It is time for Human Resources practitioners to rethink their role and that of the HR department, not only for

the purposes of contributing to the organization's bottom line, but also for their own survival. HR continues to balance the demands of several different roles: business partner, internal consultant, operational and administrative expert and both employee and employer advocate. This may sound like business as usual, roles that arent likely to create a mad rush of HR people arming themselves for the future. In reality, however, they are new. Although the questions may be the same, the answers most assuredly are not. The ongoing challenge is to establish new deliverables and to sustain strong partnerships with both internal and external customers. The ability to see the big picture-and to deploy the resources to address the big picture-will be more important than ever. First, you need to ask yourself some important questions: Do you know what your HR department's reputation is among the employees? When HR is mentioned, do managers picture savvy strategists, backward bureaucrats, or pleasant, people-pleasers? Do employees understand and appreciate the importance of the HR department in furthering the organization's mission and objectives? Does the HR department make an effort to market its services to the organization? If it does not, then it has the reputation it deserves. HR Department Reputation and Brand The key is to open up conversations with all levels of employees, and present Urself in the role of facilitator instead of enforcer. U has to get out of the HR office and into the world of your organizations employees. Finding these answers requires dialogue, which means that HR must communicate. That communication must consist of equal parts of listening and promotion. First, HR must listen carefully to what its customers need. Then it must promote what it has done and can do. HR staff must educate the organization about its capabilities and potential contributions. No one knows your capabilities as well as you do. Employees, for the most part, still see HR as "those people who handle benefits and do interviewing." To position the HR function for the next decades, every HR practitioner needs to take on a public relations role-starting with your own employees. Think of yourself as a product and do some smart marketing. The marketing of the HR department requires you to demonstrate your problem-solving skills, so others will know you do much more than simply process papers. The best form of advertising is the actions you take. By your actions, processes and programs, you can promote the HR department as a flexible, adaptable, solutions-oriented partner, a resource to whom the organization can turn when it needs problems solved. Market Your HR Department's Reputation and Brand Identify your customer's needs and perceptions The first step in creating or enhancing a brand identity is to determine who your

customers are and what they need from the HR function. You will also want to know your customers current perceptions of the HR department. Begin this process by identifying your customers. Are your primary customers executive managers, line managers or the entire workforce? What products and services do they use from HR? What would they like to receive from HR? Do they use HR services from outside HR vendors, and if so, why? How do they perceive the internal HR department? HR departments could conduct employee attitude surveys to obtain answers to these questions, but to get truthful and more useful information; it is worthwhile to hire an outside consultant to conduct the interviews in private. It is important to conduct analysis, to understand the difference between what you are providing and think your organization wants from you, and what they say they need. In today's organizations, there are so many perceptions about what role HR should play. HR conducts so many activities: training, recruitment, personal welfare, salary and bonus, and a whole range of other concerns that "HR brand" development is challenging. In order to correct this, HR practitioners must research their current "brand" to figure out where they stand.

This guide is based on Human Resource Management, 4th edition, by Alan Price and includes links to extra articles, notes, tips and exercises. Many people find HRM to be a vague and elusive concept - not least because it seems to have a variety of meanings. Pinning down an acceptable definition can seem like trying to hit a moving target in a fog. This confusion reflects the different interpretations found in articles and books about human resource management. HRM is an elastic term (...). It covers a range of applications that vary from book to book and organization to organization. (...) In Managing Human Resources: Personnel Management in Transition, Stephen Bach (2005:3) argues that, compared to a decade ago, much of the controversy about the definition of HRM has dissipated. He considers that, in part, this may be due to the use of a broader and more encompassing definition of HRM. However, Bach (p.4) shows that the debate has not vanished by disagreeing with Boxall and Purcell's (2003:1) statement that HRM refers to: "... all those activities associated with the management of the employment relationship in the firm. The term 'employee relations' will be used as an equivalent term as will the term 'labour management'."

Bach argues that this definition is 'a little too broad', stating that such a broad definition makes it difficult to:

y y y

Highlight any distinctive features or values that underpin HRM Chart changes in the practice of HRM Understand the controversy surrounding HRM

In Bach's opinion, HRM differs from employee relations in its focus on management practices and tendency to ignore the interests of employees. In fact, he holds quite 'hard' views on the nature of HRM:

y y y y

HRM is unitarist (employer and employee interests should coincide) with an emphasis on organizational effectiveness The interests of other stakeholders such as employees are marginalized There is a predominant interest on the individual firm - specifically, within the firm - focused on individual employee motivation and aspiration There is a consequent playing down of external and collective (unionization) issues.

Human Resource Management, 4th edition discusses the use and meaning of the term 'human resource management', presents a number of textbook definitions and provide a working definition for the book: 'A philosophy of people management based on the belief that human resources are uniquely important in sustained business success. An organization gains competitive advantage by using its people effectively, drawing on their expertise and ingenuity to meet clearly defined objectives. HRM is aimed at recruiting capable, flexible and committed people, managing and rewarding their performance and developing key competencies.' Points to co