5 Knowlege Areas in Hrm

UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS FACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA) IRP 800 (HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT) ASSIGNMENT NAME: JOSEPH TAIWO. O Question: Human Resources Management is made up of how many areas of knowledge? identify the areas and summarise the issues therein. Answer There are different schools of thought on the Knowledge areas in Human Resources Management with each schools coming up with various numbers of knowledge area that its followers are expected to know. According to The Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI), there are six categories of Knowledge areas that are essential for expertise in Human Resources Management. The knowledge areas are Strategic Management, Workforce Planning and Employment, Human Resource Development, Compensation and Benefits, Employee and Labor Relations, Occupational Health, Safety and Security Furthermore, the Hong Kong Institute of Management defined the scope and depth of the core knowledge areas that an HR practitioner should acquire. The knowledge areas are Six namely: Business Knowledge for HR, Employee Engagement, Employment Law, Learning and Development, Reward Management, Sourcing and Staffing. This Body of Knowledge embraces a broad spectrum of the knowledge required to carry out HR management and HR development functions which, in themselves, can be a specialised area. However, for this paper, I will harmonise the positions of the two institutes and present a broad body of knowledge in Human resources management which comprises of six (6) knowledge areas namely: 1. Strategic Business Management for Human Resources, 2. Employee Engagement, 3. Employment Law, 4. Human Resource Development, 5. Reward Management, 6. Workforce Planning and Employment.

Knowledge Areas in Human Resources Management -Joseph Taiwo. O

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1. Strategic Business Management for Human Resources Today, HR people are expected to become the "Business Partner" to their business leaders which is quite different from their sole functional role in the past. HR professionals have to take up the role of diagnosing the organization by analysing the problem with reference to the organisation internally and the external environment. Based on the "symptoms", they provide information and solutions to the management for further action. In other words, HR people need to initiate and implement human resource related strategies which align with the business objectives and can respond to the changing priorities. They have to work closely with the business leaders steering the strategies and the implementation. Not surprisingly, HR professionals are required to be more business-focused so as to help driving the success of the organisation. HR professionals are expected to provide strategic business management advice to the management which will include i) Evaluating HR’s contributions to organizational effectiveness. Ii) Formulating HR objectives, practices, and policies to meet the short- and long-range organizational needs and opportunities, iii) Guiding and leading the change process. To proffer strategic business management solutions, here are the key areas which a HR professional has to pay special attention to: 

Business knowledge of HR

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Global / environment perspective

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Business perspective

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Organisational perspective

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Individual perspective

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Employer branding

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Role of HR in business

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Major HR process

2. Employee Engagement Employee engagement is a property of the relationship between an organization and its employees. An "engaged employee" is one who is fully absorbed by and enthusiastic about their work and so takes positive action to further the organization's reputation and interests. Knowledge Areas in Human Resources Management -Joseph Taiwo. O

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With the engaged workforce, organisation is able to benefit from higher productivity and outstanding performance as employees are more willing to offer their discretionary effort at work. An organization with 'high' employee engagement might therefore be expected to outperform those with 'low' employee engagement, all else being equal. Employee engagement is an on-going process which certain proactive measures have to be taken throughout the whole HR cycle, including the stages in recruitment, orientation, training and recognition. It is concerned with the emotional connection that employees have with their work and their organization. It involves maintaining effective relationships and working conditions that balance the employer’s needs with the employees’ rights in support of the organization’s strategic objectives. Other areas in relation to employee relations and engagement include occupational health and safety, corporate wellness and handling industrial relations / unions. Below provides an overall picture on the relevant issues which every HR professional should be well aware of. 

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Employee relations and employee engagement 

Employee relations

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Employee relations programme – objective and effectiveness

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Staff communication

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Induction and orientation

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Staff consultation and participation

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Coaching and counselling

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Disciplinary action

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Grievance handling

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Employee Engagement

Industrial relations and unions 

Practicing legislation

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Managing relationships with unions

Corporate wellness 

Employee wellness and work-life balance

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Employee health and safety and environmental considerations

Health and safety 

Occupational Safety and Health Regulations

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Fire Safety Provision and Occupational Safety & Health Regulation

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3. Employment Law Employment laws concerns with the legal relationship between employers and employees. Legal issues revolve around hiring and firing, sexual harassment, workplace discrimination, workplace health and safety, and the rewards to employees are all related to employment laws. HR professionals have to display solid understanding on various employment-related legislations and need to apply the relevant knowledge to the specific situations appropriately. By ensuring the organisation complying with the legal requirements with regard to the employment, HR professionals help protect the organisation against damaging claims. Simultaneously, the risk of conflicts between the organisation and employees are minimised. Basically, the Employment Ordinance provides the framework for a comprehensive code of employment. It covers various aspects including set up and termination of employment contract, wages, leaves, sickness and maternity. In order to be lawful and effective HR practitioner, it is essential to acquire the knowledge on the following areas including: 

