Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management (HRM) is both anor company which recruits, develops and utilizes an
academic theory and a business practice. It is basedorganization's personnel in the way which would
on the notion that employees are firstly human, andbenefit the firm's objectives. Creating alignment
secondly should not be treated as a basic businessbetween an organization's HRM strategy and the core
resource. HRM is also seen as an understanding of theobjectives of a business is seen to be essential.
human aspect of a company and its strategicHuman resources management's functions extend to
importance.deciding the type of staff needed (manpower, labor,
Human Resource Management is seen as moving onoffice staff, etc.), evaluation of the personnel's
from a simple "personnel" approach because it isperformances and granting the appropriate
preventative of potential problems, and secondly itcompensations and benefits to them. The human
should be a major aspect of the company philosophy,resource manager holds the personnel's data, records,
in which all managers and employees are championspolicies, and has the access to the pool of other
of HRM-based policies and philosophy.applicants when the company's need for new
The basic premise of the academic theory of HRM isadditional staff arises.
that humans are not machines. Therefore we need toThe human resource staff is the foremost
have an interdisciplinary examination of people in theimplementer of the company's rules and regulations
workplace. Therefore fields such as psychology,regarding staff/personnel behavior and discrepancies.
sociology, and critical theories such as postmodernismThe human resource department also covers the
and post-structuralism play a major role.regular updating and improvement of personnel
Critics of HRM have noted that HRM suffers theperformances through development activities, surveys
problem of the connotation of its own name: treatingand evaluation exercises.
humans as a resource.Copyright 2007 Ismael D.
Human Resource Management is part of a business