Functions of human resource management

Functions of human resource management

Human resource management has a number of functions. According to BPP Learning Media (2010), there are eight functions of human resource of management namely, organisation, human resource planning and resourcing, performance Management, reward management, human resource development, health, safety and welfare, employee relations & HR services. This article addresses these eight functions of human resource of management.

Functions of human resource management

Organisation

It includes organisational design, organisational development, job design & flexible working. Organisational design is about developing appropriate structures and culture for organisations. Job design deals with areas such as job analysis, job description, and job specification.

Human resource planning and resourcing

It is about planning human resources for organisations. It includes looking into the supply and demand of human resources and taking appropriate actions e.g. recruitment or redundancy accordingly.

Performance Management

Managing performance is an important function of human resource management. It includes setting developmental goals for employees and monitoring their performance accordingly. Performance appraisal is a widely common concept in performance management.

Reward management

People work for many reasons and expect rewards for their work. Reward management is about applying certain methods to appreciate the efforts of employees fairly and adequately. If employees are not rewarded appropriately, their commitment to work may not be guaranteed. Employees can be rewarded by both financial and non-financial means.

Human resource development

It is another important function of human resource management. This function deals with training and development of employees. Learning styles and theories are also considered in human resource development as they are relevant to designing and implementing training programmes.

Health, safety and welfare

Employees need safe work place and their welfare issues need to be addressed. There are number of rules of regulations in the UK concerning health and safety of workers. For example, Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994, and Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 to name but a few.

Employee relations

Maintaining good relations with employees is important for the operations of a business. Failure to do so may lead to industrial strikes and other related actions. Organisations may sometimes need to communicate with trade unions in order to maintain good employee relations.

HR services

It includes activities such as staff holiday management, payroll processing, employee benefits, and career advice. HR services are very important for employees for many reasons. For example, timely pay or holiday approval have a significant say in the life of employees.

In a nutshell, there are a number of functions of human resource management that organisations need to consider. They need to perform these functions well not only to run the day to day functions of the organisations, but also to ensure staff motivation and commitment.

We hope the article has helped you explore the key functions of human resource management. You may also like reading Human resource management – definition and importance and What is human resource planning? If you liked this article, please share it by clicking on the icons below.

Last update: 09 August 2023

References: 

BPP Learning Media (2010) Business Essentials: Human Resource Management, London: BPP Learning Media Ltd

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Author: M Rahman

M Rahman writes extensively online with an emphasis on business management and marketing. He is a graduate of both Leeds Metropolitan University and London South Bank University.