the HR department to
constantly update the skills & expertise of their employees.

6. Job & Family Roles

In recent years, dual-career families are increasing in which both the wife & husband work.
This creates a serious burden on the women that they have to give time to their families also.
In many organizations the policies of HR favors the employment of more than 10 years. The
working hours of the organizations are also strict and tight for the employees. Moreover, the
selection & training procedures are two tough and time consuming so most of the talented
women hesitate to join any organization which would result in the wastage of talent and
potential. Even working men also suffer from these employment policies because they do not
properly give time to their families. So the challenges for the HRM increases with this
particular issue & special favorable working policies are needed to be employed in all
organizations.
7. Lack of Skills
The service sector development is expanding due to many reasons like change in the tastes &
preference of customers, technological change, legal change etc. All of this affected the
structure and managing style of the business organizations. The skills required in the
employment of service sector is also advancing but the graduates of the technical colleges &
universities are groomed according to the latest requirements. Therefore most of the
employees lack the standard required skills to perform their duties and it becomes a big
challenge for HRM to properly train these new & old employees to become an efficient &
effective workers.
8. Staff
Unless you're a one-person show, your employees are a major part of your company's internal
environment. Your employees have to be good at their jobs, whether it's writing code or
selling products to strangers. Managers have to be good at handling lower-level employees
and overseeing other parts of the internal environment. Even if everyone's capable and
talented, internal politics and conflicts can wreck a good company.
9. Company Culture
Your internal culture consists of the values, attitudes and priorities that your employees live
by. A cutthroat culture where every employee competes with one another creates a different
environment from a company that emphasizes collaboration and teamwork. Typically,
company culture flows from the top down. Your staff will infer your values based on the type

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of people you hire, fire and promote. Let them see the values you want your culture to
embody.
10. Economic Conditions
One of the biggest external influences is the shape of the current economy. Not only does it
affect the talent pool, but it might affect your ability to hire anyone at all. One of the biggest
ways to prepare against economic conditions is to not only know what’s happening in the
world around you, but also create a plan for when there is an economic downturn. All
companies can make due in a bad economy if they have a rainy day fund or plan to combat
the harsh environment.
11. Competition
Unless your company is unique, you'll have to deal with competition. When you start your
company, you fight against established, more experienced businesses in the same industry.
After you establish yourself, you'll eventually have to face newer firms that try to slice away
your customers. Competition can make or break you – look at how many brick-and-mortar
bookstores crashed and burned competing with Amazon.
12. Politics
Changes in government policy can have a huge effect on your business. The tobacco industry
is a classic example. Since the 1950s, cigarette companies have been required to place
warning labels on their products, and they lost the right to advertise on television. Smokers
have fewer and fewer places they can smoke legally. The percentage of Americans who
smoke has dropped by more than half, with a corresponding effect on industry revenues.
13. Customers and Suppliers
Next to your employees, your customers and suppliers may be the most important people you
deal with. Suppliers have a huge impact on your costs. The clout of any given supplier
depends on scarcity: If you can't buy anywhere else, your negotiating room is limited. The
power of your customers depends on how fierce the competition for their dollars is, how good
your products are, and whether your advertising makes customers want to buy from you,
among other things.

B. Organizational Challenges
The organizational challenges for the HRM are related to the factors that are located inside
the organization. Although these challenges are evolved as a byproduct of the environmental
challenges but these can be control by the management of the organization to much extent.
The proactive HR managers take notice of such challenges in advance and take corrective

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measures before these would convert into serious issues. The human resource management
challenges within the organization include competitive position & flexibility, organizational
restructuring & issues of downsizing, the exercise of self managed teams, development of
suitable organizational culture etc.
When the workforce of an organization is effectively used in combination with other factor of
production, the opportunities of the environment are availed & the threats are eliminated. The
competitive position of the organization can be influenced by the policies of HR in the
following ways.
1. Controlling Costs
2. Improving Quality
3. Developing Distinctive Capabilities
4. Restructuring
1. Controlling Costs
An organization can avail the competitive position by lowering its cost & strengthening its
cash flows. For this purpose, the labor cost of the organization is minimized through effective
compensation system that adopts innovative reward strategies for good performances. In this
way the favorable behaviors of the employees are rewarded so the organization would get the
ultimate advantage. Moreover the policies of compensation should keep the labor cost under
control. The effective employees should be selected that keep with the organization for a
longer duration & proper training should also be provided to these employees. The HR
department should also restore the work of the employees along with the improvement in the
health & safety issue of working environment. All of these efforts would limit the cost of
labor.
2. Improving Quality
The quality improvement can lead an organization towards competitive advantage. The total
quality management programs are employed that improves all the processes within the
organization which would ultimately result in the improvement of the final product or
service.
3. Developing Distinctive Capabilities
Another method of gaining competitive advantage is to employ the people that have distinct
capabilities to develop extra ordinary competence in specific area.
4. Restructuring

