Roles
There are many different roles that the human resources department possesses. The major functional areas are: (1) planning, (2) staffing, (3) employee development, and (4) employee maintenance. These four areas and their related functions share the common objective of an adequate number of competent employees with the skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience needed for further organizational goals (Scribd, Inc., 2011).
Planning
In the human resource planning function, the number and type of employees needed to accomplish organizational goals are determined. Human resources are able to make transitions as quick as possible by always anticipating a company’s staffing needs. This ensures that companies do not fall behind while searching for the right person to fill an opening. Research is an important part of this function because planning requires the collection and analysis of information in order to forecast human resources supplies and to predict future human resources needs (Scribd, Inc., 2011).
Staffing
This is one of the most fundamental roles of the HR department. Human resources must work to ensure that a company has the right number of employees, placed in the positions that best utilize their talents. This function involves evaluation of ability and competency of potential employees in relation to what the Company needs. If this function is performed well, then the organization will increase value
References: Hyde, J. (2004). Managing and Supporting People in organization, Bailliere Tindall Scribd, Inc.. (2011). HRM Function. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/12686796/HRM-Function