Human Resource Management (HRM) is the branch of management that deals with the management of the most vital resources of an organization: the people who individually and collectively contribute to the growth and development of the organization. Formerly referred to as “personnel management”, human resource management basically deals with staffing, developing people’s capabilities, their retention and compensation according to their individual performances and organizational requirements.
The discipline of HRM is an academic theory that believes that employees are individuals with varied needs and goals, and cannot be considered just production resources. The discipline has a positive view of employees, and seeks to align its personal goals with those of the organization, leading to the development of the two in synergy. To this end, HRM also seeks to provide employees with adequate training and mentoring so that they acquire a knowledge of the organization’s own processes and systems.
Human resource management in modern organizations includes activities related to workforce planning, talent recruitment, induction or onboarding, training and development, and compensation and performance appraisal. Human resource management can also be extended to cover travel management, labor relations, and employee benefits administration.
At the top level, the HRM strategy deals with the best ways to implement HRM policies. While an organization’s human resource management policies can cover various aspects such as recruiting, training, evaluations, and compensation, a general strategy is required to align all areas of human resource management.
Several universities offer programs for the study of human resource management. The first institute for the college-level study of HRM, the School of Industrial and Labor Relations was created by Cornell University. Since then, several universities in the US have started courses for the study of human resource management. Some of these include the University of Minnesota, Michigan State University, and Ohio State University.
Human resource management may include jobs that cover general human resource management functions or specialized human resource management functions. There may be careers only related to recruitment and placement, or there may be positions only for training development managers. Sometimes compensation and benefits tasks are handled by compensation analysts or salary administrators.
In addition to the regular graduate universities that offer programs in HRM, there are many other courses available for managers who wish to upgrade or take refresher courses to enhance career options or simply improve their knowledge of the subject. Graduate diploma programs are available at various eminent universities. These deal with new innovations in the field of human resource management and familiarize people with the latest developments in the field.
For busy managers, there are also some part-time courses in HRM available. These can be attended in the evenings or on weekends. A valuable option for those who cannot take time off from their regular jobs, the curriculum for part-time courses should be studied carefully before making the decision to enroll. Make sure the curriculum is tailored to your training needs before registering. Also, check the reputation of the organization before joining. It is important that you leave the course achieved your objectives.
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