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Another technique is the restructuring of the organization in which the methods of

performing different functions are altered positively. In case of HR department, the majority
of functions are still performed within the organization.
In some organizations the major functions of HR department are now transferred to the other
parties in the shape of outsourcing, shared service center etc. The sizes of HR department in
those organizations are shrinking because most of functions are performed by outsiders. But
in most of the organizations the HR manager performs all the relevant functions of HRM.
The HR department is now involved in the mission oriented & strategic activities.
C. Individual Challenges
The decisions related to the specific individual employees are included in the individual
challenges for the HRM. The organizational issues are also affected by the fact that how
employees are treated within the organizations. The problems related to the individual level
are as follow.
1- Productivity
2- Empowerment
3- Brain drain
4- Ethics & social responsibility
5- Job insecurity
6- Matching people & organization
1. Productivity
Productivity is defined as the measure of the value that an employee can add to the final
product or service of the organization. The increased output per employee is reflected as
increased productivity. Ability & motivation are two important factors that affect the
employee productivity. The ability of the employee can be improved by the hiring &
replacement along with the proper training & career development. On the other high quality
of work life serves as accelerator to the motivational factor of the employees.
2. Empowerment
In the modern days many organizations make changes in such a way that their individual
employees exert more control on their work as compared to their superiors. This individual
control of employees is called empowerment which helps the employees to work with
enthusiasm, commitment & learn new skills because they are more make normal decisions
about their work by themselves & hence enjoy their work.
3. Brain Drain

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One of the challenges for HRM is the detachment of the key potential employees from the
organization which link with the competitors for higher remunerations etc. In such cases the
organization loses its intellectual property & in many situations the leaving employees at the
higher levels also take with them the potential lower level employees. This brain drainage is
becoming serious issue in the high-Tec companies.
4. Ethics & Social Responsibility
Under this challenge, the organizations make an effort to benefit some portion of the society.
This is now considered to the social responsibility of the organization to show favorable
behavior towards the society. The ethics serves as the basic principle for the socially behavior
of the organizations. Within organizations, the HR departments develop a code of conduct &
principles of code of ethics that serve as the guidance for the personal behavior of the
employees of the organizations. The employees also expect from the management to show
favorable decisions.
5. Job Insecurity
In the recent years, restructuring & downsizing develops the sense of insecurity of job within
the employees of the organizations. Now many employees only desire to get a steady job
rather than a job with promotional future. Even most successful organizations lay off its
employees in the period of cut throat competition. The stock market also shows favorable
results when layoffs has been made. All these things create a fear among employees about the
insecurity of their jobs which would hinder their effective performance.
6. Matching People & Organizations
It has been proved from the research that the HR department contributes to the profitability of
the organization when it makes such policies of employee selection in which those employees
are selected & retained that best suits the culture of the organization & its objectives. For
example it is proved from research that those employees would become beneficial for the
high-Tech companies that can work in risky, uncertain environment having low pay. In short
it is an important challenge for the HR department to hire and keep such employees whose
abilities & strengths would match the requirements & circumstances of the organization.
Barriers or conflicts in a team
Effective teamwork can benefit a company with improved communication, broader
collaboration and a greater sense of accountability to the group. But there are barriers to
effective teamwork that managers need to be able to identify and eliminate. Fostering
productive teamwork among your staff will make your job easier and help the company to
succeed.

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1) Poor communication
2) Unclear Goals
3) Lack of managerial involvement
4) Ego
5) Acknowledge the conflict
1. Poor Communication
While good communication can foster teamwork, poor communication is a barrier to
developing a productive work atmosphere. Staff members who will not communicate, or are
unaware of the proper communication channels to use within the team, can create
breakdowns that inhibit team development. Managers need to be aware of the double-edged
sword of team communication, and be able to identify when poor communication is
hampering the group's success.
2. Unclear Goals
A work team is created to achieve goals within the workplace. Those goals can be for a
specific project, or they can be the ongoing goals that define the department's responsibilities.
When those goals are not presented clearly by management, or the individual responsibilities
of each team member in achieving those goals are unclear, then the team cannot work
effectively. Staff members are unclear as to what they are supposed to be doing, and job
duties get distorted.
3. Lack of Managerial Involvement
Managers create teams of qualified staff members in order to complete predetermined tasks
or projects. But when the manager cannot find the time to be involved in the team's execution
of its duties, the ability to create an atmosphere of effective teamwork is threatened. Every
team needs a leader, and when the leader is not present to delegate responsibility and act as a
resource to team members, then the team will not be able to properly develop.
4. Ego
Teams that contain members who are not working for the general benefit of the group will
have a difficult time developing into an effective unit. Individually staff members are
assigned roles within a team, but if the staff members feel that they can take on other roles
and interfere in the work of their teammates, then the group dynamic is threatened. Team
members need to keep their egos in check and work on their assigned tasks to help develop
an effective team.
5. Acknowledge the Conflict

