research final

PREFACE

The scope of Human Resources management is indeed vast. All major activities in the

working life of a worker – form the time of his or her entry into an organization until he or

she leaves – come under the purview of HRM. Specifically the activities included are – HR

planning, job analysis and design, recruitment and selection, orientation and placement,

training and development, performance appraisal and job evaluation, employee and executive

remuneration, motivation and communication, welfare, safety and health, Industrial Relations

etc.

HRM differs from Personnel Management both in scope and orientation. HRM views people

as an important source or asset to be used for the benefit of organizations, employees and the

society. HRM is being integrated into the overall strategic management of business. Different

departments of the organization are internal customers of one another. In every industry there

exists web of individual, group and organizational relationships. These relationships are

complex because economics and business are involved in it. These premises prepare the

ground for the study as to what is the perception regarding HR department and its services by

the other departments.

This research constitutes real feedback and perceptions from 60 employees from managerial

and executive level from different departments of the organization regarding to the functions

of the HR department. Whatever the HR personnel and HR department think of the value

and contribution of HR, it is very important to know what the internal customers believe.

Their perceptions, whether justified or not, form the most important half of the reality of the

department’s relationships with them.

This study will help to understand the perception of HR department in the organization and

also to get the feedback from the employees from different departments regarding to the

functions of HR department to find out avenues for improvement in the services and to

prepare an action plan to contribute more effectively.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude to my research guide, Dr. Leena

Singhvi for her constant and valuable support, guidance and encouragement. Her valuable

guidance was ever a positive force behind me.

My sincere thanks to all the respondents for making this study possible with their frank and

true opinions. I would like to express my indebted gratitude to L&T for granting me the

permission to conduct the study.

I am very grateful to all of them who helped me in conducting my study successfully.

Finally my sincere appreciation to my family, friends and all other who helped me in

research work.

Baroda

30th March, 2011 Aserkar Shirin

INTRODUCTION:

HRM has come a long way from its good old days of Personnel and Administration

functions. What started as a welfare and administration oriented activity, has now assumed

significance as the employees started getting recognized more as live resources with their

own minds and hearts than as inanimate objects or robots.

DEFINING HRM:

Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organization that focuses on

recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who work in the

organization. Human Resource Management can also be performed by line managers.

Human Resource Management is the organizational function that deals with issues related to

people such as compensation, hiring, performance management, organization development,

safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and

training.

The Human Resources Management (HRM) function includes a variety of activities, and key

among them is deciding what staffing needs you have and whether to use independent

contractors or hire employees to fill these needs, recruiting and training the best employees,

ensuring they are high performers, dealing with performance issues, and ensuring your

personnel and management practices conform to various regulations. Activities also include

managing your approach to employee benefits and compensation, employee records and

personnel policies. Usually small businesses (for-profit or non-profit) have to carry out these

activities themselves because they can't yet afford part- or full-time help. However, they

should always ensure that employees have—and are aware of—personnel policies which

conform to current regulations. These policies are often in the form of employee manuals,

which all employees have.

There is a long-standing argument about where HR-related functions should be organized

into large organizations, e.g., "should HR be in the Organization Development department or

the other way around?"

The HRM function and HRD profession have undergone tremendous change over the past

20–30 years. Many years ago, large organizations looked to the "Personnel Department,"

mostly to manage the paperwork around hiring and paying people. More recently,

organizations consider the "HR Department" as playing a major role in staffing, training and

helping to manage people so that people and the organization are performing at maximum

capability in a highly fulfilling manner.

Although the strategic dimension has been an integral part of the HRM literature from the

start onwards, this strategic focus has been stressed more and more in the literature during

the last decades. Human Resource Management has become Strategic Human Resource

Management as witnessed by many introductions to the field. In doing this the added value

of HRM is stressed. In much of the recent literature the contribution of HRM to the business

performance is studied and the assumption seems to be that a more strategic focus of HRM

will contribute to added value and/or performance. The strategic focus of HRM asks for an

integration of HRM issues within senior management issues. In other words senior managers

must be aware of the importance of HRM issues, and include HR considerations within their

decision making.

Despite getting redefined as HRM, it continued to retain is “SUPPORT ONLY” tag, rarely

finding a place in the decision making process. Fortunately, things are changing for the better

and HR Department is no longer seen myopically as cost centers only, but as strategic

business partner too.

More so in the present difficult economic environment, CEOs in a volte face are turning to

their HR heads to save costs, in terms of retaining the key employees and motivating them to

deliver their best. Thus the HR professional has to fulfill business aspirations and at the same

time, meet the employee expectations….

CHALLENGING ROLE INDEED…..

Employees may join the organization for pay, brand or any other reason, but they will stay

for the care, concern and sensitivity the organization shows towards them as they move

along. Even laying off or parting with some could be handled with compassion as the key lies

in keeping the communication open, free and transparent.

Going an extra mile in extending a helping hand in their outplacements shall go a long way

in boosting the image of the organization. For this, the HR professional, apart from their

functional knowledge need to develop an innate desire to understand the business, its

intricacies and challenges.

There is no denying of the fact that HRM is a vital organizational function and the line

between success and failure of any organization generally owes its origin to the HR

Department. The workplace is changing fast with knowledge industry ruling the roost and the

HR function is getting more complex by the day. Thus it is in a state of transition from mere

support function to an almost an operational or a line one, to say the least.

Understanding and managing people will assume a totally new dimension in the sense;

employer pays well and expects high contribution from the employees at the same time:

which by itself is a tall order for HR to handle. There may arise a situation where many

routine HR activities could be outsourced and the vital few with a strategic orientation only

continues to remain in the HR’s domain. Talent management may have to cross the

traditional HR boundaries to align with other unconventional disciplines.

Of all, the changing role of HR Professional also demands them to educate the top echelons,

in social responsibility, public policy and ethics etc., to that extent they may have to redefine

their own role now along with the perception prevalent within the organization about their

role and functions.

The independent variables taken for study purpose are as follows:

Satisfaction with operational and strategic HRM activities. The strategic contribution to the

organization is contingent on the operational contribution. One wonders whether it is also the

other way round: is the operational contribution also contingent on the strategic one? We do

not think – at least not in the perception of managers. It is believed so because for many

managers fulfilment of specific operational HR tasks is paramount. Fulfilment of strategic

activities is a nice extra, but the day-to-day operations will not be much affected by it. On the

other hand, their perception of role effectiveness of strategic roles will be affected by the

day-to-day operations carried out by HRM.

Organizational culture. Organizational culture affects the perception of HR role

effectiveness. Looking at public organizations one can discern a more traditional,

hierarchical organizational culture, and a more modern organizational culture oriented on

flexibility and the individual employee. The former (hierarchical) culture is more oriented

towards the traditional personnel management function, the latter more towards HRM. With

respect to the operational roles, the employee will not be valued so much in a hierarchical

culture. Hence one would expect that a hierarchical culture will be positively related HR role

as administrative expert, and negatively to the other three roles.

Leadership style. Managers will use different leadership styles. Some styles have a better fit

with HRM roles than others. Especially a coaching leadership style fits with the HR role as

employee champion. However, to operate effectively one also needs some basic information.

Therefore, it is expected that managers with a more coaching leadership style will more

positively evaluate both operational HR roles.

Trained in HRM. Some managers are trained in HRM, and are therefore familiar with the

HRM ideology, others are not, and will therefore be less familiar with HRM ideas. One can

assume that those who are trained in HRM will know that HRM should also have a strategic

focus. Managers who are trained in HRM will be more positive about the role performance

of the HR roles as strategic partner and change agent.

In recent times, the HR professionals need to achieve qualitative and quantitative results in

all basic sub-functions of human resource management. The challenge is managing and

achieving quality results in situations which are demanding better time management,

resource management and growth of the organization.

HR professionals need to play a balancing role. The role being referred to is that of driving

task performance at the same time caring for the needs to the employee. Management is

happy if employees can achieve more than expected and employees are happy with

employers go extra mile to see employee needs are understood and taken care of...

The extra mile needs to be –

1. Career opportunities.

2. Welfare policies.

3. Training policies.

4. Reward policies.

The above policies need to take care of minimum legal requirements and also should be able

to manage the expectations of employees and management.

Duly considering the fact that Talent is a scarce resource and that the future competitiveness

of any company will be related with the capacity that an organization will have in hiring,

retaining, capacitating and motivating them and much needed to ensure business continuity.

To achieve this goal is needed full commitment from Senior Management and a targeted

communicational strategy to overcome any behavior of resistance to change on the part of

employees.

PERCEPTIONS OF EMPLOYEES

In the process of finding a job, almost everyone's first point of contact with a company is its

human resources department. Resumes are sent to their attention, interviews are scheduled

through them, and a large part of the hiring process — from the first call to the offer letter —

is managed by them. And after being on a first-name basis with everyone in the HR

department for months, most employees have almost no interaction with them until it's time

for the perfunctory exit interview. Unless of course, there's a problem such as a conflict with

a supervisor or colleague, issues of harassment or improper conduct in the workplace or a

smaller-than-hoped-for raise or bonus. In fact, human resources professionals play a vital

role in how well (or poorly) a company functions, even if most of their work is behind the

scenes. They perform an almost unfathomably large range of tasks, including managing

diversity initiatives, resolving interpersonal work-related conflicts and managing

compensation and benefits issues. As a result, HR jobs can be some of the most challenging

and diverse.

One of the reasons the profession is so exciting is because it's so varied. You can be a

generalist, which means you handle every aspect of the employee relationship from

designing discipline systems to analyzing future needs based on where the company wants to

go with recruitment and hiring. Even though most of us think of HR experts only when it

comes to hiring, HR is not all staring at resumes and dealing with the dotting of I's and

crossing of T's on employee benefits paperwork. "One of the things an HR specialist spends

their time on is converting the strategy of an organization into action through people.

Many HR positions involve large amounts of interaction with employees and managers

throughout a company in order to determine what the skills of the current workforce are, and

to determine which skills are needed in the future to manage growth. HR also involves doing

a lot of industry research in order to take advantage of any trends or changes in a given

industry so that the company can run as efficiently as possible. For example, if a company is

losing employees and potential new hires to a competitor, it's up to the human resources

group to figure out why it's not able to be as competitive. The answer may be as simple as a

salary discrepancy, but other issues such as commute times, work culture and perks might

also be factors that must be addressed.

