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Assignment Title
Human resources is made up of how many areas of knowledge. Identify these areas and highlight the
issues therein.
Submitted To:
Dr. Obisi
University of Lagos
Submitted By:
Tolulope Olusakin
There are different schools of thought on the Knowledge areas in Human Resources Management with
each school coming up with various numbers of knowledge area that its followers are expected to know.
According to The Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI), there are six categories of knowledge
areas that are essential for expertise in Human Resources Management. The knowledge areas are Strategic
and Benefits, Employee and Labor Relations, Occupational Health, Safety and Security.
Furthermore, the Hong Kong Institute of Management defined the scope and depth of the core
knowledge areas that an HR practitioner should acquire. The knowledge areas are Six namely: Business
Knowledge for HR, Employee Engagement, Employment Law, Learning and Development, Reward
Management, Sourcing and Staffing. This Body of Knowledge embraces a broad spectrum of the
knowledge required to carry out HR management and HR development functions which, in themselves,
This paper harmonises the positions of the two institutes and present a broad body of knowledge in
Human resources management which comprises of six (6) knowledge areas namely: 1. Strategic Business
Today, HR people are expected to become the "Business Partner" to their business leaders which is quite
different from their sole functional role in the past. HR professionals have to take up the role of diagnosing
the organization by analysing the problem with reference to the organisation internally and the external
environment. Based on the "symptoms", they provide information and solutions to the management for
further action.
In other words, HR people need to initiate and implement human resource related strategies which align
with the business objectives and can respond to the changing priorities. They must work closely with the
business leaders steering the strategies and the implementation. Not surprisingly, HR professionals are
HR professionals are expected to provide strategic business management advice to the management which
objectives, practices, and policies to meet the short- and long-range organizational needs and
To proffer strategic business management solutions, here are the key areas which a HR professional must
Business knowledge of HR
Business perspective
Organisational perspective
Individual perspective
Employer branding
Role of HR in business
Major HR process
2. Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is a property of the relationship between an organization and its employees. An
"engaged employee" is one who is fully absorbed by and enthusiastic about their work and so takes positive
With the engaged workforce, organisation can benefit from higher productivity and outstanding
performance as employees are more willing to offer their discretionary effort at work. An organization
with 'high' employee engagement might therefore be expected to outperform those with 'low' employee
Employee engagement is an on-going process which certain proactive measures have to be taken
throughout the whole HR cycle, including the stages in recruitment, orientation, training and recognition.
It is concerned with the emotional connection that employees have with their work and their organization.
It involves maintaining effective relationships and working conditions that balance the employer’s needs
with the employees’ rights in support of the organization’s strategic objectives. Other areas in relation to
employee relations and engagement include occupational health and safety, corporate wellness and
handling industrial relations / unions. Below provides an overall picture on the relevant issues which every
a. Employee relations
c. Staff communication
g. Disciplinary action
h. Grievance handling
i. Employee Engagement
a. Practicing legislation
c. Corporate wellness
3. Employment Law
Employment laws concerns with the legal relationship between employers and employees. Legal issues
revolve around hiring and firing, sexual harassment, workplace discrimination, workplace health and
safety, and the rewards to employees are all related to employment laws.
HR professionals must display solid understanding on various employment-related legislations and need
to apply the relevant knowledge to the specific situations appropriately. By ensuring the organisation
complying with the legal requirements about the employment, HR professionals help protect the
organisation against damaging claims. Simultaneously, the risk of conflicts between the organisation and
Basically, the Employment Ordinance provides the framework for a comprehensive code of employment.
It covers various aspects including set up and termination of employment contract, wages, leaves, sickness
and maternity. To be lawful and effective HR practitioner, it is essential to acquire the knowledge on the
Learning and development is a critical factor for people at all levels of the organisation and the
organisation to grow and develop, particularly under the complex and fast changing environment.
HR Practitioners need to have the knowledge of putting in place structures that will ensure that the skills,
knowledge, abilities, and performance of the workforce meet current and future organizational and
individual needs. This will involve Developing, implementing, and evaluating programs and activities that
address employee training and development, change and performance management, and the unique
Employees' capability and adaptability is one of the key pillars to support the organisation to keep up its
competitiveness and improve the performance. In connection to this, it is necessary for the organisation
to link up the learning and development management with its business needs and human resource
planning.
To foster the learning culture in an organisation, employees should be provided with different learning
opportunities to motivate them for continuous learning and further development. Most importantly, the
organisation should be balancing the organisational training requirements with individual needs.
Organisation development
5. Reward Management
The concept of reward management does not simply refer to the payroll function. It covers the
formulation and implementation of the strategies as well as the practice of pay system. It involves
compensation and benefits system for all employee groups consistent with human resource management
goals.
Reward, of which can be in terms of monetary or non-monetary, is the key factor to attract or retain talents
and to motivate employees to become good performers. Undoubtedly, positive recognition for people
facilitates better morale and performance among employees, which in return leads to high productivity
acknowledge an individual or team with accomplishments. A structured reward management system helps
building a high-performance culture for an organisation where its employees are linked up to work
together towards the business goals and objectives. Apart from establishing a reward management system
with justice, it is also essential for the organisation or employers to maintain clear and close
communication with employees on the reward policies. In general, "Reward Management" covers various
aspects including:
Total Reward
Benefits
Payroll administration
Reward communication
Performance management
Getting the right people for the right position at the right time in an organisation is not a simple, easy task.
By identifying, attracting and matching the best talents to the positions where they can bring the potential
into full play, the organisation maximises its productivity and gains the edge in the business.
Sourcing and staffing is not a one-off process to fulfil the current needs. Instead, starting from the
workforce planning, it is a significant process for the organisation to manage and balance its resource in
response to the changing needs as well as the short and long-term organisation’s strategies. In practice, it
has crucial influence on the success of the day-to-day functioning of the organisation.
Nowadays, sourcing and staffing activities are not the only responsibilities of HR professionals. Most often,
they must partner with the line managers who are increasingly involved in the process. Every step including
analysing the job, specifying the job description, attracting and selecting the applicants, making the
appointment and induction is critical for hiring the right person. Hence, to avoid wasting the resources
Manpower planning
Succession planning
Recruitment
Selection
Employment
Engagement
International resourcing
References
Crim, Dan and Gerard H. Seijts (2006). "What Engages Employees the Most or, The Ten C’s of
Employee Engagement". Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved on the internet
http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com on 3rd November, 2017
HR Focus Areas & Emerging Issues. Retrieved on the internet on 3rd of November, 2017 http://ipma-
hr.org/hr-resources/hr-focus-areas-emerging-issues