...Chapter 1, Activity 4 – What HR Managers and Departments Do Today The assignment was to read several business publications, review their contents, and from that compile a list of what HR managers and departments do today. It’s easy to understands that HR managers and departments have a mired of completely different tasks they need to effectively perform. I had several takeaways from both the text and publications I read. The first was how extraordinary each HR representative must be in order to maintain efficiency and must have excellent multi-tasking skills; especially in smaller departments. Even to manage the outsourcing of some of their responsibilities still requires the knowledge and know-how to ensure it’s done correctly. The numerous articles I read support the varying topics HR managers need to track and many of them are constantly changing and/or evolving with new insights to consider. Here is the list I put together. “What HR Managers and Departments Do Today” 1. Defend its HR department business practices. 2. Advise senior leadership and managers. 3. Counsel and/or mediate with/for managers and employees. 4. Diligently keep up on new labor relations and compliance laws. 5. Employee training: new hire, diversity, EEO, etc. 6. Employee personal development, to include wellness programs. 7. Personnel and production analytics review. 8. Manage performance employee reviews, to include promotions and firing. 9. Execute and/or...
Words: 1277 - Pages: 6
...The article Why We Hate HR by Keith Hammonds, deputy editor for Fast Company, discusses the ineffectiveness human resources have on a company. He very boldly argues that HRM’s striving to become involved in strategic business planning and to have “a seat at the table” are inhibited by the routine functions of HR and administrative expectations (Hammonds, 2005, p. 1). Hammonds’ article develops claims that lead up to his conclusion that HR is a wasted talent for a company to utilize to gain differentiation, competiveness, and value. The critiques Hammonds used to define human resources can be used to explore the potential value and capabilities HR has to offer a business and possibilities of a company gaining in the HR area of the work force. Hammonds argues that the focus on performance impedes on an organization’s ability to deliver value to employees and customers. “You’re only effective if you add value,” he quotes Dave Ulrich, “… you’re not measured by what you do but by what you deliver,” (Hammonds, p. 3). In order to achieve added value, organizations can consider adopting new HR practices. In R. Wayne Mondy’s Human Resource Management text book, the evolution of HR is discussed with a simple conclusion that there is no pattern for how human resource tasks are now achieved. The only certainty is that the previously identified HR functions must still be accomplished. Each company must choose the appropriate vehicle for doing these tasks based on specific needs...
Words: 683 - Pages: 3
...Why We Hate HR In a knowledge economy, companies with the best talent win. And finding, nurturing, and developing that talent should be one of the most important tasks in a corporation. So why does human resources do such a bad job From: Issue 97 | August 2005 | Page 40 | By: Keith H. Hammonds Well, here's a rockin' party: a gathering of several hundred midlevel human (Yo, Wayne Newton! How's the 401(k)?) They are here, ensconced for two days at faux to confer on "strategic HR leadership," a conceit that sounds, to the lay observer, at once frightening and self contradictory. If not plain laughable. Because let's face it: After close to 20 years of hopeful rhetoric about becoming "strategic partners" with a "seat at the table" where the business decisions that matter are made, most human aren't nearly there. They have no seat, and the table is locked inside a conference room to which they have no key. HR people are, for most practical purposes, neither strategic nor leaders. I don't care for Las Vegas. And if it's not clear already, I don't like HR, either, which is why I'm here. The human force that blindly enforces nonsensical rules, resists creativity, and impedes constructive change. HR is the corporate function with the greatest potential the one that most consistently underdelivers. And I am here to find out why. Why are annual performance appraisals so time henchman for the chief financial officer, finding...