One of the mandates of any HR team is to evaluate and analyze current situations in order to

keep the company running as best it can with few wasted resources. HR specialists have roles

in functional areas such as benefits, diversity, compensation, recruiting and organizational

development. Watching the want ads, you'll notice more and more jobs are looking for

people who have an organizational development background, which is one of the most

important roles that HR groups play today, is based on "talent management, looking at jobs

and figuring out what skill sets people need to move around in jobs and how to develop those

skill sets, job analysis, workforce planning and analysis — really looking at the whole of the

organization and what is needed in the workforce. Change management initiatives are in that

arena, and so at the pace companies are changing these days that's why people with

organizational development backgrounds are in such high demand."

In what might seem like a blast of sweet irony, HR professionals need to apply for (and

interview for) their jobs just like everyone else. While there is no set list of skills that

guarantees employment, a mix of the right work and academic experience is key to getting

hired. Historically, and as late as 10 to 15 years ago, degree programs in HR weren't

available, so you didn't have folks in college saying I'm going into Human Resources, most

often, you came from other disciplines in the organization and you gravitated toward HR

either because of a desire or skill. Today, many universities offer undergraduate and

graduate-level programs in HR, and there are also part-time and online certificate programs

for people who want to build their human resources skills.

In addition to having the right academic pedigree, analysis, strategy and strong people skills

are important in human resources. Even today, it is more common for someone to enter HR

mid-career from another functional area because the skills needed to perform the job are best

cultivated with experience. While many employers now seek applicants who hold degrees in

human resources, the experience of working in other positions in a company gives a greater

understanding of what those jobs are like, and that empathy can be particularly valuable

when evaluating job structure and performing other duties in HR. HR is really an umbrella

that covers many different jobs within a company, and as such there are jobs for people with

just about any personality type or skill set. For those who enjoy meeting new people, an ideal

job might be in campus recruiting. These positions can involve quite a bit of travel, and

typically require back-to-back meetings with eager young applicants at school-sponsored job

fairs. For people who enjoy number crunching, working on the benefits side of the fence can

be a good career option. In short, no matter what kind of abilities one may possess, there's a

good chance.... that there's a good match in an HR department. I think what's most important

about someone going into HR today is not so much the traditional HR background but having

good business skills is just as important as the HR knowledge of employment laws.

STRATEGIC HR

How different is it from the conventional administrative HR? The current HR function is

very much configured like the company’s purchasing department. People, like parts and

supplies, are requisitioned by user departments based on depletion and growth rates of their

operations. Both resources are screened for quality control and cost or budget constraints.

The only slight difference is that unlike purchased parts, people are trained or prepared

before they are sent to the requisitioning parties which may train them further before actual

deployment or usage. HR is also involved in the replacement, termination and retirement

process of unusable people assets, much like the handling of depreciated equipment. In short,

most HR systems exist not only for replenishment and maintenance of a resource called

people; they also tend to be engaged in developing, nurturing and grooming them.

Strategic HR does not abandon these administrative responsibilities. Otherwise, no other

department in the company will carry out these “operations-sustaining” activities. But its

main task is to participate in corporate strategy rather than support administration. Strategic

HR is more proactive rather than reactive in its relationships with the other functional areas.

It is more concerned about what its internal customers need in the future to compete globally.

Strategic HR managers do not wait for instructions, requisition or complaints. It does its

homework, does research on the future, and offers proactive solutions and strategic advice.

Strategic HR is preventive rather than corrective or punitive. It is developmental in

orientation. The conventional HR function is the dispenser or implementers of justice and

protector of corporate assets. It views employees as resources not are wasted rather than

strategic resources to be developed. Strategic HR aims to create a working environment

conducive for employees to do things right the first time. It aims to prevent mistakes rather

than punish them.

Strategic HR is output driven rather than input oriented. For instance, training results are

measured not in terms of training hours or number of trainees per year, but in terms of

improvement in the trainee performance attributable to the training. Performance

improvement can be in terms of productivity, efficiency, Quality of Production (defects),

customer satisfaction or conversely, number of customer complaints received. Strategic HR

personnel are concerned with these results as much as the operating departments it serves. In

spite of the fact that output results are more difficult to measure than input deployed,

strategic HR aims to find ways and means to directly and indirectly measure these more

accurate metrics of its success and effectiveness.

Strategic HR is mainly pre-occupied in moulding the employees of the future today. For

organizations to survive and excel in the future, its needs to develop or acquire employees

who are multi-skilled, cross-functional, empowered, team players. In addition, they have to

have high emotional intelligence (EQ) and capable of thinking “Out of the Box” about the

future. They should be capable not only of improving their work, but reengineering or

reinventing it if necessary. Front liners, who are engaged in millions of “Moments of Truth”

meeting customers, must have superior flexibility, resourcefulness, and excellent memories

especially if their task requires greeting customers by their first or last names. Strategic HR

keeps these employee attributes as its goals while conducting its basic processes of

recruitment, training, job rotation, career mapping, and performance appraisal.

Strategic HR aligns performance criteria systems with corporate goals and strategies rather

than traditional functional concerns. It includes in performance criteria of both rank and file

employees and managers those that will enable them to contribute to corporate goals. Most

traditional HR performance appraisal systems basically gauge how well a subordinate

satisfied his boss or superior during the appraisal period. This degree of satisfaction may or

may not be related to how well the employee contributed to corporate goals. Most of the

time, it does not. For this reason, conventional performance appraisal has become a highly

politicized, controversial, wasteful exercise that creates more disharmony than teamwork in

the organization. Strategic HR appraises people on the more relevant output performance like

quality, productivity, internal and external customer satisfaction. If negative criteria are used,

these become defects or rework, wastes, and internal and external customer complaints or

returns. In banking, performance appraisal may include lost calls, closed accounts, queuing

time, and clerical errors, ATM downtime, improvement projects. Strategic HR aims to

change employee behaviour and attitude by directly connecting his appraisal (and eventually

his pay) to what actually matters to corporate performance and customer satisfaction. It puts

less weight on nebulous criteria like teamwork, attendance, boss satisfaction, and neatness.

HR is no longer a backroom or support function. It is in the forefront of corporate strategy,

much like sales and marketing. It provides and determines competitiveness to an ever

increasing degree. All other things being equal – financial, physical, and product assets –

people will make the difference between two competing companies. Strategic HR can make

this difference happen.

Looking at all these aspects, there is spurring need to recognize the importance of HR and

value of the intangible assets, particularly people. A few years ago, Infosys did a human

capital accounting exercise which valued each employee at more than 70 lacs, the total value

of human capital far exceeding the revenues of the organization. Any manager who only

looks at the financials in a balance sheet, audited by chartered accountants, and does not

understand the value of intangible assets like human capital, has to start learning the ABC of

business.

RESEARCH TITLE:

A Study of Perception of employees about the role of HR department of 56 employees at

L&T.

SIGNIFICANCE AND NEED OF THE STUDY:

Many HR positions involve large amounts of interaction with employees and managers

throughout a company in order to determine what the skills of the current workforce are, and

to determine which skills are needed in the future to manage growth. HR also involves doing

a lot of industry research in order to take advantage of any trends or changes in a given

industry so that the company can run as efficiently as possible.

In every industry there is a web of relationships which consists of the relationship between

individuals, groups and between the organizations. In an organization different departments

are internal customers for the HR department. This study is to understand the perceptions of

the internal customers towards the functions of HR department which will help to understand

the image of the department and also to find out the areas in which there is a need for

improvement to contribute more effectively to the organization.

This study was aimed to understand perception of HR department’s functions by different

departments and to find out avenues for improvement in the services provided by the HR

department in order to contribute more effectively in the organization.

This study will help to understand the perception of HR department in the organization and

also to get the feedback from the employees from different departments regarding to the

functions of HR department to find out avenues for improvement in the services and to

prepare an action plan to contribute more effectively. There has been a genuine effort to

make the tool for the data collection as relevant as possible to the particular organization and

the target group for data collection.

This study would help students and to professional practitioners to understand the

perceptions of the internal customers towards the functions of HR department in a

manufacturing set up. This will help them to find out the areas on which they should focus as

HR professionals to be more effective in the organization.

Company Profile

Larsen & Toubro Power LTD, Baroda

Larsen & Toubro

Vadodara: Larsen & Toubro (L&T), which is setting up Knowledge City, wants to develop Vadodara as country’s largest engineering hub. While inaugurating an engineering campus at Waghodia on the outskirts of the city on Friday, L&T’s chairman and managing director AM Naik said that Vadodara will act as headquarters of three out of 18 operating companies of the group, including L&T Power, L&T Hydrocarbon and E-engineering.

“City will have 12,000 to 15,000 engineers by 2020 at a single location,” said Naik, adding that Knowledge City will act as headquarters of the three companies. L&T also wants to set up an engineering college for its employees for which it has already approached state government.

Naik said that former ABB India head Ravi Uppal has already been appointed as CEO and managing director of L&T Power, a 100 percent subsidiary of L&T. “In engineering services, we will create 10,000 new jobs over next four years, of which half will be in Gujarat,” he said, adding, “In hydrocarbon space, it will cater to needs of the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors and in power, design support for complete projects. We expect to generate project exports revenue of over Rs 2,000 crore within five years and generate employment to around 5,000 technical professionals in next five years,” he said. Integrated campus will enable L&T to extend and further develop its existing capabilities in process engineering, product development, mechanical design and analysis, process evaluation and technology adaptation.Apart from that, L&T is also setting up Institute of Project Management to develop project managers across domains of engineering, procurement, construction and manufacturing at ‘Knowledge City’. The campus that presently houses three buildings will see investment worth Rs 500 crore in infrastructure and buildings alone spread over a period of five years. L&T plans to have 11 buildings constructed across 112 acres in first phase which will also house convention centre, employees hostel, residential colony, food courts and entertainment facilities. “We have utilized only part of the capacity and it has potential for expansion ten times over,” said Naik, adding that in next five years, over 2,000 employees will live on the campus.

HR Department :

Efficiency, Profitability and in fact the very existence of the undertaking will depend on this

constituents. Co-operation and dedication in performance on the part of its personnel ends in

the accomplishment of its objectives. Therefore human resource is of immense importance

since it involves matters such as identifying, placing, evaluating, and developing individuals

at work and maintaining effective multilateral communication systems. Human resources

along with financial and material resources contribute to production of goods and services in

an organization.. In short HRM may be defined as the art of procuring, developing and

maintaining competent workforce to achieve the goals of an organization in an effective and

efficient manner.

