HR GD-PI GUIDE

Compiled by HR Direction

Version Edited by Batch

1.0 Meenu Sasidharan 2014-16
2.0 Srajan Srivastava 2015-17
3.0 Shubham Agarwal 2016-18
4.0 Sayantan Konar 2018-20
5.0 Adrija Barua 2019-21
6.0 Ratnesh Agrahari 2020-22
7.0 Lubna Memon 2021-23

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 Table of Contents

What is HR (Human Resources)?................................................................................................................................... 1

Key functions of HR ....................................................................................................................................................... 2
Recruitment & Selection ........................................................................................................................................... 2
Performance Management System (PMS) ................................................................................................................ 3
Compensation & Benefits.......................................................................................................................................... 4
Learning and Development ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Employee Engagement.............................................................................................................................................. 5
Health & Safety.......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Industry Relations...................................................................................................................................................... 5
Strategic planning...................................................................................................................................................... 5
Roles for an HR professional ......................................................................................................................................... 6
How COVID pandemic has evolved the role of HR in Organizations............................................................................. 7
Future trends in HR ....................................................................................................................................................... 8
Hybrid Workplace and Remote Working .................................................................................................................. 8
Gig Economy .............................................................................................................................................................. 9
Big Data and HR Analytics ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Artificial Intelligence and IoT driving HR Tech........................................................................................................... 9
Gamification ............................................................................................................................................................ 11
Employer Branding .................................................................................................................................................. 11
Inclusive culture ...................................................................................................................................................... 11
Focus on cybersecurity ............................................................................................................................................ 12
Work from Home leading to Work from Anywhere................................................................................................ 12
Train the Workforce with Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) .......................................................... 12

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What is HR (Human Resources)?

Human Resources is the department that takes care of the organization’s most valuable asset, its
employees. It takes charge of all employees, and employee-related operations. HR teams undertake
various responsibilities in an organization such as:

 Recognize current and future hiring needs in sync with strategic goals
 Attract, recruit, retain and manage talent
 Align business objectives with employees and management
 Organize and oversee quarterly or annual performance reviews
 Ensure compliance with federal, state, and governmental labour rules and regulations
 Manage compensation and employee benefits
 Ensure effective employee relations
 Manage onboarding, training, and Learning & Development processes to boost performance
 Apply health and safety measures

Why is HR important?
Human resources management is a very important function in every organization. Without human
resources management, companies would not be able to effectively recruit and retain employees, improve
and enhance the organization, and they wouldn’t be able to maintain a healthy, accepting workplace culture
and environment. Human resources management is so important to organizations that many call this
department the heart and soul of a business.

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Key functions of HR

Recruitment
& Selection

Strategic Performance
Planning Management

Industry HR Compensation

Functions
Relations & Benefits

Health & Learning &

Safety Development

Employee
Engagement

The primary objective of Human Resource Management is to ensure the availability of a competent, willing,
and engaged workforce to an organization. Hiring, developing, and retaining the “Right Talent” for a firm
could be the source of competitive advantage for the firm. HR Management involves discharging functions
viz. HR Planning, recruitment, selection, L&D (Learning and Development), C&B (Compensation and
Benefits), Performance Management, Trade Union Management, Legal and procedural compliance,
formulation of company policy and procedures, etc.

Recruitment & Selection

Recruitment:

It is the process of searching for prospective employees and attracting them to apply for jobs in the
organization. This involves –
 Discovering the sources of manpower to meet the requirements of the staffing schedules
 Employing effective measures for attracting the manpower in adequate numbers to facilitate
effective selection of an efficient workforce for a vacant job position

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Recruitment Process:

 Finding out the requirement (hiring vs. exit), upcoming vacancies and workforce assessment
 Developing best techniques to attract suitable candidates – attracting the talent pools

Selection:

It is the process of differentiating between applicants to identify and hire those with a greater likelihood of
success in a job. Selection Process Involves (Sequential Steps) –
1. Preliminary Interview
2. Administering Selection Tests
3. Employment Interview
4. Reference check and Background Analysis
5. Selection Decision
6. Physical Examination
7. Job Offer and Employment Contract

Difference between Recruitment and Selection:

Recruitment is a process of searching out the potential applicants and inspiring them to apply for the
actual or anticipated vacancy. On the other hand, Selection is a process of hiring employees among the
shortlisted candidates and providing them a job in the organization.

