line and staff aspects of hrm

INTRODUCTION TO HRM- HIMS

LINE AND STAFF ASPECTS OF HRM


Authority

Authority is the right to make decisions, to direct the work of others, and to give orders.

•Authority refers to the rights inherent in a managerial position to give orders and expect the orders to be obeyed.

•Authority was a major tenet of the early management writers, the glue that held the organization together.

•It was to be delegated downward to lower-level managers. Each management position has specific inherent rights that incumbents acquire from the position's rank or title.


Authority is related to one's position and ignores personal characteristics. When a position of authority is vacated, the authority remains with the position.


Types of Authority •Line Authority

•Staff Authority

•Functional Authority


Line Authority

Line authority entitles a manager to direct the work of an employee. It is the employer-employee authority relationship that extends from top to bottom.

A line manager directs the work of employees and makes certain decisions without consulting anyone.

Sometimes the term line is used to differentiate line managers from staff managers.

Line emphasizes managers whose organizational function contributes directly to the achievement of organizational objectives.


Staff Mangers and Staff Authority

Staff managers have staff authority. A manager's function is classified as line or staff based on the organization's objectives.

As organizations get larger and more complex, line managers find that they do not have the time, expertise, or resources to get their jobs done effectively.

They create staff authority functions to support, assist, advice, and generally reduce some of the informational burdens they have.


Functional control

The authority exerted by a personnel manager as a coordinator of personnel activities. Here the manager acts as “the right arm of the top executive.”


Line versus Staff Authority

•Line VS Staff Authority – Authority is the right to make decisions, to direct the work of others, and to give orders.

Line managers are authorized to direct the work of subordinates. Whereas staff managers are authorized to assist and advise line managers in accomplishing their basic goals.

HR managers are generally staff managers.

•Line Managers’ HRM Responsibilities – Most line managers are responsible for line functions, coordinative functions, and some staff functions.


Cooperative line and staff hr management:

In recruiting and hiring, it’s generally the line manager’s responsibility to specify the qualifications employees need to fill specific positions. Then the HR staff takes over. They develop sources of qualified applicants and conduct initial screening interviews. They administer the appropriate test. Then they refer the best applicants to the supervisor (line manager), who interviews and selects the ones he/she wants.


Line ManagerAuthorized to direct the work of subordinates—they’re always someone’s boss. In addition, line managers are in charge of accomplishing the organization’s basic goals.Line Managers’ Human Resource Management Responsibilities•Placement •Orientation •Training •Improving job performance •Gaining creative cooperation •Interpreting policies and procedures •Controlling labor costs •Developing employee abilities •Creating and maintaining departmental morale •Protecting employees’ health and physical condition


Responsibilities Of Staff Managers

Staff managers assist and advise line managers in accomplishing these basic goals. They do, however, need to work in partnership with each other to be successful.

Some examples of the HR responsibilities of staff managers include assistance in following tasks hiring, training, evaluating, rewarding, counseling, promoting, firing of employees, and the administering of various benefits programs.


Human Resource Manager:

An individual who normally acts in an advisory or staff capacity, working with other managers to help them deal with human resource matters.

One general trend is that HR personnel are servicing an increasing number of employees. The human resource manager is primarily responsible for coordinating the management of human resources to help the organization achieve its goals.

There is a shared responsibility between line managers and human resource professionals.

The recognition of HR as a legitimate business unit has made it highly strategic in nature and more critical to achieving corporate objectives.


To succeed, HR executives must understand the complex organizational design and be able to determine the capabilities of the company’s workforce, both today and in the future.

HR involvement in strategy is necessary to ensure that human resources support the firm’s mission. The future appears bright for HR managers willing to form a strategic partnership with other business units


Distinguish among human resource executives, generalists, and specialists.

a. HR ExecutivesExecutives are top-level managers, who report directly to the corporation’s chief executive officer or the head of a major division.

b. HR Generalists:Generalists are people who perform tasks in a wide variety of human resource-related areas. The generalist is involved in several, or all, of the human resource management functions.

c. HR Specialist:Specialist may be a human resource executive, manager, or non-manager who typically is concerned with only one of the functional areas of human resource management.


Functions of HR Manager in HRM department:

Staffing An organization must have qualified individuals, in specific jobs at specific places and times, in order to accomplish its goals.

Obtaining such people involves job analysis, human resource planning, recruitment, and selection. Human resource planning (HRP) is the process of systematically reviewing human resource requirements to ensure that the required numbers of employees, with the required skills, are available when needed.


Human Resource Development

A major HRM function that consists not only of training and development but also individual career planning and development activities and performance appraisal, an activity that emphasizes T&D needs.

Training is designed to provide learners with the knowledge and skills needed for their present jobs.

Development involves learning that goes beyond today’s job; it has a more long-term focus. Human resource development (HRD) helps individuals, groups, and the entire organization become more effective. It is essential because people, technology, jobs, and organizations are always changing.


Compensation and Benefits

The term compensation includes all rewards that individuals receive as a result of their employment. The reward may be one or a combination of the following:

Pay: The money that a person receives for performing a job.

Benefits: Additional financial rewards other than base pay include paid vacations, sick leave, holidays, and medical insurance.

Non financial rewards: Non monetary rewards, such as enjoyment of the work performed or a pleasant working environment.


Safety And HealthSafety involves protecting employees from injuries caused by work-related accidents. Health refers to the employees’ freedom from illness and their general physical and mental well-being.

These aspects of the job are important because employees who work in a safe environment and enjoy good health are more likely to be productive and yield long-term benefits to the organization.


Employee And Labor Relations

Since 1983, union membership has fallen approximately 8 percent, to only 13.9 percent of the workforce, the lowest level since the Great Depression. Subtracting government employees, unions represent only 9.5 percent of the private industry workforce. Even so, a business firm is required by law to recognize a union and bargain with it in good faith if the firm’s employees want the union to represent them. In the past, this relationship was an accepted way of life for many employers. But most firms today would like to have a union-free environment.


Human Resource Research Although human resource research is not listed as a separate function, it pervades all HRM functional areas, and the researcher’s laboratory is the entire work environment.

Interrelationships of HRM FunctionsAll HRM functional areas are highly interrelated. Management must recognize that decisions in one area will affect other areas. The interrelationships among the five HRM functional areas will become more obvious as we address each topic throughout the book.

line and staff aspects of hrm

Recruiting & HR