The evolution of HR roles within the business

Initially, HR was considered as the caretaker for the business. HR was known as the face of the business. As, employees needed to be managed at low cost. Hence, HR was seen as the vital source for efficiency gains (Becker & Gerhart, 1996). 

After 1990s, organizations began to adapt new factors and that is how HR role started to evolve. Research is proven that HR practices and decisions could influence the performance of an organization. Looking at today's era and demand of the environment, HR roles and responsibilities need to adapt and evolve to meet these needs and stay upgraded and seize new opportunities. 

Let us watch this video to understand how HR has evolved: 

https://youtu.be/ukmC6F0JvQw?si=P5MvsifRTfMTwjWx

They Key roles in an organization

The HR department includes various roles and responsibilities, each of which adds values and has a great impact on the organization. Let's have a look at those ones based on the updated version of Becker & Gerhart's summary of decades of HR research.

1. Attracting candidates: We all know it the key role of HR and so it uses strong strategies like; Employer Branding, attractive compensation and benefits offerings. Most importantly carefully crafted job openings to attract the TOP talent. High potential candidates to ensure company has sufficient qualified employees to achieve short- and long-term goals. 
2. Recruiting candidates: Selecting the right talent for open position is another important responsibility of HR. Many organizations handover this job to other expert professionals, also named as Talent acquisition team. They follow process that includes sorting through applications, screening, and pre-selection, interviewing, assessments and background checks. It is upto HR to decide which candidate is suitable for which role. 
3. Hiring from within and outside: This is also a key role, where employees are hired internally and externally. With a combination of employees training and smart succession planning. HR helps to create a strong talent pipeline in the company where jobs can be filled with the internal talent. 

There are also many more key roles and new emerging roles:

                                 Key-HR-Roles-In-An-Organization.png (1024×680) (aihr.com)

Ways HR is different in small vs large companies: 

Author Michael Alexis says, the departments have unique roles, responsibilities, and challenges in different company sizes. For example: Small companies may have a more hands- on approach, less formal procedure, and less resources than large companies. But the purpose of these difference is to fit the specific needs and dynamics of each company size. These differences are also known as "Comparing HR in companies" and " HR department size differences." 

Let us explore some key reasons behind difference in HR in small vs large companies.

• HR structure
• Recruitment process
• Employee onboarding
• Policy creation
• Training programs
• Performance review
• Conflict resolution
• Compensation Management
• Employee Retention
• Legal compliance
• Work culture
• Strategic planning
• Leadership style
• Budget constraints 
• Employee Benefits
• HR analytics
• Employee development
• HR technology
• Organizational design
• Talent Management
• Succussing Planning
• Workforce diversity

Final Word:

To sum up, I would suggest all to remember that all HR roles integrate with one another. 

Example: It is not easy to hire the right talent if you do not compensate them fairly or have a poor employer brand. Similarly, it is difficult to promote within your company if your employees are lacking in required knowledge or skills to take that next step. 

These HR roles will help improve engagement, motivation, and productivity, align employees with goals, improve organizational performance. This is all a good Human Resource is all about: Creating organizational values through engaged employees. 

Human Resources are like natural resources; they're often buried deep; You have to go looking for them; they're not just lying around on the surface; You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves. --- Ken Robinson

Sources:

AIHR, Acadamy to Innovate HR. URL:21 HR Roles in an Organization: A 2024 Overview - AIHR. Accessed on: 6th September 2024.

AIHR, Acadamy to Innovate HR. Image used for HR roles. URL: https://www.aihr.com/wp-content/uploads/Key-HR-Roles-In-An-Organization.png. Accessed on: 6th September 2024.

Teambuilding.com. Ways HR is different in small vs large companies. URL: 22 Ways HR is Different in Small Companies vs. Large Companies (teambuilding.com). Accessed on 6th September 2024.

Teambuilding.com. Image used. URL: https://teambuilding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/22-Ways-HR-is-Different-in-Small-Companies-vs.-Large-Companies-768x439.png. Accessed on 6th September 2024.

YouTube, Video on HR evolution. URL: https://youtu.be/ukmC6F0JvQw?si=P5MvsifRTfMTwjWx. Accessed on 6th September 2024. 

Blog by- Poonam Sharma