Today

Larsen & Toubro Limited is the largest engineering firm in South Asia.

Our Net sales stood at Rs.248531 million, PBT at Rs.27392.20 million and PAT at Rs.21734.20 million (All figures are as on 31st March 2008)

Determined to become a professionally managed multinational, dedicated in providing optimum satisfaction to both internal and external customers, L&T conducts business in line with its Corporate Vision statement.

L&T is being led forward in the path of change, by a team of dedicated professional leaders, whose vision and constant striving for excellence has helped the organization reach greater heights.

L & T Structure :

E1, E2, E3 Executive (E)

M4A, M4B Tier 4 (Cov)

M3A, M3B, M3C Tier3 (Cov)

M2A, M2B, M2C Tier 2 (Cov)

M1A, M1B, M1C Tier 1(Cov)

JSA, JSB, JSC ju nior Supervisor

(JS)

Executive Vice President (EVP)

Sr. Executive Vice President/ Sr. Vice President

Board Members

S1, S2, S3 Supervisor (S)

The Vision

Strategic Mission - LAKSHYA

To compete and grow in a globalised business environment, L&T is implementing a strategic plan (LAKSHYA) for 2005-10. The plan has been drawn up in consultation with a leading international strategy consultant. It has set ambitious growth targets for each business. Also included are opportunities for diversification of L&T's business portfolio.

Values

The company views success not as an end in itself but a means of attaining the greater good for the society. The company is built around the pursuits of adding values to employees, stakeholders, and the society at large. The excellence lies in what the company does/produce to make India proud. The company believes its true success to be in the transformation of people through continuous enrichment of their minds and the quality of their lives.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

To study Perception of Role of HR in Other Departments of the organization

To study the views of the employees, their experiences, grievances towards the

HR Department.

To study the perceptions of the employees at managerial and executive levels

from different departments regarding the contribution of HR department in the

organization and towards their department

To study the perception through 8 subsystems of HR through which it contributes

to the organization

To study the image of the HR department in the organization

To study the areas for improvement for the HR department

Universe:

The universe of the study was the total employees at staff level including managers and

executives at all levels from all the departments at L&T, which has 59 employees at staff

level out of which 56 employees are from other than HR department.

Sample Size:

For the purpose of the study all the 56 employees at staff level were considered. Only the HR

department personnel were exempted from the universe.

Sampling Technique:

For the purpose of selecting the sample for the study, the census inquiry technique was used.

All the employees from staff level which work in the departments other than the HR

department were covered.

Research design –Exploratory and Descriptive in nature

Reference period – May 2010 to March 2011

Sample Size- 56 employees

Data Collection: The information has been collected with the help of the questionnaire tool,

which will consist of the closed ended questions only.

Treatment of data: The intended method for analysis of the data shall be done through

SPSS software.

Results Presentation: Along with the theoretical presentation, the findings and

conclusions are shown in the form of Pie charts and Tables.

The technique used was questionnaire to derive the perceptions of the employees on different

aspects.

A five point scale is used from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

1. Strongly Agree

2. Agree

3. Partially agree

4. Disagree

5. Strongly Disagree

Along with the five pointer scale, a 3 pointer scale is also used:

1. Yes

2. No

3. Can’t say

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:

The responses taken from the respondents may not be accurate on account of:

a) Lack of understanding on part of the respondent

b) Indifference towards the survey process

c) Though the great efforts were put to convince the respondents for the study, the responses

received were not real but biased one as the employees had the fear that management

will take actions against them based on the opinion given by them.

d) Another limitation of the study is the time factor. The respondents did not have much

time to fill up questionnaire seriously and they filled the questionnaire just for the sake

of filling it.

e) The study is to a certain extent limited by the vastness of the canvas and the time

available with the researcher for the study.

PRESENTATION OF THE STUDY:

The study is presented in the following manner.

Chapterisation:

Chapter 1 - Introduction & Research Methodology

Chapter 2 - Review of Literatures

Chapter 3 - Data Analysis and Interpretation

Chapter 4 - Findings, Conclusion and Suggestions

Annexure: 1. Bibliography

2. Questionnaire

Review of literature is necessary for scientific approach and is regarded important for

scientific research. It gives the researcher the insight into various facts of problem. It also

gives researcher the understanding of work done in past one cannot precede with research in

proper direction with various theories until he has gone through various related literature and

is well acquainted.

The review of literature is the most important component of the research. It prepares the

researcher to formulate a researchable problem as well as helps in avoiding any duplication

of work done earlier. A careful review of literature enables the researcher to collect and

synthesize prior studies related to the present study. It also gives insight regarding the

possible methods which can be persuaded for the undertaking of similar investigation.

A retrospective survey of literature was undertaken to investigate the related researches

conducted in that area. The review of literature has been collected from various sources such

as books, previous researches and websites.

In this chapter discussion on various aspects of the perception of the employees about the

role of HR was done. It included the expert views on different roles assumed by HR and

important factors that help HR to gain and retain its niche in the organization.

In order to make the review clear and understanding, it had been broadly divided into

different sub- topics.

Comparing Line and HR Executives' Perceptions of HR Effectiveness: Services, Roles,

and Contributions

A Study by Patrick M. Wright, School of ILR, Cornell University, 2003.

This study compares HR and line executives' evaluations of the effectiveness of the HR

function in terms of its service delivery, roles, and contributions to the firm. Survey

responses from 44 HR and 59 line executives from 14 companies indicated that (a) HR

executives consistently rated the functions' effectiveness higher than did line executives, and

(b) the greatest differences were observed on the more important and/or strategic aspects of

HR.

Employee perceptions and their influence on training effectiveness

Amalia Santos, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew , University of Leeds

Studies of the benefits of human resource development (HRD) for organizations have

assumed a direct connection between training strategy and a hierarchy of performance

outcomes: learning, behavioral change and performance improvement. The influence of

workplace practices and employees' experiences on training effectiveness has received little

attention. This study investigates evaluation strategies designed to elicit greater training

effectiveness, and explores the influence of trainees' perceptions and work environment

factors on this. Drawing on detailed case study findings, the authors highlight the importance

of management practices, trainees' perceptions of the work environment and systems of

reward in explaining behavior change after training.

A study on Focus of HR functions shifts from internal operations to a more direct role

in corporate performance by

Global HR Transformation Study by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, 2006

The human resource (HR) function around the world continues to change as it shifts its focus

from enhancing internal operations to maximizing contribution to the corporation’s business

performance. According to the 2006 Global HR Transformation Study by Mercer Human

Resource Consulting, half (50%) of organizations are in the midst of transforming their HR

functions, while 12% completed a transformation within the past year and another 10% plan

to begin the process within the next year.

HR transformation is the process of recreating or reinventing the HR function with the

specific intent of enhancing HR’s contribution to the business. Mercer’s study, which builds

on a similar one conducted in 2003, includes responses from nearly 1,400 organizations in all

industries across Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, New Zealand and North America.

It provides insights about the current realities, trends, obstacles and opportunities facing

organizations’ HR functions around the world.

The study shows a clear shift in HR priorities. While 40% of survey respondents listed

human capital strategy as a principal function of HR today, 64% expect it to become a key

function within two to three years. Leadership development and talent management are other

areas expected to become more important. Conversely, 46% of survey respondents listed

operational excellence within the HR function as a priority today, while only 32% see it as a

key function in the next few years.

“HR transformation is clearly a continuous process. The first wave of transformation, which

started 5 to 10 years ago, focused on improving technology and service delivery with the

expectation that HR would transition to a more strategic role within the organization,” said

Karen Piercy, a principal and HR effectiveness expert in Mercer’s Human Capital business.

“Today, HR functions around the world are challenged with delivering on this expectation —

to make human capital strategies a reality rooted in improving competitiveness and

profitability.”

The Importance of Being in HR

With just one swipe of Budget 2005, the Finance Minister has made life difficult for HR

professionals. The Fringe Benefit Tax threatens to nullify all the creativity and innovation

displayed by the HR fraternity over the last 10 years to offer improved benefits to employees.

It's time for the profession to rework its strategies.

In the 1960s and 1970s, creativity, ingenuity, innovation and resourcefulness were terms that

were not normally associated with the HR fraternity. Gerald G. D'Souza, Senior Vice-

President HR, The UB Group, says that it's only in the last 10 years that HR has come into its

own. "Hardcore organisation development, organisational behaviour and training have

become centre-stage."

It's also true that HR as we know it today dominates IT and other knowledge-based

industries. "Earlier what we called 'welfare activities' is now being championed by HR," says

D'Souza, adding, "and activities that are part of normal work are called HR interventions.

This is how jargon gets built up."

Rahul Varma of Accenture says that the HR department, over the years, has become more

strategic to an organisation's success. High-performing companies focus on building human

capital that comprises core HR processes such as recruiting, career development and

competency management, as well as broader issues such as workplace design, learning and

training, and knowledge management.

"Our research has shown that there is a strong link between the maturity of an organisation's

human capital processes and its overall financial performance. Effective human capital

management practices do matter," he adds.

What Needs to Be Done

There are a lot of things that need to be accomplished in HR before HR programs and

practices can begin supporting the corporate brand. The list is immense, but some

recommended starting points follow:

Stop executing HR in a vacuum. Managing the most valuable corporate asset in a world-class

way requires cooperation with marketing and finance.

Identify where your standard operating procedures, policies, and reward systems contradict

the customer experience your corporate brand depends upon, and fix them. (Every company

should find at least one major contradiction. If you are having problems, look at how you

provide bonus compensation.)

Measure the success of your recruiting and training initiatives based on the customer

perception of the quality of your workforce; after all, it is their opinion that matters most!

Identify how your employees perceive your organization, and compare that to how you want

customers to perceive your organization. If there is a disconnect, it must be resolved. (Note

that resolution does not mean telling the employee they are wrong! Branding relies upon

their perception, not yours.)

Conclusion

You and I both know that corporate branding initiatives are created in a vacuum, and not

always based upon reality, or the ability of our firm to live up to the image created.

Unfortunately, failing to follow through on a promise put forth by our brand, either stated or

implied, is one of the easiest and most effective ways to drive customers away and revenues

down.

Branding initiatives should always have the customer as their primary focus, and focus on

their needs and wants. In some cases, the customer is internal, in other cases external.

