HR’s Role

In past the role of an HR was to see the rules and regulations, administrative processes, to
give transactional services, pay role administration, maintaining rules and regulations so that
no one can take the company to the court. These were the primary role of an HR earlier. Later
on, the 21st century the role of HR changed.

Primary or core role of HR:

1. HR’s job is to help or assist to build and reinforce the company’s values and
culture: Bond Foods Limited have 50 employees in the organization. As HR manager
of Bond Foods Limited, my major core job would be teaching, develop, practice or
ensure company’s values and culture on the employees, it can be both new and
existing employees. Each employee must understand what culture we practice and
what values we uphold so that they can uphold the company’s values and culture.
2. HR’s job is to play a leadership role in building capabilities that ensure the
successful execution of business strategy: Under Bond Foods Limited we have a
restaurant named Edith Restaurant. The restaurant offers a culinary sanctuary amongst
the busy hustle of the city with a comfortable, vintage contemporary interior with
creative food and drinks. When we hire a server or waiter, we need 7 days trial period
to train him about our culture, values so that he can offer a better service to our
customers and satisfy their needs because we know what customer’s need are. If we
don’t train him, he won’t be able to offer the best service. So as HR of an
organization, I need to play a leadership role to build or train him which will ensure
the successful execution of business strategy.

Aims of HRM:
Human resource management is the process of acquiring (recruitment and selection), training,
appraising (performance), compensating employees, attending to their labor relations, health
and safety, and fairness concerns.

1. Organizational effectiveness: The first aim of HRM is to make the organization

effective. It will help us to meet our objectives. To do that we need avoid personnel
mistakes.
2. Human capital management: “Competent people can work miracles even with small
resources and draw wealth out of barren land” – Hammarskjold, 1956. An employer
 expects competent employee because with less resources or no resources they meet
the objective of the organization and meet the expectation of the employer.
3. Knowledge management: We have to work smarter, not harder. We have to develop
our knowledge asset about work. It relates with sharing knowledge and experience of
employees within the company. It helps us to achieve the objectives.
4. Reward management: Incentives and bonuses helps an employee to get motivated
towards his work. It helps the employee to work efficiently and organizations to get
desired output or result.
5. Employee relations: It is important for any company. It helps the employees to
connect with management and others, feel motivated and responsible and enjoy the
work. It helps the organization to get desired productivity and success.
6. Meeting diverse needs: Every employee has his or her specific need which may or
may not be different from others. Managing necessary things and equipment's for
employees. It’s not necessary to give same things. It will depend on their work
sometimes on their position. Requirements may vary on gender also. Ex: Females
need rest room because they need privacy on the contrary male needs smoking zone.
7. Bridging the gap between rhetoric and reality: During recruitment and selection
process we promise so many things. If you join you will get promotion, increment, car
facilities and so on. Later on, employee would be so eager to match those things. As
HR I have to bridge between those promise and really giving those facilities. There
shouldn’t be any lack.

The trends shaping Human Resource Management (HRM)

Working cooperatively with line managers, human resource managers have long helped
employer in many ways. Such as hire and fire employees, administer benefits, conducting
appraisal and so on. However, trends are occurring in human resource management that are
changing how employer get their HRM works done.

1. Globalization & competition trends: Globalization refers to companies extending their

sales, ownership, manufacturing to new markets abroad. Such as Apple assembles
iPhone in china. Free trade areas – agreements that reduce tariffs and barriers among
trading partners and encourages international trade.
 On the contrary this globalization vastly increased international competition. More
competition meant more pressure to be world class to lower costs, to make employee
more productive and to do things better and less expensively. Ex: Walton has good
share in the market. Every year apple launches new model iPhone so customer can
move on their products. To compete in the market Walton have to launch new
featured mobile for the customers. Globalism teaches us how to stay in the market in
any corner of the world.
2. Deregulation: Regulated or restricted means a certain sector can do that particular
business. Ex: Before 1989 in BD telecom business was controlled or handled by the
government. In 1989 it was deregulated to invite other private sectors to do business.
3. Technological trends: Technology plays an important role in the market to run our
business. “For the first time we are preparing learners for a future we cannot clearly
describe” – David Warlick. Ex: A faculty can't say instantly what major I am doing
until I finish & enter in a profession because of changing situation around the country,
world and the environment. But they design our subject or organization in such a way,
if we are smart, we will understand what to do, they are providing training,
developing, preparing the employees in such a way in the future in terms of grabbing
opportunities, in terms of adversities, in terms of expected or unexpected things we
will understand what to do and how to do and take 100% out of that.

In 1989, multi-media came in the market, we requested organization to use it and

those who used they survived in the market. We are using it till now for our meeting,
lectures, classes, communicating and so on. Ex: Samsung used technology to upgrade
their product with time. In 1999, www commercialized, and started to use it. In 2009,
the future was smart mobile. In 2012, the future is pervasive tech. It means
irresectable, ultra-wide, ultra-necessary, ultra-important which means is different
from other thing. Pervasive technology means anytime from anywhere using any
device by using any network access to any data.

