Role of Personnel Manager or HR Manager
by Sree Rama Rao on December 3, 2010
Human resources Managers, nowadays wear many hats. They perform mainly three different
types of roles while meeting the requirements of employees and customers, namely
administrative, operational and strategic.
Administrative Roles:
The administrative roles of human resources management include policy formulation and
implementation, housekeeping, records maintenance, welfare, administrative, legal compliance
etc.
1.Policy maker: The human resource manager helps management in the formation of policies
governing talent acquisition and retention, wage and salary administrative welfare activities,
personnel records, working conditions etc. He also helps in interpreting personnel policies in an
appropriate manner.
2.Administrative expert: The administrative role of an HR Manager is heavily oriented to
processing and record keeping. Maintaining employees file and HR related databases processing
employee benefit claims, answering queries regarding leave, transport and medical facilities,
submitting required reports to regulatory agencies are examples of the administrative nature of
HR management. These activities must be performed efficiently and effectively to meet
changing requirements of employees, customers and the government.
3.Advisor: It is said that personnel management is not a line responsibility but a staff function.
The personnel manager performs his functions by advising, suggesting , counseling and helping
the line managers in discharging their responsibilities relating to grievance redressal, conflict
resolution, employee selection and training . Personnel advice includes preparation of reports,
communication of guidelines for the interpretation and implementation of policies, providing
information regarding labor laws etc.
4.Housekeeper: The administrative roles of a personnel manager in managing the show include
recruiting pre-employment testing, reference checking, employee surveys, time keeping, wage
and salary administration, benefits and pension administration wellness programs, maintenance
of records etc.
5.Counselor: The personal manager discusses various problems of the employees relating to
work, career their supervisors, colleagues, health, family, financial, social etc and advises them
on minimizing and overcoming problems if any.
6.Welfare officer: Personnel manager is expected to be the Welfare Officer of the company. As
a Welfare officer he provides and maintains (On behalf of the company) canteens, hospitals,
crches, educational institutes, clubs, libraries, conveyance facilities, co-operative credit societies
and consumer stores. Under the Factories Act, Welfare officers are expected to take care of
safety, health and welfare of employees. The HR managers are often asked to oversee if
everything is in line with the company legislation and stipulation.
7.Legal consultant: Personnel manager plays a role of grievance handling, settling of disputes,
handling disciplinary cases, doing collective bargaining, enabling the process of joint
consultation interpretation and implementation of various labor laws, contacting lawyers
regarding court cases, filing suits in labor courts, industrial tribunals, civil courts and the like.
In some organizations the above administrative functions are being outsourced to external
providers in recent times, with a view to increasing efficiency as also cutting operational costs.
Technology is being put to good use to automate many of the administrative tasks.
Operational Roles:
These roles are tactical in nature and include recruiting, training, and developing employees
coordinating HR activities with the actions of managers and supervisors throughout the
organizations and resolving differences between employees.
1.Recruiter: Winning the war for talent has become an important job of HR managers in recent
times in view of the growing competition for people possessing requisite knowledge, skills and
experience. HR managers have to use their experience to good effect while laying down lucrative
career paths to new recruits without, increasing the financial burden to the company.
2.Trainer /developer/ motivator: Apart from talent acquisition talent retention is also
important. To this end, HR managers have to find skill deficiencies from time to time, offer
meaningful training opportunities, and bring out the latent potential of people through intrinsic
and extrinsic rewards which are valued by employers.
3.Coordinator /linking pin: The HR manager is often deputed to act as a linking pin between
various divisions / departments of an organization. The whole exercise is meant to develop
rapport with divisional heads, using PR and communication skills of HR executives to the
maximum possible extent.
4.Mediator: The personnel manager acts as a mediator in case of friction between two
employees, groups of employees, superiors, and subordinates and employees and management
with the sole objective of maintaining industrial harmony.
Challenges of Modern Personnel Management
Changing Mix of the Work force
Changing Personal Values of the Work force
Changing expectations of citizen-employees
Changing levels of productivity
Changing demands of government
Changing Mix of the workforce.
Increased numbers of minority members entering occupations requiring greater skills.
Increasing levels of formal education for the entire work force.
More female employees.
More married female employees.
More working mothers.
A steadily increasing majority of white-collar employees in place of the blue-collar.
Changing Personal Values of the Work Force
Better morale
Better fit of work time to the employees body clock
Improving handling of fluctuating workloads
Increased customer service
Reduced employee absenteeism
Reduced turnover
Changing Expectations of Citizen-Employees
o
Freedom of Speech
Right to privacy
Changing Levels of Productivity
o
Numerous laws
Increase in new numbers of employees
Adversial relations with labour unions
Changing Demands of Government
o
In procurement
Development
compensation,
integration,
maintenance
separation.
