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Human resource management

society Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Human resource management, often called HRM, is a way to lead people in a company. Its main goal is to help a business succeed by using its people well. This field focuses on making sure employees can perform their best. HR professionals manage what is known as human capital. This term refers to the knowledge and skills that people bring to a job. By using smart plans, HR helps a company gain an advantage over others. It is about more than just rules; it is about helping a whole organization reach its goals.

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ILRschools6

HR departments handle many different tasks every day. They are responsible for finding and hiring new people for the team. Once people start working, HR helps with training and teaching them new skills. They also manage rewards, which includes things like pay and employee benefits. Benefits can include things like health care or parental leave for new parents. Some HR workers are specialists who focus on just one area, like training. Others are generalists who help with many different parts of the business.

ILRschools6
ILRschools6

The idea of managing people well started a long time ago. During the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s, Robert Owen and Charles Babbage shared an important thought. They believed that well-being led to perfect work. They saw that healthy workers were necessary for an organization to survive. In 1893, a man named John R. Commons first used the term "human resource." Later, Frederick Winslow Taylor studied how to make manufacturing jobs more efficient. This helped start new ways of thinking about how much work people could do.

ILRschools6
ILRschools6

As time passed, many new groups and schools were formed to study this field. In 1913, a group in England started as the Welfare Workers' Association. This group eventually became the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. In the United States, the School of Industrial and Labor Relations opened at Cornell University in 1945.

ILRschools6
ILRschools6

Another large group, the Society for Human Resource Management, formed in 1948. In the early 20th century, researchers like Elton Mayo conducted the Hawthorne studies. These studies showed that things other than money could make workers more productive.

Today, HR helps companies follow important laws to keep everyone safe. In the United States, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 sets a minimum wage. The Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 helps stop unfair treatment at work. There is also the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, which helps parents take time off. HR managers must know these rules to protect both the workers and the company. They also help manage how a company changes as the world changes. By following these laws, HR makes the workplace fairer for everyone.

ILRschools6
ILRschools6
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