Changes in Human Resource Management

In today’s trying and fast-changing business environment, it is dually important to have vision-casting management and adaptable employees. In yesterday’s business model, the human resource role was to find employees and to handle benefit administration. Sometimes, payroll or other similar managing functions were incorporated, but rarely straying from this mold. Today, human resource managers deal with employment laws, turn-over trends, economic up and downs, and technological advancements allowing for company growth in e-business and globalization. The HR manager has become the bridge builder between upper management ideals and employee realities. The first trend that challenges roles that the HR manager plays in an organization is the shortening of the seas. Globalization through technology advancements and company mergers has redefined the importance of corporate policy of which HR influence should play a stronger part. “In geocentric or global companies, strategic decisions, including those pertaining to HR, are supposed to be made regardless of geographic boundaries. In other words, in a geocentric organization, HR policies should be developed with input from around the world (Schneider, Tung, 2001)”. Advancements in technology have led more and more companies to embrace business partnerships in cyberspace. As a business grows, dependence on computer systems that can handle increased workloads, and functionality, are at a premium. “As those systems change, human resource professionals consider the changes needed in the field of human resources. Changes relevant to technology include the following: creating synergy between research and practice, leveraging technology, effectively managing learning and knowledge, and fostering lifelong learning, (Mitchell, 2002)”. Employees sometimes are not the most excited about change in job functions. The HR manager has to be a strong mediator between the way things have always been done, and the way things are going

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