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Ignoring the issues may save someone’s feelings in the short run, but more than likely
you will work with this person on future projects. If the issues continue to arise, your built-up
resentment may eventually lead to arguments. Avoid anger buildups by facing the conflict
head-on and letting your teammate know you disagree with their course of action. While not
always pleasant, getting these small disagreements out in the open can help head off future
disputes.
Define team.
A group of people with a full set of complementary skills required to complete a task,
job, or project.
Team members (1) operate with a high degree of interdependence, (2) share authority and
responsibility for self-management, (3) are accountable for the collective performance, and
(4) work toward a common goal and shared rewards(s). A team becomes more than just a
collection of people when a strong sense of mutual commitment creates synergy, thus
generating performance greater than the sum of the performance of its individual members.
How team is build?
The first rule of team building is an obvious one: to lead a team effectively, you must first
establish your leadership with each team member. Remember that the most effective team
leaders build their relationships of trust and loyalty, rather than fear or the power of their
positions.
 Consider each employee's ideas as valuable.
Remember that there is no such thing as a stupid idea.
 Be aware of employees' unspoken feelings.
Set an example to team members by being open with employees and sensitive to their
moods and feelings.
 Act as a harmonizing influence
Look for chances to mediate and resolve minor disputes; point continually toward the
team's higher goals.
 Be clear when communicating.
Be careful to clarify directives.
 Encourage trust and cooperation among employees on your team.
Remember that the relationships team members establish among themselves are every
bit as important as those you establish with them. As the team begins to take shape,
pay close attention to the ways in which team members work together and take steps
to improve communication, cooperation, trust, and respect in those relationships.

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 Encourage team members to share information.

Emphasize the importance of each team member's contribution and demonstrate how
all of their jobs operate together to move the entire team closer to its goal.
 Delegate problem-solving tasks to the team.
Let the team work on creative solutions together.
 Facilitate communication.
Remember that communication is the single most important factor in successful
teamwork. Facilitating communication does not mean holding meetings all the time.
Instead it means setting an example by remaining open to suggestions and concerns,
by asking questions and offering help, and by doing everything you can to avoid
confusion in your own communication.
 Establish team values and goals; evaluate team performance.
Be sure to talk with members about the progress they are making toward established
goals so that employees get a sense both of their success and of the challenges that lie
ahead. Address teamwork in performance standards. Discuss with your team:
o What do we really care about in performing our job?
o What does the word success mean to this team?
o What actions can we take to live up to our stated values?
 Make sure that you have a clear idea of what you need to accomplish;
that you know what your standards for success are going to be; that you have
established clear time frames; and that team members understand their
responsibilities.
 Use consensus.
Set objectives, solve problems, and plan for action. While it takes much longer to
establish consensus, this method ultimately provides better decisions and greater
productivity because it secures every employee's commitment to all phases of the
work.
 Set ground rules for the team.
These are the norms that you and the team establish to ensure efficiency and success.
They can be simple directives (Team members are to be punctual for meetings) or
general guidelines (Every team member has the right to offer ideas and suggestions),
but you should make sure that the team creates these ground rules by consensus and
commits to them, both as a group and as individuals.

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 Establish a method for arriving at a consensus.

You may want to conduct open debate about the pros and cons of proposals, or
establish research committees to investigate issues and deliver reports.
 Encourage listening and brainstorming.
As supervisor, your first priority in creating consensus is to stimulate debate.
Remember that employees are often afraid to disagree with one another and that this
fear can lead your team to make mediocre decisions. When you encourage debate you
inspire creativity and that's how you'll spur your team on to better results.
 Establish the parameters of consensus-building sessions.
Be sensitive to the frustration that can mount when the team is not achieving
consensus. At the outset of your meeting, establish time limits, and work with the
team to achieve consensus within those parameters. Watch out for false consensus; if
an agreement is struck too quickly, be careful to probe individual team members to
discover their real feelings about the proposed solution.
Advantages of Working in a Team:
1. Division of Work:
One of the biggest advantages of working in a team is that there is most often an equal
division of labor so instead of having to look into all the aspects of a project individually,
each person merely has to deal with one aspect of it. Smaller tasks obviously require less time
and effort to complete so working in a team cuts down work load significantly.
However working in a team does not imply that you simply focus on your own part, your first
priority is obviously your individual task however once you have completed it, you could
always be of some assistance to someone else.
2. Shared responsibility when things go wrong:
If for some reason the project fails, then a good team will stand by one another such that they
can jointly take responsibility and shoulder the blame. The best kinds of teams are those that
are united at all times no matter what. Those teams that resort to pointing fingers at one
another during times of crisis show a lack of team spirit.
While working in a team each member should always give his or her one hundred percent
because when everyone gives his or her best then only can the outcome be good, even the
smallest of mistakes could cost the entire team.
3. Gaining new perspective:
One of the main advantages of working in a team is that you can learn to look at things from
an entirely new perspective. Over the years you might be used to doing things in a particular

