LINE MANAGERS HUMAN RESOURCE DUTIES

Human Resources Development can be a smart career option in the current situation with good packages being an added asset.
A company’s most valuable resources are its people, and almost all employers would agree that it is vital to find the right employees– people who have the requisite skills, intelligence and cultural fit.
As corporates have begun to recognize this fact, thanks to increased professionalism and cutting edge practices, the Human Resources (HR) department has been increasingly playing in a larger role.
This growth role ha resulted in new opportunities in the field of HR, for those who have strong ‘people’ skills. With so many new avenues having opened up in recent times – in Retail, IT and KPOs, to name just a few – the demand for the right people in an organization is stronger than ever before.
A course in HR not only offers tremendous job opportunities, it also promises huge salaries and perks. At the fresher’s level, salaries can range in the region of RM36K to RM40K an annum, and growth prospects depend on qualification and experience.
The main work criterion of the department is to recruit new employees and keep a check on their work by motivating them to increase productivity. The department not only looks after the productivity of the company but also helps ensure the company gets the best out of the individual. The department also creates a healthy work atmosphere for employees by solving their problems, providing health related and welfare services, training programs, and nurturing a pleasant atmosphere within the organization, both among the employees, and with the boss.
Many large organizations may have an HR department to match. There is a head manager, who then delegates the work to other team managers. Some small companies also think it necessary to have HR departments, while others hire counselors to plan the work strategy with the HR department.
There are several institutes which offer courses in HR, both at the diploma and post graduate level. Maharasthra Institute of Labor Studies (MILS), XLRI School of Business and Human Resources, Jamshedpur, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Vile Parle, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar Wellingkar Instoitute of Management, Matunga are some of the institutes offering HR courses These courses help you to get the theory knowledge required for HR professionals. A student doing a degree in media or management can also opt for post graduation in HR. MBA courses also have specialization in HR.
Apart from education some extra skills can help an HR professional to be tremendously successfully. In dealing with personnel, an HR professional should be a fast decision maker. Having good leadership qualities can make the department more competent. Possessing good communication skills can help in interaction with the people and help solve their problems easily.
Being a good judge of character and personality certainly helps, especially during the recruitment process. Working under pressure can help them in their internal growth and prove their efficiency. An HR professional should understand the demands and be able to anticipate the future fort he further policy planning. Working accordingly can yield good outputs for future.
A HR professional says, ‘I wanted to go into the corporate world, but always liked to understand human behavior and connect with people, which is why I opted for HR. I did my degree in Arts with economics and my MBA in HR’. A HR professional’s work involves people management, understanding the psychology of the people. A company also hires industry psychologists in HR departments. Large organizations have an HR department, but small departments merge their administration and HR department together. Salaries in HR depend upon the companies’, experience and qualification of the individual. My advice to students is if you really want to be amongst people then go for HR. According to me, HR has become a strategic business partner and helps the organization a lot.
Apart from fully functional HR departments in the companies, there are independent recruiting agencies providing jobs to people, which prove as a tool for human resource.
A strong Human Resources Department actually plays a vital role in helping company grow and become successful. So, a career in Human resources can surely be challenging and of course, lucrative.

