What is Human Resource Management?
Human resources management involves managing the people who make up a company. Essentially, HR management views the people in a company as its most key assets, and takes charge of the practices and policies that ensure those assets are satisfied in their jobs and empowered to do their best work. HR management teams are the human face of the business, there to support the wider team in a range of areas.
What does HR management do?
Human resources management plays a role across the whole life cycle of any employee, this includes:
Recruitment
Naturally, HR is a key player in the recruitment process. This includes working with hiring teams to find, screen, interview, and ultimately hire the best fit.
Onboarding and ongoing check-ins
From making sure everyone is kept in the loop for an employee’s first day to ensuring that a safe, open channel of communication is always there for when issues arise, HR plays a key role in supporting an employee during their time in a company.
Being the brand
HR must embody the values that make the employer brand, and work to instil and uphold them. As people are at the heart of their role, HR can really make or break how the wider team feels as they have the power to shape a company’s culture — no meagre task, even for smaller businesses.
Run performance reviews
While this is conducted by line managers, the processes are often set by HR who, in turn, will have to manage any promotions or pay rises that come out of positive reviews, or any dismissals that come from poor ones.
Benchmarking
On the topic of promotions and pay rises, whether it’s a new hire or rewarding a high-achiever, HR helps make sure that compensation remains competitive with other businesses, which in turn helps with…
Retention
Knowing that there’s a team that can be the first port of call with everything from escalations to payroll issues can foster a culture of support and professionalism. Essentially, HR management means that there’s a dedicated team to always help with the human aspect of the job, so employees can devote less time to life admin and more time to great work. Companies without HR may find that employees feeling unsupported soon drives talent out, as there is no one to turn to in times of tension.
Helps with compliance and legal issues
HR is there to protect both the employee and the company. In the most serious of circumstances, that means investigating any claims of unacceptable behaviour in an unbiased manner (which a line manager or other senior may not be in a position to do).
What are human resources management information systems?
A human resources management information system is a type of software used by HR to streamline their processes over the many areas of the company they need to manage. Commonly known as HRMIS, these platforms offer a secure and convenient place to store employee details, as well as key documents and process guidelines.
Some features of HRMIS that help make HR tasks more effective for human resources staff and employees alike include:
• Onboarding communication
• Talent acquisition
• Employee profiles and details (emergency contacts etc)
• Organisational charts
• Time off management
• Team structures
• Performance review timelines
• Contract and key document storage
• Offboarding
• Remote worker management
• Finances
• Device management
• Freelancer management
What is an example of HRIS?
Some popular human resource management information system options include:
• Workday
• Greenhouse
• JobDiva
• Oracle
• Workable
The best bit? LinkedIn HRM system integrations mean you can harness the huge talent pool found on LinkedIn with the streamlined processes of your favourite HR systems, reducing time fill.
Benefits of human resources systems
Some benefits of choosing a HRM system include:
Task automation
A great time-saving tool, a HRM system can help you automate regular tasks like payroll and benefits. Some can also allow for self-service like employees updating their own bank account details if they recently moved banks.
Data security
Encryption, multi-factor authentication, and regular security updates are part and parcel of many human resources systems, providing greater peace of mind for HR staff and employees alike.
Easy tracking of time off
Losing track of people’s time off can be disastrous for resource management and for ensuring fair and unbiased treatment of staff. HR systems make this simple and ensure that employees feel supported in their right to take time off.
Easily spot talent gaps in teams
With organisational and team charts that update with every new hire or leaver, HR systems mean there’s always an accurate overview of the team, so gaps can be easily spotted and filled.
Employee autonomy
Many human resources systems have a HR side and an employee side, so it’s a great way to place more autonomy on each individual (for example, for viewing and requesting time off) and giving more time back to HR teams.
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