Human resources 

is a term used to describe the individuals who comprise the workforce of an

organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even
whole nations. Human resources is also the name of the function within an organization charged with the
overall responsibility for implementing strategies and policies relating to the management of individuals
(i.e. the human resources). This function title is often abbreviated to the initials 'HR'.

Human resources is a relatively modern management term, coined as early as the 1960s - when
humanity took a shift as human rights came to a brighter light during the Vietnam Era.[citation needed]The
origins of the function arose in organizations that introduced 'welfare management' practices and also in
those that adopted the principles of 'scientific management'. From these terms emerged a largely
administrative management activity, cordinating a range of worker related processes and becoming
known, in time as the 'personnel function'. Human resources progressively became the more usual name
for this function, in the first instance in the United States as well as multinational or international
corporations, reflecting the adoption of a more quantitative as well as strategic approach to workforce
management, demanded by corporate management to gain a competitive advantage, utilizing limited
skilled and highly skilled workers.

Key functions
Human Resources may set strategies and develop policies, standards, systems, and processes that
implement these strategies in a whole range of areas. The following are typical of a wide range of
organizations:

 Recruitment, selection, and onboarding (resourcing)

 Organizational design and development
 Business transformation and change management
 Performance, conduct and behavior management
 Industrial and employee relations
 Human resources (workforce) analysis and workforce personnel data management
 Compensation, rewards, and benefits management
 Training and development (learning management)

Implementation of such policies, processes or standards may be directly managed by the HR function
itself, or the function may indirectly supervise the implementation of such activities by managers, other
business functions or via third-party external partner organizations. Applicable legal issues, such as the
potential for disparate treatment and disparate impact, are also extremely important to HR managers.
Background
The term 'human resources' as used in organizations describes the workforce capacity available to
devoted to achievement of their objectives. The subject has drawn upon concepts developed in
industrial/organizational psychology and system theory. Human resources has at least two related
interpretations depending on context. The original usage derives from political economy andeconomics,
where it was traditionally called labor, one of four factors of production. This perspective has shifted as a
consequence of further ongoing research into more applied approaches.[1] The subject has expanded to
'human resources development', also called 'investment in human capital'. Such development may apply
to individuals within an organization or applied beyond the level of the organization to that of industry
sectors and nations