Technology most characterizes the trends shaping human resource management

today. Ex: Accenture firm estimates that social media connection via LinkedIn
produces 80% more new recruits. Five main types of digital technologies are driving
this transfer of functionality from HR professionals to automation. Employers used
more social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and so on. Employer
 used tracking app to monitor employee’s location. We in Bond Foods also used life
360 mobile application to track our office employees. Finally, when data analytics
applied in HRM, it is called talent analytics.

4. Trends in the nature of work: Overtime, huge service industry came in the market
instead of manufacturing industry, high tech job came in the market. Today over two-
thirds of the U.S. workforce is employed in producing and delivering services, not
products. By 2020, service providing industry are expected to account for 131 million
out of 150 million of wage and salary jobs overall.
5. Demographic and workforce trends: The composition of workforce will continue to
change over the next few years, specifically, it will continue to become more diverse
with more women, minority members and older workers in the workforce. We can't
communicate with male and female in the same way because of gender differences.
Ex: Nowadays, many employers are bringing back their retirees back or just keeping
them from leaving.
6. Economic challenge and trends: 30-40 years earlier we manufactured our product and
services and sold them to the customers, stored customer information in the almirah.
But in 21st century we use technology but what would be the security of that data in
terms of customer and money transaction. Ex: Customer wants to pay through bkash
or credit card on the website, the website has to be safe to pay. To make it secure we
have to be safe 100% and to make it safe we have to invest some money.

Competitive challenges & HRM

These are the competitive challenges in 21st century we are facing right now.
1. Going global: Going global is a big challenge. As an organization, if we cross border
with products & services, if we want to do business beyond our country area, if we
want to go to a new geographical location, we may face some challenges. Ex: RFL
went to India with their products & services. They transferred some employees
Bangladesh to India. What would be their salaries, it has to different than previous
because of their house rent allowance, entertainment cost, children’s education,
transport allowance, moving expense and so on are different in India.
 Another going global issue is compliance. In order to offer any product, we have to
think about compliance. Ex: Pran lichi drink in BD & India are different in taste and
quality because of compliance issue. Every country has its regulatory authority
regarding products & services. We have to follow that guideline, take approval and
offer the product in that particular country. SO, going global is a competitive
challenge here.
2. Embracing new technology: When we introduce new technology particularly cobot,
artificial intelligence, we need to train our employees so that they can cope with it.
Secondly it would be costly for the companies and thirdly, when we will introduce
modern technology, we have to go for job cut of few people. They will become
unemployed and inflation will increase.
3. Developing human capital: Developing our people would be big challenge. When we
will develop, we need to explore new opportunities. An employee always will start
hoping from one company to another to develop himself. It’s called kangaroo
syndrome. We must have retention or career plan for keeping our star, key employees
in the organization. There should be reward & compensation management.
4. Responding to the market: Delivering a consumer experience is a big challenge.
Responding to the market delivering product & services we need to consider
customers dream, need, expectations, desire and so on. Customers of unilever has
expectation from the product and verities of product, product range also. Ex: Apple
offers new product in the market every year in order to stay in the market. They also
meet the customers’ expectations by delivering upgraded products. Besides this in
order to keep our key employees we need to provide appropriate compensation, wage
and salary.
5. Tensions on the trade front: American President said America first. In the last united
nations general assembly, he said 21st century is the century for patriots not for
globalists. They focused on American business and its people. Another point is, they
regulate and manages global marketplace. Thirdly the economic war between China
and America is going on in terms of tax, trade, export policy, product and services and
so on. These have huge impacts on other nations.
6. Fiscal and financial risk: Cyber-attack is a big challenge. We have seen cyber attack
took place on Bangladesh Bank. Besides this, we have to be more serious about our
fiscal issues, financial risks and invest accordingly.
Challenges facing HR during the covid-19 pandemic

1. Mental health and wellbeing: Particularly during covid time we saw employees are so
disturbed, anxiety, fear, depression. They are less concentrate about work and highly
worried about covid -19. Companies were also concerned that many employees are
affected with corona virus, how to manage, what support companies will provide
them, what they expect from the organization and what would be their safety and so
on.
2. Managing remote work: Earlier we have seen remote work in foreign countries. But
during covid-19, remote work which means work from home started drastically. Here
the challenge is how to manage those remote work and how to manage technology it’s
a big issue.
3. Lack of agility: We found this particular one as urgency, eagerness, alertness and so
on. We felt that we require to complete the task. But during covid time we found lack
of agility among our employees.
4. Employee trust, communication & rapid policy change: We had everything like
employee trust, communication, policy. But during covid we have seen employee’s
behavior changed. When we moved on online business trust changed. Communication
has also changed with the regulatory changes in the market through government and
institutions. Due to covid most employees changed their policies because of external
factors. Ex: Shop opening hour changed. Uber were closed during covid time. Pathao
ride share was also stopped by the government.
5. Uncertainty: Uncertainty was about employees’ job and future. Many were job less,
but it was uncertain time and situation for both the organization and employees. Many
businesses were also closed. Many employees were not paid.
6. Employee engagement: Employee engagement with the process was also a big
challenge during covid-19.
7. Changing business models & talent delivery: Rapid policy change need new business
model, new business model requires demands and new talent, new skills, abilities,
experience and so on. Ex: when we go for hire in the marketplace, we miss some
requirements. It’s a big challenge for the HR.