In the past, Human Resource professionals were just
playing an administrative role behind-the-scenes such as handling
issues of employee benefits or recruiting, interviewing, and hiring
new personnel in accordance with policies and requirements laid
down by top management. Today HR managers are actively involved
in shaping corporate policy even as they juggle the tasks mentioned
earlier.
Organisations are accepting the importance of the human resources
department to their financial success. Human resources managers
help to improve morale and productivity and to limit job turnover.
They help their employers effectively use employee skills, provide
training opportunities to enhance those skills, and boost employees'
satisfaction with their jobs and working conditions. Human resources
professionals have only limited contact with people outside the
office but dealing with people is an essential part of the job.
HR or Personnel Managers are involved in all aspects of people management.
They help in developing personnel policies and procedures, planning
ways to meet the human resource needs of the future, and ensuring
that internal policies and programmes conform to all laws that affect
the workplace. They may be involved as generalists and do a bit
of everything, or they may specialise in areas like recruitment,
training and development, employee relations, compensation benefits
specialists, placement managers, etc.
The skill set
Patience and flexibility will be necessary as HR managers interact
with people of widely differing levels of intelligence, education
and ability. Being involved in administrative work they need to
pay close attention to detail and possess well-developed communication
skills. As a supporter of both the business(management) side and
the employee side, diplomacy is a must. Good judgment, good listening
skills and tact are essential.
A flair for seeing a problem from all sides and interpreting each
side's point of view plus a good memory for names and faces, lack
of prejudice, detachment and an understanding of people, the ability
to gain their confidence and respect and organizing ability are
essential skills for the HR professional. Integrity, fair-mindedness,
a persuasive and a congenial personality are important.
Training Programmes
Training for this work takes place through a postgraduate programme
open to graduates from all streams. Foundation of business studies,
psychology, English, law, public administration, sociology, political
science, economics, and statistics would be helpful, though not
compulsory. There can be two typical programmes for training in
HR or Personnel Management. A postgraduate HR Management or PM &
IR (Personnel Management & Industrial Relations) programme would
be highly specialised focusing exclusively on human resource management
or personnel management and industrial relations issues. MBA with
a specialisation in HR Management will allow a student to develop
a general set of management skills in other areas in the first year
while learning about human resource practices in the second year.
MBA in human resource management focuses on the skills that are
required to be effective organizational managers. The programmes
teach human resource development, the legal aspects of management,
and strategic human resource management. Students become familiar
with the social, cultural, and economic factors that influence employee
relations. They are taught how to assess and improve essential components
of company operations, including compensation, benefits, salary
negotiations and safety standards.
Prominent management institutes invariably offer Human Resource
Management or Human Resource Development or PM & IR as a specialisation
in their postgraduate management programmes. Institutes like XLRI
and TISS are reputed for their specialised PM & IR programmes.
Admission to most of these programmes is through an entrance test
which includes testing of proficiency in English, problem solving,
data analysis and interpretations, critical reasoning and general
awareness of socio-economic environment. Some basic knowledge about
labour laws and relevant social issues is helpful since many of
the entrance tests also include a short essay discussing related
concerns. Those who make it through the written test are called
for a group discussion and interview. A PhD is an asset for teaching,
writing, or consulting work.
Prominent Institutions
- XLRI Jamshedpur, Post Box 222, C H Area (E), Jamshedpur-831001
(www.xlri.edu)
- Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Post Box No 8313, Deonar,
Mumbai-400088 [ www.tiss.edu
]
- Management Development Institute (MDI), Mehrauli Road, Sukhrali,
Gurgaon-122001 [www.mdi.ac.in
]
- Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management,
College Square West, Management House, Kolkata-700073 ( www.iiswbm.edu
)
- Bharathidasan Institute of Management (BIM), Post Box No 12,
BHEL Complex, Tiruchirapalli-620014 [www.bim.edu]
- Xavier Institute of Social Service, (XISS), Post Box No 7,
Purulia Road, Ranchi-834001 [www.xiss.ac.in)
- Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, V L Mehta Road,
Vile Parle (W), Mumbai-400056 (www.nmims.edu)
- Prin L N Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research,
L. Napoo Road, Matunga, C Rly, Matunga, Mumbai-19 [ www.welingkars.org
]
- K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, Vidyanagar,
Vidyavihar, Mumbai-400077 ( http://simsr.somaiya.edu
)
- Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), University
of Mumbai, Dadabhai Naoroji House, 164 Backbay Reclamation,
H T Parekh Marg, Churchgate, Mumbai-400020 (www.jbims.edu)
- National Institute of Personnel Management (NIPM), 45 Jhowtala
Road, 1st Floor, Kolkata-700019 [www.nipmindia.org]
- Department of Business Administration, Mohanlal Sukhadia University,
Udaipur-313001 [ www.mlsu.org
]
- Faculty of Social Work, The Maharaja Sayajirao University
of Baroda, Vadodara-390002
- IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110068 (www.ignou.ac.in)
- Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development
[ www.scmhrd.edu
]
- Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Ghaziabad /Nagpur
[www.imt.edu]
- The Academy of Human Resources Development [www.nationalhrd.org/hrdacad.asp]
[Listing is indicative and in random order; it is not exhaustive.]
Prospects
HR managers can manage employees in private and public sectors.
They can also work within a company or as consultants to advise
corporations on anticipated organizational change. Personnel/ HR
managers are employed in the government (central and state) and
in industry. Human resources or personnel managers and specialists
were employed in virtually every industry. Many are self-employed,
working as consultants to public and private employers.
The demand for personnel for PM & IR or HRM is expected to be good
although there will continue to be competition for the best openings.
The demand for HR professionals is always directly related to the
strength of the economy.
Salaries for HR professionals differ depending upon many factors
such as an organization's size, economic activity, geographic location,
and profitability. Of late there has been a trend for some organizations
to outsource their human resource development and management functions.
This has led to the establishment of a number of human resource
consultancies and this is expected to grow. Research and development
will be continuing needs in the field of HR and personnel management.