Performance Management System (PMS)

Performance Appraisal + Feedback + Coaching = Performance Management System

A performance Management system (PMS) is a continuous process of identifying, measuring, and

developing the performance of individuals and teams, and aligning performance with the strategic goal
of the organization. It is based on three pillars:

 Setting clear and measurable goals

 Implementing concrete actions
 Imposing rigorous consequences

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Performance Appraisal:

A performance appraisal (PA) system is an objective assessment of an individual’s performance against

well-defined benchmarks. Performance appraisals are a part of career development and consist of regular
reviews of employee performance. Other aspects of individual employees are considered as well, such as
organizational citizenship behavior, accomplishments, the potential for future improvement, strengths and
weaknesses, etc.

Compensation & Benefits

This function involves creating and implementing compensation policies for the employees.
 Payroll administration
 Performance appraisals
 Rewards & Recognition
 Health Insurance
 Life & Disability Insurance
 Flexible spending accounts
 Retirement Plan Administration

Learning and Development

The need for Learning and Development is determined by the employee’s performance deficiency which
is computed as follows.
Learning & Development Need = Standard Performance –Actual Performance

Learning:

Learning refers to the process of imparting specific skills. An employee undergoing training is presumed
to have had some formal education. No training program is complete without an element of education.
Hence, we can say that training is offered to operatives.

Development:

Development consists of the learning opportunities designed to help employees grow. Development is not
primarily skill oriented. Instead, it provides the general knowledge and attitudes, which will help employers
in higher positions. Efforts towards development often depend on personal drive and ambition.
Development activities supplied by management development programs are generally voluntary.

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Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is the measure of how involved and committed the workers are towards their
organization and values. A well-engaged employee is aware of the day-to-day happenings of the
organization, works with his or her colleagues to improve the performance of the individual and works
towards the betterment of the organization. It is an optimistic attitude that the employees hold towards their
organization.

Health & Safety

Safety implies the absence of accidents i.e., ensuring the protection of workers from workplace hazards.
Providing safety to employees has a moral dimension as well as a legal requirement. Thousands of
employees suffer from accidents every day – this could lead to total, temporary or permanent disability. Laws
are framed which cover occupational health and safety regulations, and penalties for non-compliance. An
employer needs to ensure that an accident doesn’t lead to incapacitation/death of an employee. Monetary
compensation does not bring back a person as a healthy individual.

Industry Relations

Industry Relations (IR) is concerned with the management of relations between workers and employer
(management) and the role of regulatory mechanism in resolving any dispute. Employers, employees,
unions, government, and judiciary have stakes in IR. It assumes its significance owing to its direct linkage
with productivity, ethical dimensions, and legal compliance.

Strategic planning

HRM makes strategic management effective by supplying the human capital that is competent, committed
and works in sync with organizational strategic goals. It predicts the future HR needs of the organization
after analyzing the current human resources, the external labor market, and the future HR environment
that the organization will be operating in.

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Roles for an HR professional

HR Generalist

HR Generalists are professionals who can perform a wide variety of responsibilities and can handle all the
functions related to HR. These professionals have a comprehensive knowledgebase that covers a wide
range of areas. Generalists typically work directly with employees, so they can have varied responsibilities.
Individuals who prefer variety and diversity in their work may be well-suited as an HR generalist

HR Specialist

Unlike the HR generalist, an HR specialist has expertise in one specific HR area, rather than little expertise
in multiple HR disciplines. Specialists typically have more clearly defined goals and time-frames. They are
required to exhibit a strong work ethic and keen attention to detail. Specialists tend to have more
comprehensive expertise of their subject, some of which include:

HR Risk HR Information
Development Management Systems
Specialist Specialist Specialist

Employee and Organizational Learning &

Labor Relations Development Development
Specialist Specialist Specialist

HR Business Partner (HRBP)

An HR Business Partner works directly with an organization's senior leadership to develop and direct an
HR agenda that closely supports organizational goals. Rather than working primarily as part of the internal
HR department, the HRBP works closely with senior leadership and collaborates regularly with the C-suite.
Placing a human resource professional in close contact with executive leadership makes HR a part of the
organizational strategy. An HRBP should ideally have strong business knowledge, a comprehensive
understanding of HR, and specific experience within its business sector.

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HR Consultant

HR consultants advise and offer solutions to companies on a wide range of issues such as rewards and
compensation, staffing, organizational effectiveness, learning and development, employee relations,
occupational health wellness, etc. They ensure that their client company is effectively using its personnel
to achieve the stated goals while ensuring the workforce is operating at a high level of efficiency. HR
consulting is an exciting, challenging, and inspiring profession, even for entry-level consultants.

How COVID pandemic has evolved the role of HR in Organizations

In terms of coping with the effects caused by Covid-19 at workplaces, HR teams have been at the forefront.
In the last few years, HR has shifted from being a traditionally administrative function to a more strategic
function.

HRs were the torch bearers in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, be it redesigning the work and
workplace models, re-engineering the key parameter indicators, ensuring good mental health and well-
being, boosting motivation and employee engagement. As employees started to work remotely, HR teams
demonstrated agility, flexibility and creativity by quickly transforming brick-and-mortar offices into virtual
workplaces, almost overnight. They also ensured that employees are equipped with digital infrastructure
such as laptops and data cards to ensure business continuity.

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Given the challenges, one can say that the role of an HR professional has evolved during this pandemic.
The role of HR in controlling and maintaining morale has become critical. It is an excellent idea to develop
a structured check-in process with remote workers, to ask how they cope up with the added stress during
the crisis and to stay on top of any problems after things return to a new normal.

HR professionals claim that remote work is a specific barrier as it challenges HR teams to ensure that
employees at home have working technology. So, HR teams are revamping the policies and processes
following the new normal.

How future organizations look like:

 Remote working to be an integral part of every organization

 Working hours, locations, and even the work arrangements to become more fluid
 The popularity of contractual jobs and freelancers to grow
 Workforce to continually upgrade and work on capability enhancement to remain competitive
 Focus on learning and development to increase to make employees future-ready

Future trends in HR

Hybrid Workplace and Remote Working

Remote work is a setup that allows professionals to work outside of a traditional office environment. It helps
organizations create a hybrid workplace using remote technology that enables employees to work from
home and not commute long distances every day. It is based on the concept that work does not have to
be done in a specific place to be executed successfully. Companies have already started working towards
the new normal where in-person and face-to-face interaction will be minimized, and transacting digitally
and conducting business through virtual platforms will become increasingly prevalent and eventually a de
facto standard.

Advancements in technology have made it clear that employees can work smoothly from their homes with
little to no interruptions. The majority of employees believe that they are more productive when working
from home. While companies can save up on the real estate and infrastructure costs when employees
work remotely, employees appreciate the chance to avoid long morning office commutes and looking after
their homebound kids. So, remote working is here to stay and will more than ever become an integral part
of the way we work.

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Gig Economy
A Gig Economy is defined as a labour market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or
freelance work instead of permanent jobs. Broadly defined, it is the talent acquired for a specific period. It
comprises independent contractors, online platform workers, contract firm workers, on-call workers, and
temporary workers.

In times of the current COVID-19 crisis, organizations are looking to develop agile models by incorporating
gig workers into their workforce. Digital transformation has surged to the top of priority lists, leading to a
monumental shift in openness to remote work. The benefits of an agile, flexible workforce have become
increasingly apparent in an environment of profound economic uncertainty.

Big Data and HR Analytics

Human resources analytics, or talent analytics, is applying business analytics techniques to collect and
analyse human resources (HR) data. Some of the metrics for which HR analytics can be used are: offer
acceptance rate, turnover rate, absenteeism, etc. To implement this, an organization needs to understand
the business goals and identify metrics to achieve those goals. A thorough analysis and communication of
the impact of the collected data on the organization need to be performed. HR analytics help measure how
HR initiatives are contributing to the organization’s goals and strategies.

The use of analytics and data-driven processes have permeated into the hiring process and is a crucial
part of recruitment today. Recruiters are now using predictive analytics to gauge patterns and trends from
resumes, applications, tests, and even candidates’ social media profiles. By understanding this data, and
comparing it with that of other candidates, organizations will be in a stronger position to hire the best fit for
the role. HR teams use predictive analytics to stay proactive in assessing, anticipating, and pre-empting
outcomes or candidate behaviours on actual data.

Companies such as Google, Cisco, Sprint etc are pioneers in this field. Cisco and Google have long been
admired for their enviable culture and unique employee experience driven by data analytics. From
recruitment to policies, they use analytics in HR decision making. They have introduced revolutionary
predictive analytics programs for recruitment, retention, and talent management.