Branding can be used to accomplish a variety of challenges, but success depends upon follow

through, and that depends upon the quality of your workforce and their ability to deliver.

As people become the key competitive advantage in any industry the human resource (HR)

development function will and should play a more strategic role. It should go beyond its

mere administrative support function to operations and front line departments. Whether or

not company views HR strategically may decide whether market share, sales, or profits

would increase or not. An effective HR strategy becomes equally decisive as the company’s

marketing strategy.

Technology too is changing HR roles. As industries, and the way they compete become

knowledge-based, HR performance indicators will shift from manpower and man-hours

supplied to brainpower and brain hours delivered. The key result areas in people

management will also shift from production and quantity to productivity and quality.

Capability, measured in employee ideas generated and implemented, and productivity

gained, will be more important than capacity, measured in man-hours available, man-hours

lost, absenteeism, etc.

KEY FINDINGS

DEMOGRAPHICS

The HR pulse survey attracted a strong respondent sample of 1816 individuals. Some notable

facts about the sample include:

• 1378 HR managers and 438 non HR managers responded to the survey

• Nine out of 10 respondents are from organizations that have an HR function

• Three quarters of respondents hold an HR position in the organization

• Nine out of 10 HR respondents hold a formal qualification in HR.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

SIX KEY FINDINGS OF THE SURVEY:

1. Understanding the HR role: A considerable number of HR respondents (63.5%) believe

that employees in the business do not understand or are unsure about what the human

resources department does or what it should be doing. Of non-HR respondents to the survey,

that number stands at 80.4%.

2. Effectiveness of HR: On the related question of whether HR is seen as effective, 45.9% of

HR respondents believe it is not effective or they are unsure, and 73.5% of non-HR

respondents take the same view. That should come as no surprise. If people in the business

do not know what HR should be doing, they are not going to be well placed to determine

whether they are effective in doing it.

3. Whose interests should HR serve? A further disparity in the data relates to the question

about whose interests HR should be serving. While nine out of 10 respondents quite properly

expect HR to serve ‘the business’ as its first priority, they also report that HR is perceived to

serve the interests, in order, of ‘senior management’ (72%), ‘employees’ (60%) and ‘the

CEO’ (59%). Those figures are not conducive to a good look for the HR profession.

4. Is HR necessary? With only one in 10 non-HR respondents (11%) believing that HR is

not a necessary function in the business, there is clearly a significant divide between the high

expectations placed on the HR function and what it’s seen to deliver.

5. Responsibility of the business. Notwithstanding the strong belief in the necessity of the

HR function, survey respondents report that the most senior HR person in their organization

is a direct report to the CEO in only 54% of cases. That relatively low number suggests that a

great many businesses largely fail to understand and adequately recognize a part of the

business that is critical to their success. If the HR function matters, and this survey says it

does, the onus is on both the business and the HR practitioners within it, to accord the

function an appropriate standing and to resource it accordingly.

6. An image makeover? Not surprisingly, approximately three quarters (75%) of respondents

surveyed believe the HR function in business needs an image makeover, a conclusion from

which at least three things can be inferred:

HR practitioners need to behave differently, and that includes being more highly

trained to perform the roles for which they claim expertise.

HR practitioners need to explain their value to the business more effectively, and

have good reason to expect that value to be endorsed from the top.

The business needs to assume responsibility for properly recruiting, training and

developing HR staff to enable them to exercise leadership and strategic thinking, and

to accord staff at that level appropriate standing within the business.

HR: PERCEPTION AND REALITY

1. UNDERSTANDING THE HR ROLE

Nearly two thirds of HR respondents believe that their colleagues in the business do not

understand what they do or what they should be doing, or are unsure on the question (36%

and 27.5% respectively). With approximately eight out of 10 non-HR respondents (80.4%)

taking similar views (51.3% and 29.1% respectively); the task for HR to be transparent and

articulate is inescapable. Clearly there is a case for HR practitioners within business to

market their skills more effectively. At the same time it is incumbent on the business to make

that accountability a key performance indicator of a staff member with sufficient clout as an

internal communicator to realize that marketing objective. There may also be a case for the

business to train HR staff in the skills required to more effectively articulate the areas of their

expertise that create value to the business.

2. EFFECTIVENESS OF HR

Effectiveness relates to impact and the capacity to make a difference. If HR is widely seen

within the business to be ineffective, as the survey findings indicate, that perception goes

directly to the issue of image. It may also be a reflection of competence. With three quarters

of non-HR respondents, believing HR is not effective or are unsure of its effectiveness, there

clearly exists a crisis of confidence from key stakeholders.

Because the answers to the question on effectiveness are linked to the issue of understanding

about what HR does in the business, it’s almost certain that in a number of cases HR is not

receiving credit for work that it undertakes and brings to fruition. An intervention is

necessary at that point to ensure credit is accorded to the appropriate function where value

has been given, if for no other reason than to enable those in the business to know from

whom they should be requesting that function in the future.

Conversely, the confusion about understanding and effectiveness of the HR role no doubt

leads to HR being on the wrong end of the blame chain with respect to matters for which it

has little or no responsibility. That is, while in a blurry business environment HR may get

inadvertent credit for positive things it did not do, it may also be falsely accused of

contributing to undesirable results or failing to contribute to desired ones.

Unless there are sound strategic reasons for doing so, HR leaders should not easily agree to

wear the dirty linen for the business. If the business makes hard but unpopular decisions,

those decisions need to be communicated as decisions of the business. HR must support

them, of course, but not agree to be perceived as the powerless handmaiden of the CEO or

other sectional interests who are looking for corporate martyrs or scapegoats.

Where HR makes input into decision making or has a role in implementation, it is incumbent

on both the business and the HR leaders to ensure that accountabilities are articulated clearly

and openly.

As a final observation on the data in it’s worth noting that many HR respondents are under no

illusions about the extent to which their role is misunderstood. A total of 63.5% HR

respondents doubt whether the business understands what they do and 45.9% doubt whether

they are seen to be effective. The point here is that those HR respondents are a sizeable

proportion of the sample in each case and they are not in denial on the matter. That’s got to

be a good starting point.

3. WHOSE INTERESTS SHOULD HR SERVE?

In terms of image, the HR function must ensure it is not simply seen as looking after its own

patch. The survey respondents clearly indicate that primary role of HR is to contribute to the

achievement of results for the business as a whole. One respondent put it this way:

“HR needs to work on solving business problems, not HR problems”.

That too few respondents in the survey fi findings see HR actually serving the business is a

clarion call when 90% of respondents are saying HR should be doing exactly that.

Similarly, that HR is seen by 59% of respondents to be looking after the interests of the CEO

instead, suggests that HR practitioners need to make significant adjustments, either to how

they are perceived or to how they are actually behaving, or more likely to both.

That may be a challenge for a HR department in a business where the CEO or a group

director is keen to use HR as a cover to convey unpopular business decisions. The HR

leaders in those cases need to persuade the executives concerned that it’s not in the long-term

interests of the business to behave that way. If persuasion is not enough, the exercise of

appropriate leverage may be necessary or even the exercise of raw courage as a last resort.

Whatever means are used; HR must consistently adopt the position of serving the interests of

the business and be seen to do so, as indicated by the great majority of survey respondents.

They must also resist attempts to have them positioned as serving sectional interests,

including their own interests.

4. IS HR NECESSARY?

Hammonds is in no doubt about the centrality of HR with respect to business performance,

so much so that his scorn arises from the gap he sees between the potential of HR and his

claims about its record of non-delivery.

While Hammonds doesn’t go to the issue of image, he raises the issue of competence and, in

his estimation, HR doesn’t measure up: “HR people are, for the most part, neither strategic

nor leaders”, he says.

To the extent Hammonds has hit on a kernel of truth, the challenge for HR practitioners is to

ensure they measure up, and are seen to be measuring up. Very often that will mean more

training or a refocusing of the character of training.

In answer to the survey question on the importance of formal training, with the exception of a

specialist HR qualification, both HR and non-HR respondent groups nominated subject areas

in exactly the same order; namely, business, psychology, law, finance, marketing and

economics. Business was a standout first choice for both groups which is a strong indicator

that HR and other business unit managers are talking the same language.

That finding is also an indication that HR formal qualifications need to be rigorous and reflect

the business priorities indicated in the data; i.e. that they contain adequate content in

business, psychology and law, for example.

The development of quality HR training relies on a concerted effort to consult with relevant

parties in the workplace, and is a role typically played by a professional association. The

Australian Human Resources Institute, for its part, has undertaken that role with some degree

of success, but clearly more work needs to be done.

5. RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BUSINESS

While HR practitioners and the professional association need to assume responsibility for the

standing of their own profession, on the basis of this survey business itself needs to face up

to its obligation to play a leadership role with respect to the standing of a professional group

that can make a critical contribution to business performance.

This HR pulse survey reveals that in only 54% of cases does the most senior HR person in

the business report to the CEO, with 16% reporting to the corporate services director.

While there is a case to say that HR needs to earn the respect required to become a direct

CEO report, it is also true that organizations which recruit HR staff exclusively from the

junior or middle management ranks all but ensure that the function remains without clout and

without a voice at the executive level.

For HR to get the leadership it deserves, initiative from the CEO and executive level in the

business is critical, first in recruiting candidates who are capable of providing frank and

fearless advice at executive level but also those who are capable of providing leadership and

cohesion to the team that brings business-driven HR expertise to the enterprise.

6. AN IMAGE MAKEOVER?

While the survey respondents agree strongly that an image makeover is in order for HR, the

data suggests it is not going to be a simple public relations campaign that will bring about a

fresh look. Three interconnected things need to occur to bring that about, namely the way in

which HR professionals go about their practice, how effectively they communicate their

areas of expertise within the business, and the extent to which the business can be made to

recognize that it needs to take a level of responsibility for boosting the stocks of a necessary

occupational group which is to some extent under siege.

In addition to working on its perception within the business, there is an imperative for HR to

more positively position itself with respect to the wider community in the public arena. Entry

level recruits into the profession will come from members of the general public and one way

to attract the best talent is to more competitively position HR as an occupation of first choice.

DOES HR CREATE MORE WORK FOR MANAGERS?

We asked: “Does your HR department produce unnecessary ‘red tape’?”