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manner but when you work in a team then you get to observe how other people work. Though
your manner of doing things might be good yet there might be an easier and more efficient
way of getting the same task done.
Team work does not imply that you renounce your individuality and follow the way in which
others work; it simply implies that you get new ideas and learn new things from other
members of the team. Working in a team makes one extremely open and receptive to
different things when you work in a team everyone’s points of view are taken into
consideration and only after careful weighing and measuring of pros and cons does the team
jointly come to a decision.
4. Improves communication skills:
For any team project to be a success it is vital that each team member communicates and
consults with the rest of the group such that no one feels in the dark about any decision made
and that everyone is in agreement.
Even if you are working on the one aspect of the project that has been assigned to you, it is
important to make sure that you are constantly giving the rest of your team mates updates
pertaining to your progress at each stage.
It is the responsibility of each member to ensure that everyone’s work is running smoothly
and that no person has been burdened with excess amount of work.
5. Development of leadership qualities:
Though being the leader of a team could be a challenge it is also an extremely enriching
experience. Being a leader does not imply that you throw your weight around and get things
done your way, it means that you serve as a link between team members when you notice that
there is some kind of communication gap among members or when you find that an
individual is not giving his or her best.
The best kinds of leaders are those that are willing to help anyone in need of it as well as
those that are completely honest with the members of the team.
6. You get to play to your strengths:
Since there is a division of work in a team each member can focus on whatever aspect of the
project which each individual believes that he or she can handle. When you work in a team
you get to decide on which part of the project you are comfortable working on. If there is
something you are not comfortable working with then you do not have to stress yourself
about it you can simply look into something else.

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Everyone’s talents lie in different fields so you can take up whatever task you feel
comfortable working on and whatever task you think you will not be able to do justice to,
someone else can take that up.
Disadvantages of Working in a Team:
1. Indulging in the blame game when things go wrong:
In times of crisis it is easiest for the team members to point a finger at someone else and
indulge in the blame game. Since there is more collective rather than individual responsibility
involved in a team project it is often difficult to tell where things went wrong.
Things become most challenging when one person does his work correctly and the other
makes a mistake, as many individuals cannot bear the thought of shouldering the blame when
they did their own part flawlessly.
People also resort to the blame game when they believe that there has been an unequal and
unfair distribution of work. Problems like these almost always arise when people work in
teams. These problems cost rifts among even the best of friends.
2. Unequal involvement and participation of different members:
It is challenging to work in a team when everyone does not put in his or her best efforts.
There are two kinds of people while working in a group- those that work tirelessly to get
things done and then there are those that are laid back and do not adhere to any deadlines. It
is due to some lazy individuals like this that things go wrong and to avoid failure it is often
either the team leader or other team members that have to take on the additional task of
completing another person’s quota of work as well.
For example in a college group project everyone gets the same grade irrespective of how
much work each person has done, this is one of the chief disadvantages of working in a team.
It might breed a lot of ill will among members when they have to take the fall for something
they have not done.
3. Clash of ideas:
Things can go incredibly wrong or even fall apart when there is a great deal difference in the
working methods of different individuals. Many people prefer to work much in advance and
some people believe in working last minute as they think that the pressure brings out the best
in them. In such a case it becomes increasingly difficult to coordinate things among different
people.
In addition to having varying working styles, things also become complicated when there is a
clash of ideas and neither members are willing to compromise..

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4. One team members desire to outshine the rest:

When working in a team it is important for each member to have team spirit. It becomes
complicated when one member has the burning desire to outshine the other members of the
team.
When an individual starts putting his individual needs before the needs of the group, then the
groups can no longer function efficiently. Those individuals that want to show themselves to
be better than the rest often fail to shares or communicate their own ideas to the rest of the
team and this leads to a communication gap or even a breakdown of communication as a
whole.
Working in a dysfunctional group often becomes a source of tremendous stress.
5. You might have to deal with an over bearing team leader:
One of the most common disadvantages of working in a team is that you might have to deal
with an over bearing and authoritative leader that is unwilling to listen to your point of view
or ideas.
4 Important Objectives of Human Resource Management
HRM is useful not only to organization, but the employees working therein, and also the
society at large also find it useful. The objectives can be as under:
1. Organizational Objectives:
HRM is a means to achieve efficiency and effectiveness. It serves other functional areas, so
as to help them to attain efficiency in their operations and attainment of goals to attain
efficiency.

