Human Resource Management: Functions, Activities, and Influences

Posted on Mar 5, 2025 in Business Administration and Management (BAM)

Functions and Activities in Human Resource Management

Human Resources Planning

  • Determines quantitative and qualitative staffing needs based on organizational objectives and strategy.
  • Indicates:
    • How many employees and what type are needed.
    • How to acquire them (external/internal recruiting).
    • Training needs.
  • Extremely important, though recently incorporated in HR management.

Job Analysis

  • Essential for understanding the substance of a job and its requirements.

HR Insurance Needs of the Organization

  • Recruiting applicants and selecting the most appropriate candidates for different positions.
  • Important for both internal and external candidates.
  • The more applications received, the more selective the hiring process can be.
  • Selection process (interview, resume review, and tests) must meet regulations.

Increase of Human Potential and Development of the Individual

  • Increased interest in training, development, management, and career planning in recent years.
  • Helps employees chart their careers, using training as a key strategy to remain competitive, due to the cost of staff turnover.
  • Changes in technology pose a challenge for companies.

Assessment of Employee Attitudes

  • Important for tracking employees for promotions, transfers, training, and pay adjustments.

Salaries and Employee Motivation

  • Determined based on the value of the job, individual contributions, and performance.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work

  • Focuses on occupational accidents and diseases, with growing interest in social and psychological risk factors.

Strategic Management of HR

  • Essential to know the strengths and weaknesses of the human component of the organization to decide on courses of action.

External and Internal Influences on HR Management

Internal Influences

Support from Top Management

  • Determines the importance of HR management, influencing whether HR is reactive or proactive. The term has evolved from “HR department” to “HR staff.”
  • Top management support is reflected in the status given to HR leaders (e.g., participation in strategic committees).

Strategy

  • Determines the general characteristics the organization requires of its employees (e.g., focus on short-term or long-term goals, high or low risk).
  • Influences the skills, expertise, and specific knowledge needed by employees; employee skills are also included in the analysis of company strategies.

Culture

  • Corporate culture: System of organizational values.
  • Influenced by top management, determining work values, ethics, dealing with people, etc.
  • Plays an important role in individual behavior (e.g., degree of discretion/freedom in decision-making, criteria for promotion, remuneration).
  • Conflict should be avoided between values that are promoted and what is rewarded.

Technology and Structure

  • Technology: Equipment and knowledge used to produce goods and services.
  • Aspects such as quality and productivity have questioned traditional technologies, making way for new forms (technology in lots or artisanal).
  • Organizational structure is becoming less hierarchical: group work organization, reduced supervision, individual responsibility, leading to a flattening of hierarchy, reducing costs, and improving quality.
  • Impacts policies for promotion or career management, assessment criteria (individual vs. group), training (specific vs. polyvalent), etc.

Size Range

  • Larger organizations have more formalized management processes, less flexibility, and are less dependent on the external labor market.
  • Small businesses often outsource their HR departments.

External Influences

The Economy

  • Strong economy: low unemployment, high salaries, important recruiting (retain good employees, more training).
  • Weak economy: high unemployment, lower wages, reduced need for employee development.

International Competition

  • Free Trade Agreements (U.S., Canada, Mexico, European Union, Asian influence) mean businesses must be competitive.
  • Globalization of markets has developed International HR Management.