MODERN CONCEPT OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Though human resources have been part of business and organizations since the first days
of agriculture, the modern concept of human resources began in reaction to the efficiency
focus of Taylorism in the early 1900s. By 1920, psychologists and employment experts in
the United States started the human relations movement, which viewed workers in terms
of their psychology and fit with companies, rather than as interchangeable parts. This
movement grew throughout the middle of the 20th century, placing emphasis on how
leadership, cohesion, and loyalty played important roles in organizational success.
Although this view was increasingly challenged by more quantitatively rigorous and less
"soft" management techniques in the 1960s and beyond, human resources development
had gained a permanent role within organizations, agencies and nations, increasingly as
not only an academic discipline, but as a central theme in development policy.
Human resource policies are systems of codified decisions, established by an
organization, to support administrative personnel functions, performance management,
employee relations and resource planning.
Each company has a different set of circumstances, and so develops an individual set of
human resource policies.
Purposes
HR policies allow an organization to be clear with employees on:
The nature of the organization
What they should expect from the company
What the company expects of them

 How policies and procedures work at your company

What is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour
The consequences of unacceptable behaviour
The establishment of policies can help an organization demonstrate, both internally and
externally, that it meets requirements for diversity, ethics and training as well as its
commitments in relation to regulation and corporate governance. For example, in order to
dismiss an employee in accordance with employment law requirements, amongst other
considerations, it will normally be necessary to meet provisions within employment
contracts and collective bargaining agreements. The establishment of an HR Policy which
sets out obligations, standards of behaviour and document displinary procedures, is now
the standard approach to meeting these obligations.
Developing the HR Policies
HR policies provide an organization with a mechanism to manage risk by staying up to
date with current trends in employment standards and legislation.