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Acquiring right man for the right job at right time in right quantity, developing through right
kind of training, utilizing the selected workforce, and maintaining the workforce are the
organizational objectives of HRM. Succession planning is an important issue to be taken up
as a contemporary organizational objective.
2. Functional Objectives:
HRM performs so many functions for other departments. However, it must see that the
facilitation should not cost more than the benefit rendered.
3. Personal Objectives:
In today’s world there is shortage of requisite talent. Employees are encouraged by
competitive firms to change the jobs. HRM has the responsibility to acquire, develop, utilize,
and maintain employees.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
This would be possible only when the HRM helps employees to achieve their personal goals
to get their commitment. Creating work-life balance for the employees is a personal
objective.
4. Societal Objectives:
HRM must see that the legal, ethical, and social environmental issues are properly attended
to. Equal opportunity and equal pay for equal work are the legal issues not to be violated. To
take care of farmers (whose land has been acquired for the factory) and tribal’s (who are
displaced by industries and mining companies) are the ethical issues.
The results are clear when these issues are not taken care of. To help the society through
generating employment opportunity, creating schools and dispensaries, helping women
empowerment are the social responsibility issues
Human Resource Management: Meaning, Objectives, Scope and Functions!
Meaning:
Before we define HRM, it seems pertinent to first define the term ‘human resources’. In
common parlance, human resources means the people. However, different management
experts have defined human resources differently. For example, Michael J. Jucius has defined
human resources as “a whole consisting of inter-related, inter-dependent and interacting
physiological, psychological, sociological and ethical components”.
According to Leon C. Megginson “From the national point of view human resources are
knowledge, skills, creative abilities, talents, and attitudes obtained in the population; whereas
from the view-point of the individual enterprise, they represent the total of the inherent

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abilities, acquired knowledge and skills as exemplified in the talents and aptitude of its
employees”.
Sumantra Ghosal considers human resources as human capital. He classifies human capita
into three categories-intellectual capitals, social capital and emotional capital. Intellectual
capital consists of specialized knowledge, tacit knowledge and skills, cognitive complexity,
and learning capacity.
Social capital is made up of network of relationships, sociability, and trustworthiness
Emotional capital consists of self-confidence, ambition and courage, risk-bearing ability, and
resilience. Now it is clear from above definitions that human resources refer to the qualitative
and quantitative aspects of employees working in an organisation.
Let us now define human resource management.
In simple words, HRM is a process of making the efficient and effective use of human
resources so that the set goals are achieved. Let us also consider some important definitions
of HRM.
According to Flippo “Personnel management, or say, human resource management is the
planning, organising, directing and controlling of the procurement development
compensation integration, 4intenance, and separation of human resources to the end that
individual, organisational and social objectives are accomplished”.
The National Institute of Personnel Management (NIPM) of India has defined human
resource/personnel management as “that part of management which is concerned with people
at work and with their relationship within an enterprise. Its aim is to bring together and
develop into an effective organisation of the men and women who make up an enterprise and
having regard for the well-being of the individuals and of working groups, to enable them to
make their best contribution to its success”.
According to Decenzo and Robbins “HRM is concerned with the people dimension in
management. Since every organisation is made up of people, acquiring their services,
developing their skills, motivating them to higher levels of performance and ensuring that
they continue to maintain their commitment to the organisation are essential to achieving
organisational objectives. This is true, regardless of the type of organisation-government,
business, education, health, recreation, or social action”.
Thus, HRM can be defined as a process of procuring, developing and maintaining competent
human resources in the organisation so that the goals of an organisation are achieved in an
effective and efficient manner. In short, HRM is an art of managing people at work in such a
manner that they give their best to the organisation for achieving its set goals.

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Objectives:
The primary objective of HRM is to ensure the availability of right people for right jobs so as
the organisational goals are achieved effectively.
This primary objective can further be divided into the following sub-objectives:
1. To help the organisation to attain its goals effectively and efficiently by providing
competent and motivated employees.
2. To utilize the available human resources effectively.
3. To increase to the fullest the employee’s job satisfaction and self-actualisation.
4. To develop and maintain the quality of work life (QWL) which makes employment in the
organisation a desirable personal and social situation.
5. To help maintain ethical policies and behaviour inside and outside the organisation.
6. To establish and maintain cordial relations between employees and management.
7. To reconcile individual/group goals with organisational goals.
Werther and Davis have classified the objectives of HRM into four categories as shown in
table 1.2.

Table 1.2: HRM Objectives and Functions:

Scope:
The scope of HRM is, indeed, very vast and wide. It includes all activities starting from
manpower planning till employee leaves the organisation. Accordingly, the scope of HRM

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consists of acquisition, development, maintenance/retention, and control of human resources

in the organisation (see figure 1.1). The same forms the subject matter of HRM. As the
subsequent pages unfold, all these are discussed, in detail, in seriatim.

The National Institute of personnel Management, Calcutta has specified the scope of
HRM as follows:
1. The Labour or Personnel Aspect:
This is concerned with manpower planning, recruitment, selection, placement, transfer,
promotion, training and development, lay-off and retrenchment, remuneration, incentives,
productivity, etc.
2. Welfare Aspect:
It deals with working conditions, and amenities such as canteen, creches, rest and lunch
rooms, housing, transport, medical assistance, education, health and safety, recreation
facilities, etc.
3. Industrial Relations Aspects:
This covers union-management relations, joint consultation, collective bargaining, grievance
and disciplinary actions, settlement of disputes, etc.
Functions:
We have already defined HRM. The definition of HRM is based on what managers do. The
functions performed by managers are common to all organizations. For the convenience of
study, the function performed by the resource management can broadly be classified into two
categories, viz.
(1) Managerial functions, and-
(2) Operative functions (see fig. 1.2).

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These are discussed in turn.

(1) Managerial Functions:
Planning:
Planning is a predetermined course of actions. It is a process of determining the
organisational goals and formulation of policies and programmes for achieving them. Thus
planning is future oriented concerned with clearly charting out the desired direction of
business activities in future. Forecasting is one of the important elements in the planning
process. Other functions of managers depend on planning function.
Organising:
Organising is a process by which the structure and allocation of jobs are determined. Thus
organising involves giving each subordinate a specific task establishing departments,
delegating authority to subordinates, establishing channels of authority and communication,
coordinating the work of subordinates, and so on.

Staffing:
TOs is a process by which managers select, train, promote and retire their subordinates This
involves deciding what type of people should be hired, recruiting prospective employees,
selecting employees, setting performance standard, compensating employees, evaluating
performance, counseling employees, training and developing employees.
Directing/Leading:

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Directing is the process of activating group efforts to achieve the desired goals. It includes
activities like getting subordinates to get the job done, maintaining morale motivating
subordinates etc. for achieving the goals of the organisation.
Controlling:
It is the process of setting standards for performance, checking to see how actual performance
compares with these set standards, and taking corrective actions as needed.
(2) Operative Functions:
The operative, also called, service functions are those which are relevant to specific
department. These functions vary from department to department depending on the nature of
the department Viewed from this standpoint, the operative functions of HRM relate to
ensuring right people for right jobs at right times. These functions include procurement,
development, compensation, and maintenance functions of HRM.
A brief description of these follows:
Procurement:
It involves procuring the right kind of people in appropriate number to be placed in the
organisation. It consists of activities such as manpower planning, recruitment, selection
placement and induction or orientation of new employees.
Development:
This function involves activities meant to improve the knowledge, skills aptitudes and values
of employees so as to enable them to perform their jobs in a better manner in future. These
functions may comprise training to employees, executive training to develop managers,
organisation development to strike a better fit between organisational climate/culture and
employees.
Compensation:
Compensation function involves determination of wages and salaries matching with
contribution made by employees to organisational goals. In other words, this function ensures
equitable and fair remuneration for employees in the organisation. It consists of activities
such as job evaluation, wage and salary administration, bonus, incentives, etc.
Maintenance:
It is concerned with protecting and promoting employees while at work. For this purpose
virus benefits such as housing, medical, educational, transport facilities, etc. are provided to
the employees. Several social security measures such as provident fund, pension, gratuity,
group insurance, etc. are also arranged.

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It is important to note that the managerial and operative functions of HRM are performed in
conjunction with each other in an organisation, be large or small organisations. Having
discussed the scope and functions of HRM, now it seems pertinent to delineate the HRM
scenario in India.
[Note: This is the first of a two-part series on the role of an HR manager in good and bad
times. With the upsurge (Talatum) of economic crisis and troubled times ahead, the role of
HR managers is constantly evolving. Before going ahead with the do’s and dont’s in times of
crisis, let’s get back to the basics and take a brief overview at the core functions of an HR
manager. Do use the comments section below to share your thoughts.]

