What Is Human Resources (HR)? Goals and importance - British Academy For Training & Development

Categories

Facebook page

Twitter page

What Is Human Resources (HR)? Goals and importance

Human Resources  is the backbone of any organisation, acting as a critical bridge between employees and management to ensure the setup works well in a healthy working environment. HR deals with recruitment, employee relations with management, training and development, performance management, and government compliance.It's much more than just providing servicing; it's a strategic partner in defining and supporting an entire organisation. Promote your HR knowledge with our Professional Diploma in Human Resources, which helps mold the required skills for success in modern organisations. 

Importance of Human Resources

HR is an important ingredient for the success and survival of any organisation. It can be evidenced in the following:

1. Strategic Contribution

The service is to ensure effective workforce planning so as to align human resource strategies with the human resource objectives of the organisation. The aim is to ensure that there is optimum placement of employees in assigned important roles that drive growth and innovation. HR thereby contributes to long-term success by forecasting future workforce needs and planning accordingly. 

2. Conflict Resolution

Disruption of productivity and morale in the workplace due to conflicts is basically at a standstill. This is where HR acts as a mediator and works toward resolving disputes, while making sure it is fair and efficient in the process so harmony and a positive work environment are maintained.

3. Performance Optimisation

HR can use things like performance according to the appraisals, feedback mechanisms, and incentives to maximize employees' productivity. This would be entrusted with regular evaluations that would make possible the identification of strength and weakness and therefore pave the way for continued development. 

4. Employee Well-Being 

The benefits of wellness programs and mental health along with policies that offer the convenience of balancing work and family life go a long way in making a wholesome employee. Not only will this leave employees in high spirits, but it will also result in reduced absenteeism and put an end to relatively high turnover rates in various organisations. 

5. Adaptability to Change

HR today is not only confined to ensuring that organizations adopt new and positive changes but also helps organizations through various transitions such as takeover, merger, acquisition, and even introduction of a new technology. Changes of any kind that would happen within the organisation will be communicated to the employees and, quite importantly, preparations would be made to support and uphold them during that period of transition. 

6. Building Employer Branding 

This can be done by publicising the company as a great place to work through great ways of recruitment, testimonials from employees, and connecting their efforts with the world by using sites like LinkedIn. This makes the employer brand strong enough to attract highly talented people.

Short-Term HR Goals

 Six Short-Term Goals of HR are:

1. Recruitment and Hiring

Effective recruitment brings on board the right talent to meet the current or future needs of the organisation. Streamlining hiring processes and optimising job postings will attract the talent that the organisation is looking for. Enhancing the induction process would assist in the effective and expeditious integration of the new hires into the organisational culture.

2. Employee Engagement

Employees tend to be more committed, productive, and satisfied when they are engaged in the work environment. Employee feedback survey serves as a tool through which the HR professionals come to know about any issues concerning the workplace. Recognition programs and team-building activities create a positive environment to improve team bonding.

3. Training and Development

Regular initiatives for building skills create a better employee competency level and prepare employees for changing job needs. Holding professional development workshops inspires employees to develop within the organisation. Compliance training ensures legal and regulatory standard compliance.

4. Performance Management

Systematising a performance management process is one of the key goals for HR managers, as it ensures employees align themselves with the organisation’s objectives.Well-defined, measurable KPIs give clarity and direction. Timely performance reviews give employees feedback and opportunities for improvement. 

5. Compliances and Policy Updates

The updates to the policy safeguard the labor standards as well as the organisation itself from any legal risks that are possible. Regular audit checks can trace the compliance gaps when they appear. Clear and updated handbooks inform the employees of the key guidelines to note.

6. Employee Retention

Lower turnover saves recruitment costs and retention of implicit knowledge. Other aspects draw from exit interviews conducted to provide actionable insights related to retention. Employee incentive schemes enhance job satisfaction and competitive edge.

Long-Term HR Goals

Seven long- term goals of HR are:

1. Build a Strong Employer Brand

Build and nurture an excellent reputation as an employer, to attract the best talent; consistent branding, employee advocacy, and value promotion through various campaign platforms. The employer brand is strong, thus improving recruitment and retention.

2. Develop a Talent Pipeline

Construct a firm and richer pipeline of staff such that the organisation gets competent employees to take up leadership or key positions as soon as there is a vacancy. This is along with succession planning, leadership development programs, and joint programs with educational institutions that shape students for future possibilities.

3. Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning

An atmosphere of an ever-updating workforce through training and development must be created. Make available a Learning Management System and provide access to certifications, workshops, and self-learning materials.

4. Achieve Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Goals

Establish and sustain standards high on diversity and inclusion across the enterprise. This means hiring diversely from the outside, an enabling work culture, and keeping a near look at metrics as the changes improve over time.

5. Improve Employee Retention and Satisfaction

Formulate means to retain people over a long period to counter attrition risk such as core benefits and advantages in salary and benefits attached to compensation and wealth creation and opportunities for growing careers. Develop formulaic programmes such as engagement mentoring programmes, leader track programs, and health and wellness programmes.

6. Build A Data-Driven HR Function 

Start using external complex HR analytics for data-driven hiring, retention, and performance applications. Expand all potential on what is gleaned from data for effective workforce planning, for cost-saving measures, and to increase productivity.

7.Drive Corporate Social Responsibility Through HR

Engage with employees in the design and execution of CSR initiatives that improve the community and reflect the philosophies of the organisation. Thus, by drawing specific objectives of CSR into the human resource goals and objectives, they can be aligned with the larger organisational values and, at the same time, fuel employee engagement. Long-term employee engagement creates and consolidates morale and improves the public image of the company as well.

These human resource goals and objectives would essentially build up a sustainable, innovative, and people-centered HR approach that fits well into an organisation's growth.

Conclusion

Simply put, Human Capital manages and integrates both the employee and employer by creating HR strategies. From recruitment through to talent management, HR strategies form the backbone of any effective or productive engaged, healthy workforce. Building strong employer branding and learning culture are some of the long-term goals that an organisation is able to achieve alongside many other advantages such as sustainable growth and innovation. Other benefits would include diversity, flexibility, and wellness in the workplace.

For those seeking to enhance their expertise, The British Academy for Training and Development offers comprehensive courses in Human Resource Management to empower professionals in achieving these goals.