Basic legal knowledge in Nigeria

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Employment legislation

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Employees’ Compensation Scheme (NSITF)

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Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance

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Mandatory Pension scheme

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Upcoming / proposed legislation

4. Human Resource Development Learning and development is a critical factor for people at all levels of the organisation and the organisation as a whole to grow and develop, particularly under the complex and fastchanging environment. HR Practitioners need to have the knowledge of putting in place structures that will ensure that the skills, knowledge, abilities, and performance of the workforce meet current and future organizational and individual needs. This will involve Developing, implementing, and evaluating programs and activities that address employee training and development, change and performance management, and the unique needs of particular employee groups. Knowledge Areas in Human Resources Management -Joseph Taiwo. O

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Employees' capability and adaptability is one of the key pillars to support the organisation to keep up its competitiveness and improve the performance. In connection to this, it is necessary for the organisation to link up the learning and development management with its business needs and human resource planning. To foster the learning culture in an organisation, employees should be provided with different learning opportunities to motivate them for continuous learning and further development. Most importantly, the organisation should be balancing the organisational training requirements with individual needs. 

Learning and development in the organisation

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Linking learning and development management with business needs

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Linking learning and development planning with HR planning

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Assessing needs, learning design and learning methodologies

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Training delivery and facilitation

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Post-training evaluation and sustaining effectiveness

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Organisation development

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Building a learning organisation

5. Reward Management The concept of reward management does not simply refer to the payroll function. It covers the formulation and implementation of the strategies as well as the practice of pay system. It involves Analyzing, developing, implementing, administering, and performing ongoing evaluation of a total compensation and benefits system for all employee groups consistent with human resource management goals. Reward, of which can be in terms of monetary or non-monetary, is the key factor to attract or retain talents and to motivate employees to become good performers. Undoubtedly, positive recognition for people facilitates better morale and performance among employees, which in return leads to high productivity for the organisation. An equitable, market-based and cost-effective reward management system should be developed in order to acknowledge an individual or team with accomplishments. A structured reward management system helps building a high-performance culture for an organisation where its employees are linked up to work together towards the business goals and Knowledge Areas in Human Resources Management -Joseph Taiwo. O

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objectives. Apart from establishing a reward management system with justice, it is also essential for the organisation or employers to maintain clear and close communication with employees on the reward policies. In general, "Reward Management" covers various aspects including: 

Total Reward

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Job analysis and job evaluation

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Base pay

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Pay for performance

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Benefits

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Mergers & acquisitions

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Payroll administration

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International reward management

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Reward communication

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Performance management

6. Workforce Planning and Employment Getting the right people for the right position at the right time in an organisation is not a simple, easy task. By identifying, attracting and matching the best talents to the positions where they can bring the potential into full play, the organisation maximises its productivity and gains the edge in the business. Sourcing and staffing is not a one-off process to fulfil the current needs. Instead, starting from the workforce planning, it is a significant process for the organisation to manage and balance its resource in response to the changing needs as well as the short and long-term organisation’s strategies. In practice, it has crucial influence on the success of the day-to-day functioning of the organisation. Nowadays, sourcing and staffing activities are not the only responsibilities of HR professionals. Most often, they have to partner with the line managers who are increasingly involved in the process. Every step including analysing the job, specifying the job description, attracting and selecting the applicants, making the appointment and induction is critical for hiring the right person. Hence, to avoid wasting the resources for recruitment, HR people should have a clear understanding on the issues. Knowledge Areas in Human Resources Management -Joseph Taiwo. O

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Human resource planning 

Manpower planning

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Succession planning

Sourcing and staffing 

Options of sourcing and staffing

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Outsourcing, insourcing and labour supply

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Recruitment

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Selection

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Employment

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Engagement

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International resourcing

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References Crim, Dan and Gerard H. Seijts (2006). "What Engages Employees the Most or, The Ten C’s of Employee Engagement". Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved on the internet http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com on 25th February, 2014. HR Certification Institute (2014): Body of Knowledge- Retrieved from the internet http://www.wgu.edu/wgu/hr_body_knowledge_pop Konrad, Alison M. (March 2006). "Engaging Employees through High-Involvement Work Practices". Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved on the internet th http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com on 25 February, 2014.

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