Words: 3530 - Pages: 15
...or quality of work. In this paper I will give a summary of an article called becoming an evidence based HR practitioner. This article is relevant to this paper because it gives background on how to address issues in the workplace, using evidence based solutions. Also, I have chosen to focus on team building exercises and how they affect employees in the workplace. I will include evidence to support my argument whether or not this is a useful technique. Becoming an Evidence-Based HR Practitioner Becoming an evidenced based HR practitioner was a very insightful article to read. The article described EBHR as a decision making process that combines critical thinking and scientific evidence along with business information. It also informs the reader how to get started as an EBHR practitioner. The key aspect to EBHR is to actively manage professional decisions. This involves making decisions using practices supported by high research. The article also includes step by step set of approaches to becoming an evidence based HR practitioner. It offers guidance for evidence- based practice the article underscores the connection between effective practice and organizational research. Team Building and Employee Relationships The question I decided to focus on was “Do team building exercises improve relationships among employees?”First I decided to address why team building seem like a good technique to use in the workplace. First it facilitates better communication...
Words: 967 - Pages: 4
...On-The-Job-Training(Internship) in HR Department and other Industrial establishments related. We have given 360 hours to undergo and pursue this training that will help us to acquire knowledge and skills that will serve as a tool to face the challenges of life in the future. It will set our mind of what does a real world of industrial is all about. Others think that industrial matters only on encoding or interviewing applicants which is true; however, it also matters or related in decision making. It also related to the development of our skills in communication, teamwork, enhance knowledge and management. Thus, experience is vital to one’s improvement and preparing students to their career is the best way to set them on success. Pierre and Paul is my first company to work with but unfortunately, I didn’t want the nature of the work so I decide to look for another company that will give me an opportunity to learn more and it was related on my course. My concern classmate informed me that National Bookstore Inc. is looking for Interns so I grab it. I started my OJT on July 29, 2013 at National Bookstore Inc. I really amazed and glad because we all know that National Bookstore Inc. is a well known company in our company. I was assigned at the HR Department because the Assistant HR Manager their said that they need OJT’s on their department. I accept it because I wanted to assign there. At first, It was hard to understand what I was going to do maybe because I still don’t know the process...
Words: 968 - Pages: 4
...(Re)Designing the HR Organization Amy Kates, Downey Kates Associates M 22 any HR functions have gone through the process of transformation over the past decade. This redefinition of the work of HR is intended to allow a more strategic focus on talent management and organizational capability while systematizing HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING 29.2 and controlling the cost of transactional work. Little formal consideration has been given, however, to how these new complex HR organizations should be configured to best achieve these goals. This article highlights the operational challenges created by the most common organization design used by HR departments—the business partner model—and presents an emerging model— the solutions center—that is intended to address these flaws. Each model is described and discussed and a set of considerations for the HR leader is offered in order to maximize the effectiveness of the chosen organization design. Over the last decade there has been a profound shift in the work of the HR function. The publication in 1997 of David Ulrich’s Human Resource Champions spurred HR leaders across various industries to realign their organizations in order to undertake “strategic business partner” work. At the same time, a focus on cost-cutting and efficiency aimed at staff functions in general—and at HR in particular—has pushed much HR transactional work into shared services or to outsourced vendors. For many HR departments, this process of “transformation...
Words: 8575 - Pages: 35
...The Evolution of HR: Developing HR as an Internal Consulting Organization Richard M. Vosburgh, Mirage Resorts, MGM MIRAGE A s the role and impact of the HR profession continue to evolve, we have reached a critical crossroad. Together and now, business leaders and HR professionals have the opportunity to understand the history that brings us to our current situation, to be informed by predictable trends, and to make the transformation necessary to result in organizational competitive advantage and HR functional viability. Over the last hundred years, the HR profession evolved dramatically, usually in response to external conditions. Unquestionably we are changing—the issue in front of us is whether we will define that future or simply react to the changes that continue to occur in the economy and in our business models. Human ResouRce Planning 30.3 11 If we do not step forward with compelling HR leadership, the future will be determined for us. When the June 2005 Business Week reports “Why HR Gets No Respect,” the August 2005 Fast Company proclaims “Why We Hate HR,” and the “evil personnel director” in Dilbert continues to get knowing laughs, something is going on that the HR profession needs to address. This set of issues goes beyond the never-ending lamentations about lacking a seat at the table for the top HR person—this is about the future of HR in total. We present a historical review and conclude that HR’s greatest opportunity is to develop the organizational...
Words: 9879 - Pages: 40
...“Ethical Dilemma at Northlake” Week 3 – Case Study # 1 Synopsis: The case begins with Jim McIntoch the vice president of finance of Amalgamated Forest Products having a conversation with Frank the manager of corporate reporting. Jim is upset with Frank and is confronting him about the decision he’s made about going public about a financial analysis report that Amalgamated Forest Products will present to the legislation. Frank is stating that the report is falsifying information about the how much the operating cost would be if the company would need to establish pollution control of the discharge of wastewater. Jim is extremely upset and basically threatens him about ruining his career as well as the company if he were to go public with this. Franks response to him begins apologetic about his decision but explains to him that both of them know the report is incorrect and has no real founding facts. Jean Letourmeau the company president is scheduled to testify to the findings of the report in front of the legislative subcommittee in the following week. The report which was titled “Endangered Species: The Pulp and Paper Industry in the Upper Peninsula” had a specific area in which the five pulp and paper companies in the region helped develop the report, however Amalgamated Forest Products took the lead on creating this report. The company had three major mills in the areas in which the government had proposed the pollutions controls to be done in. It also had faced...
Words: 1898 - Pages: 8
...Leadership Behavior and Employee Engagement. 4. Way Ahead 5. Bibliography Transition in Leadership: The issues and office dynamics of bringing laterals at senior level. The dictionary defines leadership as the act of leading, guidance, and direction. Wikipedia defines Leadership as “a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". The key difference is between the first and the second is words like social and enlist. It means leadership cannot be forced it has to be commanded and not demanded. And therefore still in the 21st century each not much has changed in the leadership arena. The companies and large and organization are still looking for people within the organization than bringing in people from outside because of the simple fact that its much easier to connect, trust and enlist for a leader whom you have known for decades than an outsider who has just been around for a few month. According to a data in a given month around 3.0% of U.S. labor force moves from one employer to employer. Need of Hiring Laterals: 1. Globalization: Apple earned 26% of its revenue from Asia Pacific mainly China and 22%...
Words: 1595 - Pages: 7
... Just as I was walking over there to ask why she needed me I bumped into my brother Calvin and made him drop the glass plates he was carrying making them shatter. “Constance, I swear you're as useless a that broken fridge in the garage” he snarled. Now Calvin was my twin brother as we were both fourteen years of age but after the night a few months ago he started to ignore me and then that slowly transformed into hate and resentment. We both had my mom’s midnight black hair and our dad’s sky blue eyes but Calvin stood over me by about...
Words: 790 - Pages: 4
...The Best HR Department Project Lauren Secko Human Resource Management SNHU 71 Aiken Street, Unit H6 Norwalk, CT 06851 Telephone: 203.550.8114 Email: lsecko@newcanaanymca.org Instructor: Dr. Bonnie Nelsen Executive Summary The best HR departments are ones that bring out the best in the team that they are working with. This is done through asking for and being open to feedback from those that you are representing. There are many components that go into this process, and one is no more important than the next. It is all of them together that brings forth an innovative and inclusive HR department that is there to service each and every staff member that is hired. From training and development, to retention and top talent recruitment, HR departments need to understand what is important to their staff and how they can make that team feel engaged and valued. When one is able to perfect that, they can then formulate a department and company that is working towards a common mission and goal. I hope to address this process through my paper that follows. The Best HR Department The best HR departments are ones that are able to attract and help to retain top talent. These departments help their employees feel valued as more than just a number or a tool to make their company better. Instead they make sure that employees know that who they are outside of work and what experiences they bring to the table every day, are valued and received. HR should be a place...
Words: 5783 - Pages: 24
...An Interview with Management Professionals Management refers essentially to the method of getting things done in an effective and efficient way, through and in conjunction with other people. Management activities comprise of planning, staffing, organizing, and leading an organization. All of these tasks support each other and doing all effectively will ultimately help to achieve an organization’s goals and operational effectiveness. The main purpose of this interview report is to gain more insight into the management process. The experiences of these management professionals will better equip me to improve my own management skills and overall effectiveness. Effective management is one of the most important factors in driving and maintaining an efficient workplace, regardless of the specified industry. My interviewees are Patricia Brown, an employment manager with New York Presbyterian Hospital and Therica Reid, a human resources manager with T-Mobile. Both interviews appear below in their entirety: 1. How long have you been in management? Patricia: “I have been in management a little over three years”. Therica: “I have been in management for approximately five years”. 2. What was your first job in management? Patricia: “My first job in management is my current job as an employment manager at New York Presbyterian Hospital”. Therica: “My first management job was as a staff support supervisor in a financial institution. 3. How did you get into management? Patricia:...