Some 34 per cent of HR professionals admitted that it does. But 46 per cent of managers said

they experienced unnecessary red tape from HR. Challenge the need for form-filling, for

additional levels of authorization at every stage. When making every choice think ‘help’ not

‘hinder’. How many of your processes exist simply because they do?

WHAT IS HR GOOD/BAD AT?

We asked HR professionals and managers to rate HR on 13 disciplines that typically fall

under HR’s remit. HR rates itself as less than fairly good in two areas: employer branding

and succession planning. Managers’ bottom two scores are for change management and

succession planning. The latter averages little more than not very good.

It was not all bad news for HR, though. When respondents were asked to rate the extent to

which they agreed with a list of statements, managers rated HR more highly on some aspects

of the job than HR professionals themselves. Against the statement, “The HR department

produces too much paperwork”, HR scored itself 3.65 (tending towards agree slightly), while

managers scored 3.22 (nearer neither agree nor disagree). And against the statement,

“Managers within the company associate HR with bad news”, HR scored 3.28, while

managers scored 3.08.

HOW IS HR PERCEIVED?

We asked: “How well do you think your HR department is perceived in your organization?”

HR professionals scored 3.38 and managers scored 2.62, proving there are some rose-tinted

spectacles on the noses of many HR professionals. We also asked: “How approachable is

your HR department?” HR scored itself a more than very approachable 4.29 while line

managers reported 3.5 – midway between very and fairly approachable. Ask yourself: what

are we doing to make ourselves accessible to staff? How visible are we? How secretive do

we appear?

DO YOU OFFER VALUE FOR MONEY?

We asked: “Does your HR department offer good value for money?”

Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas, and HR professionals would not suggest they are a waste

of money. A healthy 80 per cent declared their HR department offered good value, and only

10 per cent said no. However, a shockingly low 31 per cent of managers said their HR

department offered good value for money, and 48 per cent said it did not. If that view is

shared by your chief executive or finance director, it may be worth considering how you

pitch the work that HR does. However, a breakdown of this research reveals the more senior

a manager is (both inside and outside HR), the more they value the HR function, so it seems

HR has friends in high places.

REFLECTIONS ON BUILDING CREDIBILITY

“Credibility has to be earned. But it’s so simple: build a real partnership by listening and

understanding what the business does and the challenges it has, then deliver tailored,

practical, quality solutions on time, every time,” says Gill Hibberd, corporate director,

Buckingham County Council. “This is what the business has to deliver to clients – if it

doesn’t, it fails. The business expects the same from you.

“Understanding also means knowing what the business does for clients, so why not spend a

little time with them on the frontline seeing how they work? This would improve your

knowledge, build your network, demonstrate your commitment, and would be a great first

step to real partnership. HR should also work with the business with confidence,” he says.

“HR serves business’s needs, but that doesn’t mean being treated like a servant. If you act as

a servant you will be treated like one, and then you will lack real credibility.”

“HR directors must ensure that their department’s contribution is not purely focused on

policy or administrative functions, but is also proactive in offering advice and opinions to

help managers make the right decisions,” he says. “HR representation at every level – from

headquarters through to small regional offices – is key to ensuring a two-way dialogue.”

A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY IS ARISING

It is no secret that success in business relies upon excellence in execution. While corporate

leaders have historically looked to other functions, such as product development, marketing,

and sales, to drive corporate success, today more and more eyes are looking to HR for help.

The reason for this newfound reliance on HR stems from a decrease in the effectiveness of

the traditional levers marketing organizations used to differentiate a firm and their products.

Marketers have traditionally used "the 4 P's" (product, price, position, and promotion) to set

the products of their firm apart from those of the competitor in the market place. However, in

the new economy, product features, pricing, and positioning become almost irrelevant as

competitors can now mimic and upstage your efforts in very short periods of time, thanks in

part to innovations in technology and reductions in global barriers.

While this development forces marketing to become more and more branding oriented, it

also forces corporate attention on other avenues that can be used to establish and maintain a

corporate brand in the marketplace. Most corporate leaders and professional marketers now

admit that one of the few (if not the only) channels left to communicate the corporate brand

to customers is the employee, and the customer experience they are capable of providing.

Customer service is a factor that is largely influenced by the quality of the workforce, which

in turn is largely influenced by the quality of recruiting and workforce management systems

developed and maintained by HR.

.Above review of literature describes different researches which have been done at various

places and in different types of industries which prepares a ground for the analysis of data

Table I: Age of the respondents

Age Frequency Percentage (%)

21-30 4 7.1

31-40 40 71.4

41 and above 12 21.4

Total 56 100.0

The above table and chart shows the distribution of the workforce as per the age group. It can be inferred that

21-30 31-40 41 and above

7.1

71.4

21.4

Percentage

out of total 56 respondents, 40 (71.4%) belong to the 31-40 age group, which constitute the majority of the response. 4 (7.1%) belong to the 21-30 age group and 12 (21.4%) belong to the41 and above group. We can infer from the above data that the majority of the workforce falls between the age group of 31-40 years.

Table II: Gender of the respondent

Gender Frequency Percentage (%)

Male 54 96.4

Female 2 3.6

Total 56 100.0

The above table and chart shows the distribution of the workforce as per the gender. It can be

inferred that out of total 56 respondents, 54 (96.4%) are male, which constitute the majority

of the response. And only 2 (3.6%) are female. We can infer from the above data that the

majority of the workforce is male.

Male Female

96.4

3.6

Percentage

Table III: Department

Department Frequency Percentage (%)

Production 15 26.8

Tool Room 13 23.2

Marketing 4 7.1

Finance 4 7.1

Stores 8 14.3

QA/QC 10 17.9

IT 2 3.6

Total 56 100.0

The above table shows the distribution of the workforce as per the departments... It can be

inferred that out of total 56 respondents, 15 (26.8%) belong to the Production Department,

which constitute the majority of the response. 13 (23.2%) belong to the Tool room. 4 (7.1%)

are absorbed in the marketing and finance. 8 employees work in the stores. 10 (17.9%)

people are engaged in QA/QC and 2 (3.6%) staff member serves in IT department. We can

infer from the above data that the maximum people working in the company are absorbed in

the Production Department.

Table IV: Educational Qualification

Educational Qualification Frequency Percentage (%)

Technical 35 62.5

Non-Technical 21 37.5

Total 56 100.0

The above table shows the distribution of the workforce as per their educational

qualification. It can be inferred that out of total 56 respondents, 35 (62.5%) possess technical

educational background, which constitute the majority of the response. Whereas 21 (37.5%)

belong to non-technical academic background. We can infer from the above data that the

majority of the workforce possesses the basic technical knowledge.

The HR department helps the organization to reach its objectives

Response Frequency Percentage (%)

Unsatisfactory 14 25.0

Satisfactory 25 44.6

Good 12 21.4

Very good 4 7.1

Excellent 1 1.8

Total 56 100.0

The above table represents that out of total 56 respondents, 25 (44.6%) said they were

satisfied, which absorbed the major part of the response.14 (25%) were unsatisfied with this

statement, 12 (21.4) said they felt it was moderately good, i.e., average. 4 (7%) ranked it as

very good and only 1 (1.79%) rated it as excellent. We can infer from the above data that

majority of the respondents feel that HR’s role in helping the organization in reaching its

objectives by providing information and details at the right time, making proactive moves

and suggesting newer developments to the management, is quite satisfactory only.

HR department helps to improve the effectiveness of the organization




Good 24 42.9

Very good 5 8.9

Excellent 1 1.8

Total 56 100.0

The above table shows that out of total 56 respondents, 24 (42.9) said they felt it was

moderately good, i.e., average, which absorbed the major part of the response. 8 (14.3%)

were unsatisfied with this statement, 18(32.1%) said they were satisfied, 5 (8.9%) ranked it

as very good and only 1 (1.8%) rated it as excellent. It can be concluded that the HR’s role in

organizational effectiveness by taking proper measurements like performance appraisal on

the right time and by right people, overall productivity maintenance and improvement,

introduction of various programs and policies, is only moderate or average.

HR department helps the organization consider employees’ views.




Good 20 35.7

Very good 3 5.4

Excellent 5 8.9

Total 56 100.0

The above table shows that out of total 56 respondents, 20(35.7%) said they were satisfied

and another 20 (35.7) felt it was moderately good, i.e., average, which absorbed the major

part of the response 8 (14.3%) were unsatisfied with this statement, 3 (5.4%) rated it as very

good and 5 (8.9%) rated it as excellent. We can infer that majority of the respondents feel

that the employee’s views considered in the organization are satisfactorily and moderately.

HR’s efforts in making the employees voice heard by suggestion schemes, employee

representations, transparent and open communication etc not effective totally but they have

scored average and satisfactory both.

HR department helps the organization to prepare for change




Good 8 14.3

Very good 3 5.4

Excellent 1 1.8

Total 56 100.0

The above table shows that out of total 56 respondents, 30(53.6%) said they were satisfied

which absorbed the major part of the response. 14(25%) were unsatisfied with this statement,

8 (14.3%) felt it was moderately good, i.e., average, 3 (5.4%) rated it as very good and 1

(1.8%) rated it as excellent. It can be inferred that the majority of the respondents feel that

HR has only an average role to play in the change management. HR’s role in sensitizing

people for the upcoming change, making them unfreeze from the current condition and

making the whole process of change comfortable by adequate training and communication is

only satisfactory.

HR department helps in the formulation of the strategy for the organization:




Good 9 16.1

Very good 12 21.4

Excellent 1 1.8

Total 56 100.0

The above table and the chart represent that out of total 56 respondents, 26 (46.4%) said they

were satisfied which absorbed the major part of the response. 8 (14.3%) were unsatisfied

with this statement, 9 (16.1%) felt it was moderately good, i.e., average, 12 (21.4%) rated it

as very good and 1 (1.8%) rated it as excellent. We can infer from the above data that

majority feel that HR has a very satisfactory role to play in strategy formulation and

implementation, i.e., making the organization’s plans and policies keeping in mind the vision

and mission, the long term developments and external influences has a very limited scope for

HR.

