Changing Role of Human Resource in India

In the previous post we have discussed about HRM in India. Let us now look at the changing role of HR in India.

The role of HR has evolved from a compliance checking body to a strategic partner to the organization. Thei role is not limited to meet the changing the market demands, attract high performing talent, evaluating performance, retaining top talent and ensuring that employees are motivated adnd engaged.

They are the change agents, counselors, motivators, trainers and the spokeman of the employees.

HRM Challenges :

Upgrading Skill Set : One of the challenges faced by HR is upgrading the skill set of the employees through training and development.

Changing Business : Every little challenge in the business or market bring along a change in the workforce. This poses a challenge to HR to attract the right talent who meet the international work standard, to create high performing teams, to create faster communication patterns, to device innovative employee recognition patterns and to ensure that top talent is retained.

Managing Technology : All organizations want to be technologically oriented. They want their employees to quickly adapt and learn the new technologies. HR personnel have to attract the right people with required knowledge and train the employees, motivate them to learn, absorb and come out of their comfort zones.

Developing Accountability : With the advent of Six Sigma methodologies, tolerance for mistakes are lowered. It is hard to train people to shoulder responsibility.

Managing Workforce Stress and Employment Relations : HR is the face of the organization. If HR is not emphatic towards its workforce, it is not helping the organization.

Managing Inter-functional Conflict : With organization restructuring becoming more common, HR has to reduce the inter-functional conflicts.

Managing Workplace Diversity : Organizations hire as well as depend on people from different countries, cultures and ethnicity. To manage such a workforce with diverse physiological and psychological influences is also a challenge for HR.

Progressive HR Policies 

Today employers are increasingly realizing the importance of the role of HR. Some organizations change their policies to retain employees. MNCs provide flexible options like an extended maternity leave, sabbatical from corporate life, working form a different city so that female employees, at various life stages, benefit from these policies.

Entrepreneurship by Employees 

Organizations encourage 'entrepreneurship' among their employees so that people with ideas that could become an asset. HRM has a leading role in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities at all levels. Corporate presentation and regular newsletters are tools used by HR to keep the employees energized and interested towards CSR activities. Over the decade, India's large manpower has played a crucial role in its economic success. Indeed, the success of Indian organizations is based on human skill rather than superior raw material or technology. The synergy between the strategic planning and innovative HRM practices will be pivotal as India embarks on a global journey.

Globalization and Its Impact on HR :

Business have a tendency to expand to newer markets and a well trained and high performing workforce attracts new business, brings in new investments and employment and in turn generate additional training and experience.

Technology : to use and maintain the organization's Human Resource Information System.

Trends in the nature of work : technological and globalization are producing change in the nature of jobs. Following are a few trends:

• Increase use of part-time employees
• IT and computers have allowed organizations to relocate work to locations with lower wages

A Service Society : 

• A shift from manufacturing jobs to service jobs.
• new types of knowledge workers and new HRM methods to manage them

Knowledge Work and Human Capital :

• Growing emphasis on human capital, their training and development
• Companies are relying more on employees creativity and skills.

Other Trends affecting HRM :

• Equal employment opportunities that bar discrimination based on any race, age, sex etc.
• Mandated health benefits, occupational  safety and health requirements
• Union-management relations

Workforce Diversity :

Managing diversity means establishing a heterogeneous workforce to perform to its potential where no members have an advantage or disadvantage. Young, skillful employees occupy positions of importance. HRM has to listen to senior employees to draw from their experience and devise appropriate programmes to attract and retain young brains.

Previous Topic : Human Resource Management in India