3 ways HR professionals support line managers and their staff Essay

Recruitment: The process of selection and appointment of suitable candidates for jobs in an organisation, in a short span and cost effectively manner. The process includes analyzing the requirements of a job, attracting employees to that job, screening and selecting candidates, hiring and integrating the new employee to the company. It is a critical activity not only for the HR function but also for the line managers and various departments involved. The most important responsibility of the HR function is to find the right people for the right position. Defining targets and approaching the target with a view to hire does this. An HR professional’s ability to attract new talent that fits the needs of a company, they are trained to be proficient when organising orientation manuals, pre-employment screens and other steps prior to employment of a new hire. Thus the organisation gains the best talents on board be it internally or externally which maximizes the overall growth. â€Å"The key for us, number one, has always been hiring very smart people.† – Bill Gates, 1993 Training and Development: Learning and development strategy articulates workforce capabilities, skills or competencies required and how these can be developed, to ensure the run of a successful organization. The HR function helps in developing the mindset and skills to support the business in its evolution. They ensure that all the employees leave every session with a tangible skill they can  put in place immediately when they return to their desk. This gives a competitive advantage and adapt to economic circumstances. These are achieved by conducting seminars, boot camps, master classes and incorporating social media into content to understanding audience behaviours. The HR team ensures that these are designed and delivered by experts inside business or respected external figures. As key element of an organisation’s learning strategy they will target the long–term development of those identified as exceptionally high-performing individuals, who are critical to long-term business success. Hence this will widen employee’s knowledge and helps drives high performance level for a long-term successful business. â€Å"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.† – Nelson Mandela, 2007 Employee Engagement: Employee engagement is a workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to their organization’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organizational success, and are able to simultaneously enhance their own sense of well-being. The HR function makes sure that the employees have an engagement with the organization and engagement with their manager, which automatically increases the competency and results in high performance. They are able to analyze the key drivers of engagement and plan activities or initiatives that will have the greatest impact of engaging the employees. The HR team engages the employees by arranging fitness activities, cultural events, mentoring activities, book clubs, family activities, charity run, volunteering activities, visits to other departments, company lunch, etc. This gives an opportunity to a good needed break from their routine, which is essential for employees. Thus this leads to increased productivity, increased quality, greater innovation and better customer service. â€Å"On what high-performing companies should be striving to create: A great place for great people to do great work.† – Marilyn Carlson, former CEO of Carlson Companies, 2014 The following report tells, as to how HR professionals support line managers and staff Communication: Organizational communication refers to the forms and channels of communication among employees of organizations. Studies have found a strong relationship between the levels of communication in an organization and job performance and satisfaction. Organizational communication takes place upward, downward and horizontally. The HR function helps to bridge the gap between the management and direct employees or vice versa. The HR department has the responsibility to encourage management at all levels to communicate with employees regarding all matters of concern, including various company actions such as layoffs, promotions and important subject matters such as benefits, company policies and employment stability. Excellent communication between HR personnel and the company’s employees keeps them constantly well informed. Employees need to be listened at all times so that it will not demotivate them. Hence communication done with the help of HR function has been shown to be linked to good company’s success. â€Å"The art of communication is the language of leadership† – James Humes, 2011 Performance Management: Performance Management encourages the continuous improvement of business processes and of individuals’ skills, behaviour and contributions. This evaluation system is an invaluable tool for all business. An annual performance review places all employees on an equal field and allows the managers to see which employees are creating the most value for the organization. HR function plays an important role, by ensuring that the  process is far, accurate and managed appropriately. It motivates employees and helps in the development of the organization in the right direction. The goals and tasks of managers and employees should be aligned with the business strategy. HR function helps in setting departmental and individual performance targets, evaluates the whole process to improve effectiveness and also encourage business heads to award the right employee. This is like a key delivery mechanism associated with the management behaviours instrumental in driving performance, such as listening, coaching, communicating and creating relationships based on trust and respect. By giving such support, the line managers and organization will be definitely benefited. â€Å"A process, which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organizational performance.† – Armstrong M. and Baron A. (2004), Managing Performance: Performance Management in action, Institute of Personnel and Development. Job Analysis: Detailed examination of the task, that makes up an employee role also what the job requires in terms of aptitudes, attitudes, knowledge and skills of an employee. It is the first step in a thorough understanding of the job and forms the basis of job description. Job analysis is important primarily because of its influence on organisational structure and also the interrelatedness of it and job design. Without detailed information gained from job analysis, structuring an organisation and understanding where potential duplicity occurs in roles and functions will be difficult. Job analysis is used to: Establish and document competencies required for a job. Identify the job-relatedness of the tasks and competencies needed to successfully perform the job Provide a source of legal defensibility of assessment and selection procedures. It allows departments to identify paths of job progression for employees interested in improving their opportunities for career advancement. Thus line managers and heads are encouraged to consult with HR function for guidance at every step in the job analysis process. â€Å"The entrepreneur builds an enterprise; the technician builds a job† – Michael E. Gerber, (2001), The E-Myth Revisited: Why most small business don’t work and what to do about it, Harper Business Hence the HR function would be grateful, if it is still retained in the organisation. As mentioned the above functions and roles will improvise the growth of the company.