HR department is involved in the execution of HR process and practice

Unsatisfactory Satisfactory Good Very good Excellent

14.3

46.4

16.1

21.4

1.8

Percentage




Good 16 28.6

Very good 6 10.7

Excellent 1 1.8

Total 56 100.0

The above table shows that out of total 56 respondents, 31 (55.4%) said they were satisfied

which absorbed the major part of the response. 2(3.6%) were unsatisfied with this statement,

16 (28.6%) felt it was moderately good, i.e., average 6 (10.7%) rated it as very good and 1

(1.8%) rated it as excellent. We can conclude that majority of the respondents feel that

execution of HR processes and policies regarding the recruitment, terms and conditions of

the employment, performance appraisal and management, training and development, exit

procedures etc. has very satisfactory performance by HR.

HR department is involved in improving commitment of the employees




Good 19 33.9

Very good 3 5.4

Excellent 1 1.8

Total 56 100.0


which absorbed the major part of the response. 9 (16.1%) were unsatisfied with this

statement, 19 (33.9%) felt it was moderately good, i.e., average. 3 (5.4%) rated it as very

good and 1 (1.8%) rated it as excellent. We can conclude that majority feel that HR’s

performance in improving commitment, by creating the organizational culture that fosters

high morale and improved employee satisfaction, valuing the human assets and treating them

with dignity etc, in of the employees is satisfactory.

HR’s involvement in change management and organizational Culture




Good 9 16.1

Very good 1 1.8

Excellent 1 1.8

Total 56 100.0



statement, 9 (16.1%) felt it was moderately good, i.e., average. Only 1 (1.8%) rated it as very

good and as excellent. It can be inferred that majority feels that HR’s role in change

management and culture development is satisfactory only.

HR department motivates the employees




Good 5 8.9

Very good 6 10.7

Excellent 1 1.8

Total 56 100.0


which absorbed the major part of the response. 14 (25%) were unsatisfied with this

statement, 5 (8.9%) felt it was moderately good, i.e., average. 6 (10.7%) rated it as very good

and 1 (1.8%) rated it as excellent. We can infer from this that majority feels that HR’s role in

motivating employees by linking the performance and rewards in a fair manner, giving

everyone the opportunity to grow and develop, creating career path and goal setting and

treating everyone equally, is satisfactory only.

HR strategies and organizational strategies are aligned




Good 12 21.4

Very good 5 8.9

Excellent 1 1.8

Total 56 100.0

The above table and chart show that out of total 56 respondents, 28 (50%) said they were

satisfied which absorbed the major part of the response. 10 (17.9%) were unsatisfied with

this statement, 12 (21.4%) felt it was moderately good, i.e., average. 5 (8.9%) rated it as very

good and 1 (1.8%) rated it as excellent. It can be inferred that majority feels that alignment of

the organizational and HR strategies by mapping the HR strategies for the development in

alignment with the organizational plans, vision and objectives, drawing the blue print of the

organization form the current as well as future perspective etc., is done satisfactorily only.


17.9

50

21.4

8.9

1.8

HR processes are efficiently managed

The above table shows that out of total 56 respondents, 20 (35.7%) felt it was moderately

good, i.e., average which absorbed the major part of the response. 11 (19.6%) were

unsatisfied with this statement, 16 (28.6%) said they were satisfied. 6 (10.7%) rated it as very

good and 3 (5.4%) rated it as excellent. It can be concluded that majority feels that HR’s

performance in managing the HR processes efficiently, i.e., the functions and modalities of

HR like time office, training and development, compensation and benefits, recruitment,

performance management, career development etc., is good or average.

HR policies meet the interests and demands of employees




Good 15 26.8

Very good 3 5.4

Excellent 3 5.4

Total 56 100.0




good and as excellent. We can infer that majority feels that HR policies have only

satisfactory role to play in meeting the interests and demands of the employees, i.e., the

policies devised by HR do not exactly meet with the expectations of the employees, how they

want them to be or how they wish them to be seen as.




Good 20 35.7

Very good 6 10.7

Excellent 3 5.4

Total 56 100.0

HR processes improve the change capacity of the organization




Good 9 16.1

Very good 3 5.4

Excellent 3 5.4

Total 56 100.0



statement, 9 (16.1%) felt it was moderately good, i.e., average. 3 (5.4%) rated it as very good

and as excellent. We can conclude that majority feels that HR policies’ role in improving

change capacity of the organization is mere satisfactory.

HR as advisor for strategic HRM / Strategic management


Yes 29 51.8

No 12 21.4

Can't say 15 26.8

Total 56 100.0

Yes No Can't say

51.8

21.4

26.8

The above table and the chart represent that out of total 56 respondents, 29 (51.8%) answered

in affirmation, which absorbs major part of the response. 12 (21.4%) answered negatively.

While 15 (26.8%) remained neutral. We can conclude from the above data that majority feels

that HR has a role to play as advisor for strategic HRM, i.e., HR’s advices and suggestions

regarding the strategies for the overall organizations are welcomed and accepted, the

strategies devised for the human assets of the organization are well defined and well

coordinated and are capable of yielding better results.

HR as expert in administrative processes


Yes 38 67.9

No 11 19.6

Can't say 7 12.5

Total 56 100.0

The above table shows that out of total 56 respondents, 38 (67.9%) answered in affirmation

which absorbs major part of the response. 11 (19.6%) answered negatively. While 7 (12.5%)

remained neutral. We can conclude that majority sees HR as administrative expert, i.e., HR

has proficiency in the administrative functions such as time keeping, coordination with

internal as well as external clients, security and estate upkeep etc.

HR as a stress buster for employees


Yes 10 17.9

No 25 44.6

Can't say 21 37.5

Total 56 100.0

The above table shows that out of total 56 respondents, 25 (44.6%) answered negatively

which absorbs major part of the response 10 (17.9%) answered in affirmation. While 21

(37.5%) remained neutral. We can infer that majority don’t consider HR as a stress reliever,

i.e., HR doesn’t undertake the activities that relieve the employees from stress, there are not

much things done for employee engagement or fun-at-wok etc.

HR as a change agent


Yes 34 60.7

No 12 21.4

Can't say 10 17.9

Total 56 100.0


which absorbs major part of the response. 12 (21.4%) answered negatively. While 10

(17.9%) remained neutral. We can conclude that majority see HR as a change agent and a

change advisor.

HR department devotes maximum time to strategic issues


Yes 29 51.8

No 5 8.9

Can't say 22 39.3

Total 56 100.0



remained neutral. We can conclude that majority thinks that HR does spend maximum time

for strategic issues.

HR department devotes maximum time in operational issues


Yes 38 67.9

No 8 14.3

Can't say 10 17.9

Total 56 100.0



remained neutral. Majority thinks that HR spends maximum time in operational issues, i.e.,

HR has a good consideration for the basic issues or formal procedure and main stream issues

along with the strategic issues in the organization

maximum time in listening to employee and answering their queries


Yes 27 48.2

No 14 25.0

Can't say 15 26.8

Total 56 100.0


which absorbs major part of the response. 14 (25%) answered negatively. While 15 (26.8%)

remained neutral. We can infer that majority feels that HR spends maximum time in listening

to employees and solving their queries, i.e., HR keeps both the eyes and ears open for the

employee suggestions as well as grievances and their problems are governed quite efficiently

by creating win-win solutions for the aggrieved parties.

motivate employees to get a better organizational performance


Yes 29 51.8

No 13 23.2

Can't say 14 25.0

Total 56 100.0


which absorbs major part of the response. 13 (23.2%) answered negatively. While 14 (25%)

remained neutral. We can conclude that majority see HR as a motivating agency to the

employees for a better performance by making the policies that support the growth of the

organization, creating the climate which provides scope for more productivity and high

employee morale and healthy industrial relations.

Most decisions are taken by higher ups in the organization


Yes 52 92.9

Can't say 4 7.1

Total 56 100.0


which absorbs the majority of response. And the rest 4 (7.1%) have remained neutral. No one

has responded negatively. We can infer from the above table that majority of the respondents

agree that most decisions are taken by higher ups in the organization, i.e., the decision

making system is quite centralized and revolves around the leadership bench in the

organization.

In my organization flexibility is important


Yes 38 67.9

No 11 19.6

Can't say 7 12.5

Total 56 100.0



remained neutral. It can be concluded that majority feels that flexibility is important in their

organization, i.e., organization supports the participative management thereby making it

congenial for the employees to have good working environment.

In my organization loyalty and obedience are important


Yes 22 39.3

No 13 23.2

Can't say 21 37.5

Total 56 100.0



(37.5%), which is relatively a major portion, remained neutral. It can be inferred that

majority feels that loyalty and obedience are important in the organization.

Employees need to follow strict rules and procedure


Yes 37 66.1

No 6 10.7

Can't say 13 23.2

Total 56 100.0



remained neutral. We can conclude that majority feels that employees are made to follow

stringent rules and procedures.

Qualities of every employee is associated with the tasks in the organization


Yes 32 57.1

No 6 10.7

Can't say 18 32.1

Total 56 100.0



remained neutral. We can conclude that majority feels that their qualities are in congruence

with the tasks in the organization, i.e., the task allotment is done based on the competence

and skills of the individual employees.

In my organization linking performance and reward is important


Yes 27 48.2

No 21 37.5

Can't say 8 14.3

Total 56 100.0



remained neutral. We can infer that majority thinks that the organization puts a lot of

emphasis on linking rewards with performance, i.e., the employees are rewarded in

proportion with the level of performance exhibited by them and a transparent system of the

same is followed across the organization.

Employees need to learn new competencies


Yes 39 69.6

No 12 21.4

Can't say 5 8.9

Total 56 100.0



remained neutral. We can infer that majority feel that employees are expected to learn new

competencies.

Employees enjoy their jobs


Yes 27 48.2

No 18 32.1

Can't say 11 19.6

Total 56 100.0



(19.6%) remained neutral. It can be concluded that majority feels that employees love their

jobs in the company.

Reward system clearly shows what type of attitudes and behavior is expected

Response Frequency Percentage

Yes 25 44.6

No 20 35.7

Can't say 11 19.6

Total 56 100.0



(19.6%) remained neutral. It can be inferred that majority see that reward system shows

explicitly the kind of behavior and attitude expected out of employees.

Mobility of personnel is accepted and normal (both internal & external)

Response Frequency Percentage

Yes 26 46.4

No 7 12.5

Can't say 23 41.1

Total 56 100.0



remained neutral. We can infer that majority feels that internal and external mobility is

accepted and normal for the organization, i.e., HR makes a point that the job rotation of the

employees give them opportunities to discover other areas of operation in their jobs as well

as external mobility to let the employees switch on to something else when they find

themselves not comfortable with the organization.

