The Fundamental Areas of the Course Reading

For this reflection paper, I will address three fundamental areas of the course reading that I believe had the most significant impact on me, both personally and professionally. The first area I would want to address regards the responsibilities of the human resource (HR) managers. The HR professionals are arguably the most impactful as far as employee welfare is concerned. They are involved in the recruitment, orientation, training, and the development of employees in an organization. As such, they have a direct impact on the strategic management of the company because their success will depend on how they manage human resources. From the discussion, it is also apparent that the role of HR managers continues to change. Traditionally, the HR managers were known for their administrative work that involves matters revolving around employee welfare (Snell, Morris, & Bohlander, 2016). Today, a paradigm shift has occurred with the managers now required to provide strategic direction, creating values, and developing appropriate HRM metrics to measure performance. With the ever-changing legal landscape and the emergence of more labor unions, the HR managers must endeavor to maintain the balance between the goals of the company and the employee welfare. Also, the HR manager has a vital role in aligning the goals of the employee with that of the organization to enhance a sense of sustainability. 

Secondly, I have also learned that HR managers have a critical role in the process of recruitment. The area of internal recruitment method also interested me as it shed light on how well companies can ensure that they have continuity in their areas of work. Today, many companies have a way of attracting employment candidates from within the company. In the internal system of recruitment, the employees are already absorbed into the firm’s payroll. Some of the ways in which internal recruitment can occur include rehiring, promotion, and the transfer of employees from one company to another. Compared to the external recruitment process, HR managers have a simpler task because they need for a rigorous interview is not there (Snell, Morris, & Bohlander, 2016). Also, the managers are aware of the skills and talents held by the employees filling the new positions. It is also crucial for employees who feel a sense of loyalty bestowed upon them. I also appreciated the fact that the internal recruitment method is advantageous because the existing employers understand the working methods of the organization. Therefore, they will not need a lot of time to adjust. 

The third fundamental aspect I appreciated revolved around the essence of performance management. First, performance management is vital especially in cases where a business is experiencing fast growth. As such, employees will have an amazing experience, and the company will experience an overall forward drive. Performance management is about tracking, planning, and reviewing the career goals of the employee, including contribution to the organization. An essential aspect of the course material is that performance management should be closely tied with capacity building, coaching, and the receipt of feedback (Snell, Morris, & Bohlander, 2016). When all these aspects are achieved, employees are likely to succeed in their respective roles and further deliver the needed results to make the business more successful. Performance management can take various forms and shapes. The most commonly used in many organizations is the performance appraisal. I believe that it is the most important strategy because it tracks performance and assesses whether the goals of the employees are aligned with those of the company. Most critically, it analyzes the contribution that each employee has on the organization. As such, it can form the basis for promotions and other incentives that seek to motivate an individual to perform even better. 

Reference 

Snell, S., Morris, S. & Bohlander, G. (2016). Managing Human Resources (17th ed). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning