The HRM function, as practiced today, has evolved primarily from the areas of Personnel
Management and Industrial Relations. The initial approaches towards people management were based on the scientific management view of man as a rational being who worked only for satisfaction of his material needs. Accordingly, traditional personnel function was simplistic in nature and revolved around clerical and administrative activities such as time – keeping, wage distribution etc. Along with the development of Human Relations approach, attitudes towards workers changed from exploitative to paternalistic and personnel department also took on a welfare role of providing social security, better work conditions etc. With the advent of Trade Unionism, there arose the necessity of maintaining cordial Industrial Relations and the role of Personnel Management evolved to include management interactions with the organized workforce such as collective bargaining. Further developments in management thought, organization behavior and psychology led to an expansion in the scope of the personnel manager to include activities that help in development of the individual and his integration with the organization. With the inclusion of areas of training, motivation, career development etc, the perspective has changed from Personnel Administration to Human Resources Management or HRM. The role of the Human Resources Manager has also undergone corresponding changes. There has been both a quantitative and qualitative upgradation in the responsibilities of the HR manager of today . We can divide the activities / roles played by HR manager into two broad areas, namely maintenance and development. While the traditional personnel functions helps in maintaining the human resources, the new-age HR functions are more proactive and dynamic and try to use HRM as a strategic tool. Depending upon the HR philosophy of the organization,the HR manager plays one or more of the following roles :
i. Personnel Manager : In this role, the HR manager is responsible for planning manpower requirements, acquiring people, and monitoring their performance.
ii. Welfare Officer: Management of the employee services such as transport, cafeteria, day – care centers, and provision of statutory benefits are a part of this role.
iii. Developmental Role: The activities such as training, career development, counseling, developing motivation and leadership etc are performed as part of this role.
iv. Administrator: Time – keeping, wage & salary administration, incentives, maintenance of personnel records are part of the administrative role.
v. Consultant: This role includes advising management on policy formulation for effective use of human resources, and assisting line managers in the implementation of HR policies.
vi. Fire fighter/ Legal officer: HR manager also requires legal skills for handling grievances, settlement of disputes, disciplinary actions, as well as maintaining good industrial relations through collective bargaining etc.
vii. Researcher: The HR manager also conducts research on personnel issues and carries out HR audit to assess the effectiveness of HR policies.