With advancement in technology, conventional (Rawaiti) methods are being

replaced by new-age techniques. Globalization is on the rise and companies are
spreading out all around the world, no longer restricted by geographical barriers.
Economies are rising and falling and evolving continuously. Adding to the turmoil
(Afratafri) are stringent laws and regulations passed, leading to a constant void
waiting to be filled with effective policies that follow all the legal guidelines and at
the same time are not compromising on the organization’s survival. In the midst of
all this, is a function necessary, but minimally looked upon – the human resource
function. In a quest to integrate the operations and strategies of a business across a
wide array of products, services, ideas, and cultures, the role of human resource
managers is constantly evolving. HR managers, who were once confined to
handling basic data work and routine record keeping amongst employees, are now
exposed to an evolving nature of diverse workforce complexities, legal obligations
(Zumadaari), and strategic management of the organizational goals.
With that background, first let’s shed some light on the conventional HR functions and the
traditional role of HR managers:
Recruitment
This is the one function which is hand in glove with HR. Recruitment has been one of the
major responsibilities of the HR team. It is the job of HR personnel to plan and devise
(wazza) strategic campaigns (Mohmaat) and guidelines for recruiting suitable candidates for
a required job description. They also have to serve as a mediator between the employer and
the candidate and communicate company policies and terms of the contract to the candidate

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before he is hired. This is the first pillar of HR management that every HR manager starts
with. It’s probably one of the most important aspects of any HR professional’s career. The
recruitment function comprises 2 main objectives:
1)AttractTalent
Attracting talent starts with first planning the requirement of manpower in the organization.
Gauging (pemaish krna) needs of the organization’s human resource requirements, and
accordingly putting a plan of action to fulfill those needs with placement of “talented
professionals”. That’s followed by creating an “employer brand” which will be representative
of the organization’s good image and portray (be-naqab) an attractive impression in the
minds of potential candidates.
The employer branding aspects have become very important owing to the new-age media and
awareness of employee rights. Putting the best foot forward is no longer enough, it needs to
be followed through with honest actions in favor of the employees. And finally… the HR
manager needs to them create detailed recruitment strategies carry out the hiring process.
2)HireResources
This is where the recruitment strategies are put in action. In the current age, there’s ton of
competition vying for the attention of the best talent in the market. The HR manager needs to
run all possible engines to go out there in the market and find that one suitable gem (Qeemti).
This part of the role includes things like finding relevant locations to look in, reach out to
maximum potential candidates using mass communication mediums, aggregate (Add krna)
all responses, filter out irrelevant applications, judge suitable incumbents (Mazhabi ohdadaar)
and coordinate internally to get them interviewed. Once the finalists are decided, the HR
manager turns into a ‘negotiator’ (Guftgu krny wala) of sorts, working as a mediator between
the company and the candidate to find that win-win ground.
Training
Not all is done once you’ve recruited a suitable candidate for the job. Many organizations
perform tasks a tad differently. Training employee is important to help the new hires get
acquainted (Wakif) with the organization’s work pattern. It is imperative for the HR
department to incorporate a training program for every new employee based on the skill set
required for their job. It will further also contribute towards employee motivation and
retention (barqaraar).
For the training to be effective, every new employee can be subjected to an on-the-job
training for the initial days to get him in sync (Mutabqat) with the work guidelines of the

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organization. This training will not only be of assistance to the employee but also give the
HR team an insight into the employee’s workmanship. On completion of the training, HR
plays a significant role in assessing the results of the training program and grading employees
on the same.
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employee engagement!
Professional Development
Closely related to training, developing your employees professionally is an added bonus for
the employee as well as the organization. Enrolling the employee to attend conferences, trade
shows, seminars etc that may be in his personal interest will make the employee feel cared-
for and a vital part of the organization, thus increasing employee engagement. It will be
beneficial to the organization by way of the employee’s added skill set.
In short, it is a win-win. It is the HR head’s job to get to know the employee’s hobbies and
areas of interest and look out for opportunities that will help them build onto those hobbies.
For example, if an employee wants to master the technique of SEO, the HR could enroll him
for seminars and conferences that talk on the same. However, this should not turn out to be a
selfish attempt that benefits the organization only.
Appraisals
Since HRM is a body meant for the employees, carrying out timely performance appraisals is
a given. Performance appraisals help in employee motivation by encouraging them to work to
their fullest potential. It also enables to give them feedback on their work and suggest
necessary measures for the same. This helps employees to have a clear view of what is
expected of them and what they are delivering. They can thus, work better towards improving
their performance and achieving targets.
The role of HR (especially the HR manager) in this would be to have a policy of generating
timely appraisal reports and a review of the same by the authorities. The HR team should
communicate individually with employees and give a clear feedback or suggestion on their
performance. A system to reward employees excelling at their work would help in employee
motivation and thus garner a higher degree of productivity and employee engagement.
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Maintaining Work Culture

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It is the duty of the HR to maintain a healthy, safe, and fun work environment to ensure a
level of comfort amongst the employees and eliminate any stressful or awkward atmosphere
that may hinder the performance of the staff. It is vital to have an efficient work atmosphere,
because an individual’s performance a largely dependent on the surrounding he’s working in.
It would be great to have an open-door policy up to some extent wherein employees can
freely communicate and voice their opinions to be given consideration. The HR department’s
role is to be a friendly body with an open attitude. By communicating and treating every
employee as equal, the HR can build a rapport with the employees. This goes a long way in
increasing employee engagement and gives a higher job satisfaction.
Resolving Conflicts
Where different people have different views, conflicts are almost inevitable. Whether the
dispute is amongst two or more employees or between the employee and the management, an
HR manager has the right to intervene and help map out a solution.
The HR should be available at the disposal of the conflicting parties and hear out their issues
without being judgmental. Prior investigations are a must before passing any judgment. The
HR head is not expected to discriminate or play favorites in this matter and always deliver an
unbiased (neutral) and practical decision. A reimbursement (Adaigi krna) in case of any loss
caused and strict actions against the defaulter should be practiced for effective conflict
resolution by the HRM.
Employee Relations
The Human Resources is called so because its major responsibility is dealing with the human
part of the organization and this involves having great interpersonal skills. An HR manager
who sits in the office all day will not turn out to be good at building connections with the
employees and thus fail to serve the purpose of being an HR head. As an HR person,
employees should feel comfortable coming up to you with their problems and for that, it is
important that the HR team builds a good public image within the organization.
The HR team has to be proactive and know their employees. An HR personnel’s job is not a
desk job altogether. The HR head’s role is to establish the trust and confidence of the
employees and not have a “don’t mess (gandgi) with me” demeanour (behaviour). He should
be looked upon as both an HR expert and an employee advocate.
Rewards and Incentives
Rewarding the employees for a work well done imparts motivation and at the same time
induces a desire to excel at tasks in hope of obtaining rewards. It serves as bait for inculcating

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a healthy competitive environment amongst employees to achieve targets and meet deadlines.
A reward need not be materialistic always. It could just be a word of appreciation in front of
all coworkers for a menial (Adna) task done with complete honesty.
However, with globalization and evolving trends, compensations like holiday packages, pay
incentive, bonuses, and promotion are taking a backseat. If as an HR manager you are
wanting to reward your employees efficiently, it’s time you adapt new ways of awarding
benefits such as flexible work times, paternity leave, extended holidays, telecommuting etc.
These non-traditional rewards will prove fruitful not only in engaging existing workforce but
also as an added benefit to attract new talent to your organization.
Legal Knowledge
This may seem the least glamorous of all, but is an important aspect of the HRM. An HR
manager should always be in compliance with the law. Whether it’s drafting new policies or
writing terms of a contract, it is the HR department’s job to build guidelines keeping the laws
in mind. This ensures an organization’s continued growth and existence. While drafting
policies, the HR should always ensure to be at an upper hand legally and keep the
organization’s practices in tune with the labor laws, tax laws, permissible working hours,
minimum wages, and a no-discrimination policy.
Organization
An HR head is responsible for organizing all functions of the organization. To start with, it
includes employee on-boarding, i.e. welcoming new employees. It is a must for every HR
head to carry out an induction for every new hire, and give them an orientation regarding the
company policies and rules.
The HR personnel should also introduce the new employees to their colleagues and assign
them a mentor. It also involves listing out job expectations and defining roles and
responsibilities, thus getting the new employees in tune with the working of the organization.
The HR personnel are also responsible for organizing and storing all employee data
efficiently and keeping it secure.
Management
Management is the most important job of an HR manager. It is what defines a good HR
manager. Management extends right from managing employees to managing the employers
and the whole HR department as well.
The role of an HR manager is to manage, create, implement and supervise
policies/regulations, which are mandatory for every employee and also have knowledge of its

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appropriate functioning. Monitoring attendance and tracking leaves forms a major chunk of
the HR management function. There should be a proper management of the clock-in/out time
to avoid late arrivals and track overtimes and half-days. As mentioned before, the HR as a
department should also be well managed by the HR head. If the HR department itself is in a
state of chaos (afratafri), it cannot serve as a peacemaker for the other departments.
Payroll Management
Once all the attendance monitoring, leave tracking, clock in/outs etc is tracked and
monitored, it’s time for the most important aspect–calculating the payroll. Efficient
calculation of salaries, wage-cuts, reimbursements, and generation of pay slips amounts to the
role of HR managers in payroll management.
The HR manager should maintain transparency and provide the employees with information
as and when asked. The HR should ensure not only accurate calculations of salaries but also
timely transfer of the same. They also have an obligation towards exiting employees in
settlement of dues and compensations.
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Conclusion
According to research, the human part of your organization tallies up to 80 per cent of your
organization’s assets; reason enough for you to QC your human resource function. To build a
team of professionals, it is of utmost importance to have an equally professional and well-
managed HR department. A slipshod (Bay Asool) HR function will cost your organization’s
future and compromise on its achievements. To summarize, the role of an HR manager is to
maintain law and order in the organization and amongst the employees, which further extends
to attracting, engaging and retaining top talent.
It’s high time to direct the people who are responsible for giving direction to everyone.

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