LINE MANAGERS HUMAN RESOURCE DUTIES
Line authority: The authority exerted by an HR manager by directing the activities of the people in his or her own department and in service areas (like the plant cafeteria)
The direct handling of people has always been an integral part of every time manager’s duties, from president down to first line supervisor. For example, one major company out lines its line supervisors’ responsibilities for effective human resource management under these general headings:
1) Placing the right person in right job2) Starting new employees in the organization (orientation)3) Training employees for jobs that are new to them4) Improving the job performance of each person5) Gaining creative cooperation and developing smooth working relationships6) Interpreting the company’s policies and procedures7) Controlling labor costs8) Developing the abilities of each person9) Creating and maintaining department morale ‘10) Protecting employees’ health and physical condition.
In providing this specialized assistance, the human resource manager carries out three distinct functions:
A line function: The human resource manager directs the activities of the people in his or her own department and in relaxed service areas (like the plant cafeteria). In other words, he or she exerts line authority within the HR department. While they generally can’t wield line authority, they are likely to exert implied authority. This is because line managers know the human resource manager has top management’s ear in areas like testing and affirmative action.
Implied authority:
The authority exerted by an HR manager by virtue of, others’ knowledge that he or she has access to top management (in areas like testing and affirmative, action).
Functional Control: The authority exerted by a HR manager as coordinator of personnel activities.
Employee advocacy: HR must take responsibility for clearly defining how management should be treating employees, make sure employees have the mechanisms required to contest unfair practices, and represent the interests of employees within the framework of its primary obligation to senior management.
A coordinative function: human resource managers also coordinate personnel activities, a duty often offered to as functional authority (or functional control) here he or she acts as the right arm of the top executive to ensure that line managers are implementing the firm’s human resource policies and practices (for example, adhering to its sexual harassment policies).
Staff (assist and advise) functions: Assisting and advising line managers is the heart of they human resource manager’s job. He or she advises the CEO to better understand the personnel aspects of the company’s strategic options. HR assists in hiring, training, evaluating, rewarding, counseling, promoting, and firing employees. It administers the various benefit programs (health and accident insurance, retirement, vacation, and so on). It helps line managers comply with equal employment and occupational safety laws, and plays an important role in handling grievances and labor relations. It carries out an innovator role, by providing up to date information on current trends and new methods for better utilizing the company’s employees, or human resources. It plays an employee advocacy role, by helping to define how management should be treating employees.
The size of the human resource department reflects the size of the company. For a very large company, an organization chart like the one in figure would be typical, containing a full complement of specialists for each HR function. At the other extreme, the human resource team for a small manufacturer may contain just five or six staff. There is generally about one human resource employee per 100 company employees.
Examples of human resource management specialties include:
1) Recruiters: Search for qualified job applicants2) Human resource development specialist: Managing employee development activities in an integrated manner.3) Job analysts: Collect and examine information about jobs to prepare job descriptions4) Compensation managers: Develop compensation plans and handle the employee benefits program5) Training specialists: plan, organize, and direct training activities.6) Employment /industrial relations specialists: advise management on all aspects of union management relations7) Employee welfare officers: handle welfare activities in factories, as required by law.

MEMORY
There are many ways to improve the memory. Students frequently discover they need to adapt their study habits to the college and professional college setting.
Here are some tips for getting started:
Basic word association can be used where you have a bank of words to trigger recall. Try what is called “chunking”. 20-50 minute time periods followed by a brief break (5-10 minutes) is the most effective way to study.
Use daylight hours, just one hour of studying during the day is worth two at night, since we are programmed to be awake during the day.
Practise active studying – ask yourself questions, review your notes regularly, discuss key concepts with peers and professors.
Intellectual interference or mental overcrowding can be minimized by a period of reflection, clarification and organization such they will not interfere with each other. Avoid cramming learning hours with unorganized material.
There should be rest periods at intervals to allow the brain to lie fallow.
Understand rather than memorize. Too great dependence upon the phraseology of the text book, will be a handicap; restate or rephrase the ideas in your own words.
To remember something, we must attend to it; concentration is attending to something intensely or wholly.
Confidence matters, the memory strengthens in direct proportion to the burden placed on it. Use written notes as a prompting device, but rely on your memory rather than written reminders.
Concentrate on accuracy, not speed. A mistake once learned is difficult to unlearn so get it right the first time.
The more background you bring to a subject or reading, the more interest and understanding you will have also. Indeed, if we do not have sufficient background for something, our learning will suffer.
Organization is important, whether in mind or in more literal terms. A good memory is like a well organized and well maintained filing system.
Quiz or test yourself as this promotes understanding as well as faster learning because it is a more active process than reading or listening. It also tests understanding, revealing mistakes or gaps. Recite to your self in your own words.
Review notes only when study is complete. Use notes to test your self with self designed questions.
Having an excellent memory is a great boon to any career, particularly one in which you work with the public. If you can remember the names of clients that you have met only once or twice, studies show that sales increase and overall communication is improved. The more you can concentrate on things big or small, the more you will remember and it will generate goodwill all around.
There are people who can remember a whole lecture or 2/3 page document listening or reading once. This can be only a God given natural gift and not acquired by any practice or developing skills. Otherwise by reading a document and writing the same in your own language after understanding is the right way of proper written communication. Even in case of remembering a place in large city the route can be remembered by initially identifying the land marks en route and finally reaching the destination.
Memory can be improved by various training programs to some extent depending on ones natural body forces and not to perfection or 100%. Another factor is the interest of the individual in the subject.