HR POLICIES, HRM AS A STAFF FUNCTION & LINE RESPONSIBILITY

HR management: functions, policies and roles HR policies are guides to action. They serve as roadmaps for managers on a number of issues such as recruitment, selection and promotion They cover almost all functions of HR management A good HR policy should be easy to understand, based on facts, equitable, reasonably flexible, precise and related to objectives.

HR management: functions, policies and roles 2-10  Originated policies  Appealed policies  Imposed policies  General policies  Specific policies  Written or implied policies

HR management: functions, policies and roles 2-11  Delegation  Uniformity  Better control  Standards of efficiency  Confidence  Speedy decisions  Coordinating devices

HR management: functions, policies and roles 2-12 Features of a sound HR policy  Related to objectives  Easy to understand  Precise  Stable as well as flexible  Based on facts  Appropriate number  Just, fair and equitable  Reasonable  Review

HR management: functions, policies and roles 2-13  social responsibility policies  employment policies  promotion policies  development policies  relations policies

HR management: functions, policies and roles 2-14  identifying the need  collecting data  specifying alternatives  communicating the policy  evaluating the policy

HR management: functions, policies and roles 2-15 The impact of human resource policies can be measured through their outcomes:  Commitment: how long an employee stays with a firm  Competence: appraised through performance appraisal techniques  Congruence: nature and frequency of grievances, disagreement, discord and conflict  Cost effectiveness: measured through human resource accounting techniques

HR management: functions, policies and roles ORGANISING THE HR FUNCTION The HR function can be organised along traditional as well as modern lines, depending on the nature, scale and complexity of operations in a given organisation.

HR management: functions, policies and roles  Line and staff relationships: The relationship existing between two managers due to delegation of authority and responsibility and giving or receiving instructions or orders is called line relationship.

HR management: functions, policies and roles  Line authority, thus, represents uninterrupted line of authority and responsibility running through the management hierarchy. Staff specialists offer help and advice to line managers, whenever required.

HR management: functions, policies and roles  Staffs think and lines do”  “Staffs advise, lines work”  “Staffs have the authority of ideas and lines have the authority of command”.  Viewed broadly, therefore, HR management is a line manager’s responsibility but a staff function”.

HR management: functions, policies and roles  Policy initiation and formulation  Advice  Service  Monitor and control

HR management: functions, policies and roles HR department in a line organisation 2-18 Chief Executive HR Manager Recruiting OfficerTraining ManagerCompensation Manager Welfare Officer Assistants

HR management: functions, policies and roles 2-20 Chief Executive HR Manager Recruiting OfficerTraining ManagerCompensation Manager Welfare Officer Assistants Line relationship Staff relationship