Definition Of Human Resources
In a nutshell, the development and management of employees in an organisation is referred to as HR (Human Resources). The main goal of this broad function is to boost the performance of employees.
Annual pay reviews, recruitment, and firing of staff members are among the traditional focus of HR. However, HR now has a wider scope, thanks to its recent positive redefinition.
Human Resources (HR) now covers the following functions:
- Training and Development of Employees
- Staff Benefits
- Safety and Compliance
- On-Boarding
- Compliance with Employment Laws
- Staff Recruitment
- Payroll Management
- Holiday Management
Furthermore, the work of improving productivity, engagement, and development of a positive business culture falls under the purview of the HR department as well. The personal development and wellness of employees are also spearheaded by the HR function. If you need help with HR in your company, you can use the help of HR agencies such as HR Talent.
What Is The Importance Of Human Resources?
SMEs tend to easily overlook the human resources function. It is common for entrepreneurs to struggle with managing their employees when their business starts to grow, even though they were able to get it off the ground successfully.
In addition to requiring specific skills, employee management also takes some time. Simply put, many business owners don’t have the expertise to handle HR.
The value of human resources in business is not seen immediately, regardless of the skills. When it comes to the workers they hire and manage business leaders feel like they are in control, when they only have a few employees.
However, the focus on people can easily get lost, as the business expands, and owners find it harder and harder to find the time for recruiting and managing employees on a daily basis. This is a big mistake that can have an impact on the long-term success, culture, and satisfaction of employees.
Think about the impact of substandard human resources. Staff motivation is negatively affected when employees feel like they aren’t given opportunities, are overworked, and are not supported.
Your organisation’s bottom line is likely to suffer if you have poor HR. To put things into perspective, business success, culture, and people go together.
When it comes to attracting top talent, your reputation as an employer plays an important part. Your customers are also affected by your reputation.
For instance, in the case of Uber, the bad publicity resulting from reports of the company ignoring complaints from employees, and sexual harassment cases among other HR issues have kept many potential customers from using their service and potential employees from working for the company. Uber’s employer brand has been destroyed by bad HR.
The Value Of Human Resources In A Pandemic
We have been forced to re-think the way we do business due to the coronavirus. The human resources function is at the centre of all this. The treatment of workers and decisions made by companies is being used as a means of evaluating these organisations.
Furthermore, businesses across the United Kingdom are being forced to place HR at the heart of their operations due to the effect of the current economic uncertainty, remote working conditions, and its impact on the mental well-being of employees.
Whether it’s during a pandemic or any other serious occurrence, HR is essential to the effective management of an organisation, from communicating the impact of a reduction in business in a sensitive manner, to supporting managers with remote management skills.
What Are The Main Functions Of Human Resources In Business?
Staff Recruitment And On-Boarding
It can be challenging to find the right people to work in your organisation. Staff recruitment can take a lot of time, even months – and any mistakes can cost you a lot. One of the most important aspects of human resources centres on finding a suitable fit with regard to talent recruitment. Your business is bound to suffer if you end up hiring the wrong people or making too many or too few hires.
One of the most underappreciated parts of the recruitment process is perhaps the importance of onboarding.
The entire process of hiring, engaging, orienting, welcoming, and helping new recruits to fit into your business’s culture is referred to as onboarding. This should not be confused with orientation.
You can enhance employee retention and engagement with good onboarding. On the other hand, you can negatively impact new employees and leave them feeling disengaged from the organisation right from the beginning, with poor onboarding.