Key advices to organization




Good 10 17.9

Very good 1 1.8

Excellent 1 1.8

Total 56 100.0



statement, 10 (17.9%) felt it was moderately good, i.e., average. 1(1.8%) rated it as very

good and excellent. We can infer that majority thinks that HR’s performance in giving key

advices to the organization is only satisfactory.

Integrated managerial information




Good 12 21.4

Very good 7 12.5

Excellent 1 1.8

Total 56 100.0


which absorbed the major part of the response. 1 (1.8%) were unsatisfied with this statement,

12 (21.4%) felt it was moderately good, i.e., average. 7(12.5%) rated it as very good and 1

(1.8%) rated it as excellent. We can conclude that majority thinks that HR’s performance in

Integrated Managerial information i.e., dissemination of the vital internal as well external

information at the right time, in the right quantum, to the right people, is satisfactory only.

Developing a strategic vision




Good 14 25.0

Very good 5 8.9

Excellent 1 1.8

Total 56 100.0

The above table and the chart shows that out of total 56 respondents, 21 (37.5%) said they

were satisfied which absorbed the major part of the response. 14 15 (26.8%) were unsatisfied

with this statement, (25%) felt it was moderately good, i.e., average. 5(8.9%) rated it as very

good and 1 (1.8%) rated it as excellent. We can conclude that majority thinks that HR

doesn’t help a lot to the organization in developing a strategic vision, i.e., providing a strong

and convincing roadmap for the future courses of action for the organization etc.


26.8

37.5

25

8.9

1.8

Management of diversity




Good 13 23.2

Very good 3 5.4

Excellent 3 5.4

Total 56 100.0




good and excellent. We can infer that the majority sees HR’s performance as satisfactory in

managing diversity, i.e., the cultural diversity, and changes in the mind sets of the people etc.

Employee friendly policy formulation




Good 10 17.9

Very good 6 10.7

Excellent 2 3.6

Total 56 100.0




good and 2 (3.6%) rated it as excellent. It can be concluded that majority thinks that HR’s

role is only satisfactory in employee friendly policy formulation.

Basic information about personnel



Good 30 53.6

Very good 5 8.9

Excellent 7 12.5

Total 56 100.0

The above table shows that out of total 56 respondents, 30 (53.6%), which absorbed the

major part of the response felt it was moderately good, i.e., average. 14 (25%) were satisfied

with this statement, 5 (8.9%) rated it as very good and 7 (12.5%) rated it as excellent. We can

conclude that HR can be rated as good in providing basic personnel information like leaves,

attendance etc.

Recruitment and selection




Good 9 16.1

Very good 9 16.1

Excellent 5 8.9

Total 56 100.0



statement, 9 (16.1%) felt it was moderately good, i.e., average and very good, whereas 5

(8.9%) rated it as excellent. We can infer that majority feels that HR’s performance in

recruitment and selection i.e., man power planning process, availing best talent to the needed

department within shortest possible time frame etc., is satisfactory.

Juridical Advice




Good 18 32.1

Very good 7 12.5

Excellent 2 3.6

Total 56 100.0


which absorbed the major part of the response. 3 (5.4%) were unsatisfied with this statement,

18 (32.1%) felt it was moderately good, i.e., average. 7 (12.5%) rated it as very good and 2

(3.6%) rated it as excellent. It can be concluded that majority feels that HR’s performance in

juridical advice is satisfactory.

Working condition of your employees




Good 13 23.2

Very good 7 12.5

Excellent 4 7.1

Total 56 100.0




good and 4 (7.1%) rated it as excellent. We can infer that majority thinks that HR’s

performance in providing working conditions, i.e., taking care of the ergonomics, hygienic

facilities availabilities etc., to the employees is satisfactory.

Main objective is the alignment with interest, needs and values of employees

Response Frequency Percentage (% )

Yes 30 53.6

No 17 30.4

Can't say 9 16.1

Total 56 100.0



remained neutral. It can be inferred that majority thinks that HR’s main focus has to be

interest, needs and values of the employees.

Gives new and inexperienced employees ample time to learn the organization and

develop


Yes 46 82.1

No 8 14.3

Can't say 2 3.6

Total 56 100.0


which absorbs arguably major part of the response. 8 (14.3%) answered negatively. While 2

(3.6%) remained neutral. This concludes that majority feels that HR does give the novice

enough time to learn and get adjusted to the new organization.

When there are frictions and conflicts among employees, tries to solve these by

communication


Yes 33 58.9

No 9 16.1

Can't say 14 25.0

Total 56 100.0



remained neutral. This infers that majority thinks that HR solves the friction among

employees by communication, i.e., HR tries not to take radical actions or steps I the first

place and try to come out to amicable solutions by communicating and interacting with those

in grievances and try to implement the solution promptly.

Participation of employees is valued while taking decision


Yes 20 35.7

No 13 23.2

Can't say 23 41.1

Total 56 100.0



(41.1%), which is arguably high response rate for this category, remained neutral. This can

conclude that majority thinks that their opinions are considered while taking decision.

Regularly visits employees on the work-floor to support with their tasks


Yes 25 44.6

No 17 30.4

Can't say 14 25.0

Total 56 100.0



remained neutral. We can conclude that majority thinks that HR does takes shop-floor visits

regularly and support the employees.

FINDINGS:

Following are the Findings of the study conducted about Perceptions of employees about role

of HR at L&T.

Performance of HR:

It was found that 45% respondents feel that role of HR Dept. in helping the organization

reach its objectives is very satisfactory. And 25% rated it as unsatisfactory.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 43% respondents feel that performance of HR Dept. in

improving the effectiveness of organization is good or average. where as another 32%

have rated it as only satisfactory.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 36% respondents have rated HR’s performance in taking

into account the interest and wishes of the employees as good and satisfactory both.

It was found that 54% respondents have rated HR’s performance in preparing for change

as satisfactory. Whereas 25% have rated it as unsatisfactory.

It was found that 46% respondents have rated HR’s performance in formulation of the

strategy for the organization as satisfactory. Whereas 21.4% have rated it as very good.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 55% respondents have rated HR’s performance in the

execution of the HR process and practise as satisfactory. Whereas 29% have rated it as

good.

It was found that 43% respondents have rated HR’s performance in improving

commitment of employees as satisfactory. Whereas 34% have rated it as good.

It was found that 59% respondents have rated HR’s performance in Implementing change

in organisational cultural as satisfactory. Whereas 21% have rated it as unsatisfactory.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 54% respondents have rated HR’s performance in

Motivating employees as satisfactory. Whereas 25% have rated it as unsatisfactory.

It was found that 50% respondents have rated HR’s performance in taking care that HR

strategies and organizational strategies are aligned as satisfactory. Whereas 21% have

rated it as good.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 36% respondents have rated HR’s performance in taking

care that HR processes are efficiently managed as good. Whereas 29% have rated it as

satisfactory.


policies meet the interests and demands of employees as satisfactory. Whereas 27% have

rated it as good.


processes improve the change capacity of the organization as satisfactory. Whereas 20%

have rated it as unsatisfactory.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 52% respondents have agreed that HR department is seen

as Advisor for strategic HRM/strategic management, whereas significant 27% have

remained neutral about this.

It was found that 68% respondents have agreed that HR department is seen as an expert in

administrative processes, whereas 20% have negatively rated this statement.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 45% respondents have said that they don’t see HR as a

stress buster for them whereas 38% have remained neutral and only 18% have agreed that

HR is a stress buster for them.

It was found that 61% respondents have agreed that HR department is seen as a change

advisor/agent, whereas 21% have negatively rated this statement.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 52% respondents have agreed that The HR department

devotes maximum time for Strategic issues, whereas 39% have remained neutral about

this.

It was found that 68% respondents have agreed that The HR department devotes

maximum time for operational issues, whereas only 14% have negatively rated this

statement.


devotes maximum time for Listening to employees and answering their questions,

whereas 27% have remained neutral about this and rest 25% have negatively rated this

statement.


devotes maximum time for Motivating employees to get a better organizational

performance, whereas 25% have remained neutral about this and rest 23% have negatively

rated this statement.

Organizational culture:

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 93% respondents have agreed that most decisions are

taken by higher ups in the organization whereas only 7% have remained neutral about this.

It was found that 68% respondents have agreed that in the organization flexibility is

important whereas 20% have negatively rated this statement.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 39% respondents have agreed that in the organization

loyalty and obedience are important whereas 23% have negatively rated this statement and

very significant 38% have remained neutral about this.

It was found that 66% respondents have agreed that Employees need to follow strict rules

and procedures whereas 23% have remained neutral about this.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 57% respondents have agreed that Qualities of every

employee is associated with the tasks in the organization whereas 32% have remained

neutral about this.

It was found that 48% respondents have agreed that in the organization linking

performance and rewards is important whereas 38% have negatively rated this statement.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 70% respondents have agreed that Employees need to

learn new competences whereas 21% have negatively rated this statement.

It was found that 48% respondents have agreed that Employees enjoy their jobs whereas

32% have negatively rated this statement and 20% have remained neutral about this.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 45% respondents have agreed that by using a reward

system it is made clear to employees what type of attitudes and behaviour is expected of

them whereas 36% have negatively rated this statement.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 46% respondents have agreed that Mobility of personnel

is accepted and normal (both internal & external) whereas significant 42% have remained

neutral about this.

HR Activities:

It was found that 64% respondents have rated HR’s performance in Key advices to

organisation as satisfactory, whereas only 18% have rated it as good.


integrated managerial information as satisfactory, whereas only 21% have rated it as

good.

It was found that only 38% respondents have rated HR’s performance in developing a

strategic vision as satisfactory, whereas only 23% have rated it as good and 27% have

rated it as unsatisfactory.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., only 41% respondents have rated HR’s performance in

Management of diversity as satisfactory, whereas only 23% have rated it as good and

25% have rated it as unsatisfactory.

It was found that only 41% respondents have rated HR’s performance in Employee

friendly policy formulation as satisfactory, whereas only 18% have rated it as good and

27% have rated it as unsatisfactory.


Basic information about personnel (sickness, leave) as good whereas 25% have rated it

as satisfactory.

It was found that 46% respondents have rated HR’s performance in Recruitment and

selection as satisfactory, whereas only 16% have rated it as good and very good both.


juridical advice as satisfactory, whereas 32% have rated it as good.