Words: 2560 - Pages: 11
...IBM: A GLOBAL HR TOPIC THAT HAS ARRIVED J. T. (Ted) Childs Jr. To be successful, global companies must continue to look toward the future, and CEOs, senior line and HR management, and diversity leaders play a key role in that process. Workforce diversity cannot be delegated; it must be a partnership. Although the HR team plays the key staff role, total delegation from the top, without active involvement, is a recipe for failure. IBM considers diversity a business imperative as fundamental as delivering superior technologies in the marketplace. To ensure that talented people can contribute at the highest possible level, the company insists on a workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment and full of opportunity for all people. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Today, workforce diversity is a global workplace and marketplace topic. Any business that intends to be successful must have a borderless view and an unyielding commitment to ensuring that workforce diversity is part of its day-to-day business conduct. Success also must be measured as it pertains to a company’s composition and program content. A company’s management team must ask itself, “Do we look like our customers, at all levels of our business?” “Do our programs reflect an understanding of the demand for talent in a competitive worldwide marketplace?” “Is our business culture one that fosters inclusiveness and tolerance in each country where we do business?” and, most important, “Are we using workforce...
Words: 3154 - Pages: 13
...First of all I would like to say this is very difficult for me solely because I can write a hundred page paper on each topic. Politics are a very intriguing to me; although, most times it does nothing but make me irate. Even though it pains me to do so, I just can’t help myself in following every facet of politics, both domestic and foreign. Spending most of my free time painstakingly reading bills as they are progressing through our legislative system, I am often surprised at the sheer ignorance of most politicians. For example there is a bill called HR 4646, the debt free America bill, which proposes a one percent tax on ALL banking transactions! Let me break this down for you one percent of every: check cashed, check drawn, atm transaction, check deposited, money transfer, even within your own accounts i.e. transfer from savings to checking, debit card transaction…. The list goes on and on basically any time you touch money in a bank or credit union they want to tax it one percent. Now even though it is quite trivial to me and you; I worry about the man or woman who worked their whole life paying into social security, 401k, retirement plan, stock options ect… That person when they want to retire is going to accrue a substantial sum of money all maturing around the same time of their retirement. So let’s say you gross 10 million total for your retirement the US government is going to take $100,000 of the money you worked a lifetime to collect! O HELL NO! Good luck taking a hundred...
Words: 829 - Pages: 4
...GE’s Imagination Breakthroughs: The Evo Project Company Overview * General Electric (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate corporation formed by the merger of Edison General Electric Company and Thomson-Houston Electric Company in 1892. GE has grown over the years through innovation (from R&D) as well as mergers and acquisitions. * On September 2001, Jeff Immelt became GE’s ninth CEO in its 109-year history. The terrorist attack on September 11 - four days after his appointment destroyed the world trade center towers and caused huge turmoil in the economy. As expected stock market dropped drastically and this led to a drop in confidence that spread rapidly around the globe. * During this economy downturn, the environment was generally bad for most companies to do business and GE was not exempted. By the end pf 2002, GE’s revenue had declined by 3% from prior year and its stock prices had plunged drastically as compared to previous years and all-time high. Immelt identified it was not a great year to be a CEO. * Immelt predecessor Jack Welch had an excellent track record; under his leadership GE had generated a total return to shareholders of 23% per annum for 20 years consecutively. With most of this successes attributed to a disciplined, efficient and consistent operations management aswell as acquisitions. Immelt realized Welchs’ brilliant success stories were a difficult one to match and had to come up with a different strategy to grow in this...
Words: 1799 - Pages: 8