Artificial Intelligence and IoT driving HR Tech

Much like service, healthcare, and even the education sector, Artificial intelligence (AI) is on its track to
make a considerable impact in the workplace and revolutionize the HR industry. With the addition of AI,
HR managers are empowered to further streamline standard processes, leverage data in decision-making,
and optimize the efficiency that goes into researching and retaining the best candidates. Scores of
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administrative tasks are getting automated. Organizations use HR Tech to schedule interviews with
candidates, hold video interactions for screening, enable them to transact and communicate with the
organization.

According to a study conducted by Mercer, Eighty-eight percent of companies globally already use AI in
some way or the other for HR, with 100 percent of Chinese firms and 83 percent of U.S. employers relying
on some form of the technology.

According to Mercer, HRs have been using AI for:

Screening and
assessing candidates
during the
Using chatbots to recruitment
engage with
candidates during
Providing the recruitment
recommendations
for learning and
Identifying the best training to
candidates based on employees
publicly available
Using chatbots to data, like social
look up information media profiles
such as company
policies or benefits

Also, Companies planning to invest in AI in the coming years are targeting:

 Chatbots for employee self-service, such as changing benefits or requesting time off
 The ability to identify employees who are disengaged or at risk of leaving
 Suggestions of job openings or career paths for current employees
 Help in the performance management process
 Customization or improving benchmarking in compensation

Despite the noise and concerns around AI ‘stealing’ jobs and replacing human talent, it is looked upon as
an added resource that complements human intelligence and supports strategic decision-making.
However, AI should be used very carefully with limitations as it learns from the already fed historical data,
which can sometimes lead to biases.

Some of the world’s biggest companies, such as Amazon, Google, IBM etc are relying on AI to build a
better workforce. They use artificial intelligence for recruitment, onboarding, talent management, retention,
employee engagement, and many other people related domains. Many technology start-ups are venturing

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into this high potential HR Tech by developing innovative solutions that integrate technologies into HR
systems for enhanced organizational performance.

Gamification
Gamification is the usage of game mechanics and game thinking in non-game scenarios like business
environments. It uses attributes of games like fun, transparency, design, competition and applies these to
a range of real-world processes inside a company, which helps to increase engagement and collaboration.
Before implementing this process, a company needs to strategize and identify the requirements which
would not only engage and motivate the employees but will also lead to effective development.

To leverage the advantages of gamification in learning, the first and the most crucial step is to identify the
learning requirements. After identification, the company can collaborate with game developers to suggest
or develop games suitable to the company’s needs. The design should be such that the actions and
achievements are visible to the trainees and are not just for entertainment. It is designed so that the
employee competes with the co-participants or participates individually and, through this interactive
exercise, learns and earns rewards for his/her performance.

Companies like Deloitte, Cisco, Walmart, Cognizant etc. have been increasingly adopting gamification for
recruitment, onboarding, and learning and development functions of HR.

Employer Branding
Employer branding is the process of managing and influencing your reputation as an employer among job
seekers, employees and key stakeholders. It encompasses everything you do to position your organization
as an employer of choice.

Having a strong employer brand has many opportunities. In the modern business world of talent acquisition,
employer branding is used to introduce the company as a great place to work. It's used for communicating
with current employees as well as attracting a new, generally passive, workforce. Research shows how
strong the employer brand has a direct impact on talent acquisition. Companies with better reputations
have higher-quality and more satisfied employees.

Inclusive culture
With the Black Lives Matter movement and other social justice efforts, many employers and HR teams
have changed tunes when it comes to prioritizing diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace. Having a
diverse and inclusive workplace is not only the right thing to do, it can also benefit your business. In 2022,

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HR staffs will pay closer attention to their D&I initiatives in relation to recruiting new employees and creating
a safe and inclusive workspace for their teams.

Focus on cybersecurity
With an increase in the use of data, cybersecurity will be one of the major challenges for future
HR. New cyber security and WFH policies will be formed to overcome issues such as data confidentiality
and employee privacy.

Work from Home leading to Work from Anywhere

The next generation of workers will not just log in to their HRMS from home. They will also be able to log
in from anywhere. There is a revolution coming in the facilities and infrastructure domains that will enable
solutions to a permanently mobile workforce.

Train the Workforce with Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
With the advent of digital integration, every department, including HR, is wielding the best of novel
technologies like VR and AR for employee growth and hands-on experience. They have become go-to
training methods for a multitude of organizations such as insurance, customer service, retail, construction,
and safety training, to name a few.

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