Most Important Characteristics of Human Resource Management (HRM)

8 Most Essential Characteristics of Human Resource Management (HRM)

Human Resource Management (HRM) 

Human resource management is the managerial function in the organization, that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring, performance management, organization development, safety, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and training. It is management process which brings people and organization together so that common and predefined goals are achieved.

Let’s describe the characteristics of human resource management as follows; 

1) Considers human resources as the most valuable assets 

Human resources are vital for achieving organizational goals. Any workforce depend on the quality of human resources. That is the reason, HRM is focused with employees both as individuals and as a group in attaining goals. It is concerned with behavior, emotional and social aspects of personnel. 

2) A continuous process 

Human resource management is not a do and finish work, rather it is an ongoing process of managing people/employees and their competencies. It is a series of actions performed continuously, like selection of human resource, training to human resource, performance appraisal. To be more specific, the human resource process includes acquisition (HR planning, recruitment, selection, placement, socialisation), development (training and development, and career development), utilisation (job design, motivation, performance appraisal and reward management), and maintenance (labour relations, employee discipline, grievance handling, welfare, and termination) 

3) Future Oriented Process 

HRM helps in assessing human resource requirement for future. It helps to determine the future objectives and goals of the firm and it employees the people to get the job done in future period of time. This makes sense that it is a future oriented process. 

4) Challenging activity 

Human resource management is a challenging job due to the dynamic nature of people. It aims at securing unreserved co-operation from all employees in order to attain pre-defined goals. To supervise HR specialists in each of the disciplines, a human resource manager must have extensive knowledge of these areas. The HR manager must typically be expert in both HR management and HR processes. These all activities makes the HRM a challenging activity processs. 

5) Determines right people in the right place at the right time 

HRM determines the right number and kind of people at the right time and right place who are capable of performing the required jobs. It also helps to determine the future requirement of manpower for organizational needs. 

6) Optimum utilization of human resources 

HRM checks how the human resources are best utilized in a productive manner. HR planning focuses on optimum utilization of resources in the organization. It is concerned with how the best can be achieved identifying the employee’s existing capabilities and future potentialities to perform the work. 

7) Development oriented process 

Human resource management is focused on developing the potential of employees, in a manner that they can give their best in the development work. It helps employees to derive maximum satisfaction from their work and give their best efforts to the firm. In conclusion, it is concerned with employee’s job satisfaction, high salary, job-security, pride, challenging work, status and recognition, participation in decisional work, opportunity for development work and many more. 

8) Human relations philosophy 

Basic assumptions and philosophy of human resource management determines that human/people are not a factor of production like land, labor or capital. It defines the skill of a manger to manage people with differing needs. 

Some other characteristics of human resource management (HRM) are pointed out as follows; 

• Covers all levels of personnel 
• Inherent in all type of organization 
• Emphasizes on the information of human capabilities. 
• Attempts at getting the willing cooperation of the people. 
• Involves management functions like planning, organizing, directing and controlling.