Human resources is the department responsible for all work related to employment affairs in the company in terms of searching, sorting, selecting, and training employees, as well as carrying out a set of duties towards employees, including granting benefits, compensation, and any entitlements, in addition to dismissing employees and imposing penalties in certain cases, among other responsibilities. An essential component of any business, regardless of the size of the organization, human resources plays a key role in increasing the productivity and efficiency of employees in the long term and protecting the company from any problems that may arise with them and between them.
And the tasks are of high quality and efficiency, so that they positively affect the general situation of the company. As for the term human resources, it dates back for the first time in the sixties when the principle of employee motivation, organizational behavior, and employee performance evaluation in the work environment began to spread.
How did human resources arise?
The idea of human resources and their management has existed since ancient civilizations. Many of the famous civilizations that built themselves and are known to this day had help organizing and managing their workforce, i.e., what is known as human resources. It first appeared as “industrial welfare” or “practical welfare” in 1833, when it began to enact special laws for labor and employees.
Then, in 1916, during World War I, another term appeared, which is “employment,” due to the need for people to work in explosives factories, ammunition factories, and others, with a focus on training and disciplining them and providing them with health and safety means. In the early seventies, legislation related to work and employees began to spread and increase. And with the progress and development of the Internet in the year 2000 AD and the growth in the use of the Internet to work from home, which led to the creation of new jobs that needed different systems, laws, and strategies, and with the advancement of technology, other strategies and methods appeared that provided ease and efficiency in work and led to the development of the name “human resources.”
What are the departments of human resources?
Human resources are divided into departments, including:
- Employment Department
- Development and Training Department
- Benefits and Rewards Section
- Department of External and Internal Relations
What are the functions of human resources?
There are several main functions and activities that everyone who works in human resources management must perform, as follows:
- Effectively manage the work and use of employees.
- Motivate employees by linking their performance evaluation to compensation and rewards.
- Efficiently developing employee performance to enhance the role of institutional performance.
- Increasing innovation, creativity, and flexibility is necessary to enhance competitiveness.
- Applying new methods and approaches to be used in the design, planning, and development of career work.
- Manage the recruitment mechanism and what it includes in selecting, sorting, and promoting employees.
- Developing and supervising employee benefits, rewards, and bonuses.
- Interest in promoting employee training and development.
- Assisting and qualifying new employees by providing guidance and assistance programs for them.
- Providing guidance and clarification to employees regarding disciplinary procedures such as penalties and others.
What are the goals of human resources?
The importance of human resource functions is due to certain goals that must be reached in order to raise the company and increase its productivity and efficiency, and among these goals are:
Company organizational goals
Organizational goals include handling workforce and personnel requirements such as recruitment, onboarding, payroll administration, and retirement, as well as managing company and employee data and managing compliance.
Building a strong workforce
As we have previously stated, one of the functions of the Human Resources Management Department is to search for, sort, and select employees. Although the Human Resources Department may not be the final decision-maker for employment, this stage is very important and must be dealt with carefully, whether by choosing candidates for the job by communicating with applicants via phone or via application platforms, or by selecting qualified applicants for a test or personal interview, and then appointing those who meet the conditions from among the applicants. It must be emphasized that carrying out this mechanism must be in a manner that guarantees the selection of those with appropriate qualifications and more relevant to the required job, For strong and logical reasons, it must be noted that the greater the number of candidates for a job, the greater the probability of finding the best person for that job.
Maintain staff
It is one of the main goals that are very important and through which it is possible to provide a safe and healthy work environment for employees. Caring for employees and making their comfort at work a priority that must be taken care of is something that can be achieved if the human resource manager is a leader who is good at dealing with his employees in a manner that is not too authoritarian or restrictive and motivates and appreciates them.
Maintaining employees in the company and providing them with a suitable work environment is a major challenge, which is more difficult than hiring new employees, preparing them, and training them again. Therefore, human resource management in successful and large companies is the one that cares about this goal and strives to achieve it, unlike other companies that have ineffective management. The importance of retaining employees, especially those with good experience, lies in maintaining the employee turnover rate, thus preserving the stability of the company, increasing its productivity, and not undermining its job security.
Read also: The importance of human resource management
