Human Resource

Management
Functions:
Managerial, Operative
and Advisory Function
by Smriti Chand HRM
Some of the major functions of human
resource management are as follows: 1.
Managerial Functions 2. Operative
Functions 3. Advisory Functions.
Human Resource or Personnel
Department is established in most of the
organisations, under the charge of an
executive known as Human
Resource/Personnel Manager. This
department plays an important role in the
efficient management of human
resources.
The personnel department gives
assistance and provides service to all
other departments on personnel matters.
Though personnel or human resource
manager is a staff officer in relation to
other departments of the enterprise, he
has a line authority to get orders executed
within his department.
(i) Managerial,
(ii) Operative and
(iii) Advisory functions.
1. Managerial Functions:
The Human Resource Manager is a part of
the organisational management. So he
must perform the basic managerial
functions of planning, organising,
directing and controlling in relation to his
department.
There functions are briefly
discussed below: 
1. Planning:
To get things done through the
subordinates, a manager must plan ahead.
Planning is necessary to determine the
goals of the organisation and lay down
policies and procedures to reach the goals.
For a human resource manager, planning
means the determination of personnel
programs that will contribute to the goals
of the enterprise, i.e., anticipating
vacancies, planning job requirements, job
descriptions and determination of the
sources of recruitment.
The process of personnel planning
involves three essential steps.
Firstly, a supply and demand forecast for
each job category is made. This step
requires knowledge to both labour market
conditions and the strategic posture and
goals of the organisation.
Secondly, net shortage and excess of
personnel by job category are projected
for a specific time horizon.
Finally, plans are developed to eliminate
the forecast shortages and excess of
particular categories of human resources.
2. Organizing:
Once the human resource manager has
established objectives and developed
plans and programs to reach them, he
must design and develop organisation
structure to carry out the various
operations.
The organisation structure basically
includes the following:
(i) Grouping of personnel activity logically
into functions or positions;
(ii) Assignment of different functions to
different individuals;
(iii) Delegation of authority according to
the tasks assigned and responsibilities
involved;
(iv) Co-ordination of activities of different
individuals.
3. Directing:
The plans are to be pure into effect by
people. But how smoothly the plans are
implemented depends on the motivation
of people. The direction function of the
personnel manager involves encouraging
people to work willingly and effectively for
the goals of the enterprise.
In other words, the direction function is
meant to guide and motivate the people to
accomplish the personnel programs. The
personnel manager can motivate the
employees in an organisation through
career planning, salary administration,
ensuring employee morale, developing
cordial relationships and provision of
safety requirements and welfare of
employees.
The motivational function poses a great
challenge for any manager. The personnel
manager must have the ability to identify
the needs of employees and the means
and methods of satisfy those needs.
Motivation is a continuous process as new
needs and expectations emerge among
employees when old ones are satisfied.
4. Controlling:
Controlling is concerned with the
regulation of activities in accordance with
the plans, which in turn have been
formulated on the basis of the objectives
of the organisation. Thus, controlling
completes the cycle and leads back to
planning. It involves the observation and
comparison of results with the standards
and correction of deviations that may
occur.
Controlling helps the personnel manager
to evaluate the control the performance of
the personnel department in terms of
various operative functions. It involves
performance appraisal, critical
examination of personnel records and
statistics and personnel audit.
2. Operative Functions:
The operative functions are those tasks or
duties which are specifically entrusted to
the human resource or personnel
department. These are concerned with
employment, development,
compensation, integration and
maintenance of personnel of the
organisation.
The operative functions of human
resource or personnel department
are discussed below: 
1. Employment:
The first operative function of the human
resource of personnel department is the
employment of proper kind and number
of persons necessary to achieve the
objectives of the organisation. This
involves recruitment, selection,
placement, etc. of the personnel.
Before these processes are performed, it is
better to determine the manpower
requirements both in terms of number
and quality of the personnel. Recruitment
and selection cover the sources of supply
of labour and the devices designed to
select the right type of people for various
jobs. Induction and placement of
personnel for their better performance
also come under the employment or
procurement function.
2. Development:
Training and development of personnel is
a follow up of the employment function. It
is a duty of management to train each
employee property to develop technical
skills for the job for which he has been
employed and also to develop him for the
higher jobs in the organisation. Proper
development of personnel is necessary to
increase their skills in doing their jobs and
in satisfying their growth need.
For this purpose, the personnel
departments will device appropriate
training programs. There are several on-
the-job and off-the-job methods available
for training purposes. A good training
program should include a mixture of both
types of methods. It is important to point
out that personnel department arranges
for training not only of new employees but
also of old employees to update their
knowledge in the use of latest techniques.
3. Compensation:
This function is concerned with the
determination of adequate and equitable
remuneration of the employees in the
organisation of their contribution to the
organisational goals. The personnel can
be compensated both in terms of
monetary as well as non-monetary
rewards.
Factors which must be borne in mind
while fixing the remuneration of
personnel are their basic needs,
requirements of jobs, legal provisions
regarding minimum wages, capacity of the
organisation to pay, wage level afforded
by competitors etc. For fixing the wage
levels, the personnel department can
make use of certain techniques like job
evaluation and performance appraisal.
4. Maintenance (Working
Conditions and Welfare):
Merely appointment and training of
people is not sufficient; they must be
provided with good working, conditions
so that they may like their work and
workplace and maintain their efficiency.
Working conditions certainly influence
the motivation and morale of the
employees.
These include measures taken for health,
safety, and comfort of the workforce. The
personnel department also provides for
various welfare services which relate to
the physical and social well-being of the
employees. These may include provision
of cafeteria, rest rooms, counseling, group
insurance, education for children of
employees, recreational facilities, etc.
5. Motivation:
Employees work in the organisation for
the satisfaction of their needs. In many of
the cases, it is found that they do not
contribute towards the organisational
goals as much as they can. This happens
because employees are not adequately
motivated. The human resource manager
helps the various departmental managers
to design a system of financial and non-
financial rewards to motivate the
employees.