Behavioral attributes of the HR Personnel:

It was found that 66% respondents have agreed that Main characteristic of an HR

personnel in the organization is competence for empathy and motivation of others whereas

21% have negatively rated this statement.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 54% respondents have agreed that Main objective of an

HR personnel in the organization is the alignment with interests, needs and values of

employees whereas 30% have negatively rated this statement.

It was found that 82% respondents have agreed that HR in their organization gives new

and inexperienced employees ample time to learn the organisation and develop themselves

whereas only 14% have negatively rated this statement.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 59% respondents have agreed that When there are

frictions or conflicts among employees, HR tries to solve these by communication

whereas only 16% have negatively rated this statement and 25% have remained neutral

about this.

It was found that 36% respondents have agreed that Participation of employees is valued

while taking decisions whereas 23% have negatively rated this statement and significant

41% have remained neutral about this.

Majority of the respondents, i.e., 47% respondents have agreed that HR personnel

Regularly visits employees on the work-floor to give support with their tasks if necessary,

whereas 30% have negatively rated this statement and 25% have remained neutral about

this.

CUMULATIVE FINDINGS:

1. Performance of the HR Dept.

The above chart shows the cumulative response of the employees about the Performance of

HR Department.


19

45

25

8

3

Majority of the respondents, 45% have rated the performance of HR as satisfactory.

25% have rated the performance as good.

19% have rated the performance as unsatisfactory.

8% feel the performance of HR is very good.

Only 3% have rated the performance as excellent.

2. HR activities:

The above pie chart shows the cumulative response of the employees about the HR activities.

Majority of the respondents, 41% have rated the HR activities as satisfactory.

24% have rated the HR activities as good

18% have rated the HR activities as unsatisfactory.

11% feel that the HR activities are very good.

Only 6% feel that the HR activities are excellent.


18

41

24

11

6

3. Contribution of HR in building and maintaining Organizational culture:

The above pie chart shows the cumulative response of the employees about the involvement

and contribution of HR in building and maintaining the organizational culture.

Majority of the respondents, 52% have agreed that HR does help build and maintain

the organizational culture.

25% have remained neutral about HR’s contribution in building and maintaining

Organizational culture.

23% have negatively responded about the HR’s contribution in building and

maintaining Organizational culture.

Yes No Cant say

58

20 22

4. Favorable behavioral attribute of the HR personnel.

The above pie chart shows the cumulative response of the employees about favorable

behavioral attributes of HR personnel.

Majority of the respondents, 58% have agreed that HR personnel have shown a very

favorable and positive behavioral pattern.

22% have negatively responded about the same.

20% have remained neutral about the HR’s behavior.

Yes No Cant Say

58

22 20

CONCLUSION:

After evaluating the collected data, it can be inferred that most of the employees have

responded in the category of satisfactory, good and unsatisfactory, these are the areas which

need to be taken care of by HR Department by making process improvement and efficiency

enhancement.

Being visibly active and efficient in organizational strategies, implementation of change,

motivating employees, creating vision for the organization, executing policies and

procedures, careful recruitment and selection, career development , working condition of the

employees, provision of training and educational facilities etc. are the areas where in

employees want to see more efficient services by HR.

Training and development is one such area where HR can make even more efficient mark as

the employees have responded that they are not highly satisfied with the training being

provided. Employees have rated the recruitment and selection function which is considered

the basic forte of HR as just good, which can be improved upon drastically.

Maximum employees have responded that most decisions are taken higher up in the

organization, which lead to lesser participation from the employees in decision making. This

makes the organizational climate centralized and less autonomous. HR can suggest some

ideas to bring the management and employee pockets together.

HR has not been seen as a stress buster which connotes that the employees don’t find the HR

activities to be employee friendly. There can be activities arranged for the employee to

overcome their stress and HR should address this grave issue at the earliest.

Apart from the above stated areas, the HR personnel’s conduct and behavior has been very

welcoming and liked by the employees as they have shown a very highly positive response

for the behavioral attributes of the HR personnel in the organization.

SUGGESTIONS:

HR department must ensure that their department’s contribution is not purely focused on

policy or administrative functions, but is also proactive in offering advice and opinions to

help managers make the right decisions.

HR department should participate more effectively in decision making process rather

than playing a suggestive role.

Informal gatherings and meeting should be arranged frequently to foster team spirit as

well as employee engagement so as to lessen their stress and improve the employee

morale.

Further improvement in HR activities should be done to recruit and retain talent through

proper career planning, succession planning and leadership development measures.

Periodic meetings with different departments should be arranged regularly to discuss HR

issues.

There is a scope for improvement in the area of Workers’ training. There should be a

proper system for training need identification to find out the areas in which employees

need to enhance their knowledge and skills to perform their jobs more effectively and for

their professional growth. Provision of training, development and educational faculties

can be improved and enhanced.

Career development plan should be prepared for the employees providing clear picture of

one’s growth opportunities with respect to time in the organization.

Performance appraisals, recruitment and training need identification could also be made

on the basis of competencies.

HR department should increase its shop floor presence to understand the business

priorities and needs of each department so that they can add the value more effectively.

There should be a proper system for training need identification to find out the areas in

which employees need to enhance their knowledge and skills to perform their jobs more

effectively and for their professional growth.

Training programs should be conducted on the topics such as Process ownership,

Leadership, Team work for workers to enhance productivity

Creative methods like Group work and role play could be used in such training programs

Self managing groups could be created at plant level to foster team spirit, improve

performance and develop competitiveness

REFERENCES

Books:

I. Agarwal .R.D.(1978), Dynamics of Personnel Management in India, Tata McGraw

Hill, New Delhi.

II. Armstrong, M and Baron, a. (2002) strategic HRM: the key to improved business

performance. Developing practice. London: chartered institute of personnel and

development

III. Aswathappa.K. (2005), Human Resource Personnel Management, Tata McGraw Hill,

New Delhi.

IV. Flippo.E.B.(1988) Principles of Personnel Management, Vth Ed. McGraw Hill Pub.

V. Gokhale.S.K. (1981), Personnel Management and Organizational Behavior. Susheel

Prakashan, Pune.

VI. Kothari C.R. (2004) Research Methodology & Techniques, New Age International

Pub.

Articles:

I. Dileep Kumar M., Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM): An Over View

II. Rob Willock , Time for HR to reflect on its image problem,

URLs Visited:

I. http://www.citehr.com/93037-personnel-administration.html

II. http://www.coolavenues.com/know/hr/sumanth_2.php

III. http://industrialrelations.naukrihub.com/employee-welfare.html

IV. http://www.rtdonline.com/BMA/GM/1.html

V. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_training

VI. http://www.humanresourcesmagazine.com.au/articles

VII. http://www . ahri.com.au

VIII. http://www . personneltoday.com

IX. www.humanresourcesmagazine.com

http://www.humanresourcesmagazine.com/

http://www/

http://www/

http://www.humanresourcesmagazine.com.au/articles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_training

http://industrialrelations.naukrihub.com/employee-welfare.html

http://www.coolavenues.com/know/hr/sumanth_2.php

PGDM Program, Royale Business School, Baroda

Questionnaire

PERCEPTION OF THE EMPLOYEES ABOUT THE ROLE OF HR

I. Name:___________________________________________________________________________

_

II. Age:______________________________________________________________________________

III. Gender: _________________________________________________________________________

IV. Designation:___________________________________________________________________

_

V. Department:___________________________________________________________________

_

VI. Educational Qualifications: technical non-technical

VII. Work Experience:

Total experience: _______________

With the current company: _______________

VIII. Monthly income(approx.): __________________________________________________

DATA COLLECTED THROUGH THE SURVEY SHALL BE USED STRICTLY FOR RESEARCH PURPOSE AND SHALL BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL.

Shirin Aserkar

Section A- Background Information of the Respondent

s

A. Rate the performance of the HR Dept. on the following parameters: 1. Unsatisfactory

2. Satisfactory

3. Good

4. Very good

5. Excellent

Particulars 1 2 3 4 5

The HR department helps the organization

To reach its objectives

To improve the effectiveness of organization

To take account of the interest and wishes of the employees

To prepare for change

The HR department is involved in

The formulation of the strategy for the organization

The execution of the HR process and practise

Improving commitment of employees

Implementing change in organisational cultural

Motivating employees

The HR department takes care that

HR strategies and organizational strategies are aligned

HR processes are efficiently managed

HR policies meet the interests and demands of employees

HR processes improve the change capacity of the organization

Particulars Yes No Can’t say

The HR department is seen as

Advisor for strategic HRM/strategic management

An expert in administrative processes

A help as a stress buster for employees

A change advisor/agent

Yes No Partially

The HR department devotes maximum time to

Strategic issues

Operational issues

Listening to employees and answering their questions

Section B- Questions for the department other than HR Dept.

Motivating employees to get a better organizational performance

B. Rate the following in terms of your organizational culture Particulars Yes No Can’t say

Most decisions are taken by higher ups in the organization

In my organization flexibility is important

In my organization loyalty and obedience are important

Employees need to follow strict rules and procedures

Qualities of every employee is associated with the tasks in the organization

In my organization linking performance and rewards is important

Employees need to learn new competences

Employees enjoy their jobs

By using a reward system it is made clear to employees what type of attitudes and

behaviour is expected of them

Mobility of personnel is accepted and normal (both internal & external)

C. Rate the activities of HR from the following parameters

1. Unsatisfactory 2. Satisfactory 3. Good4. Very Good 5. Excellent

Particulars 1 2 3 4 5

Strategic activities

Key advices to organisation

Integrated managerial information

Developing a strategic vision

Management of diversity

Employee friendly policy formulation

Operational activities

Basic information about personnel (sickness, leave)

Recruitment and selection

Juridical advice

Working conditions of your employees

D. Rate the behavioral attributes of the HR Personnel in your organization:

Particulars Yes No Can’t say

Main characteristic is competence for empathy and motivation of others

Main objective is the alignment with interests, needs and values of employees

Gives new and inexperienced employees ample time to learn the organisation and

develop themselves

When there are frictions or conflicts among employees, tries to solve these by

communication

Participation of employees is valued while taking decisions

Regularly visits employees on the work-floor to give support with their tasks if

necessary

E. Where do you rate overall performance of HR Department from 1 to 5 SCALE?

1

(Unsatisfactory)

2

(satisfactory)

3

(Good)

4

(Very good)

5

(Excellent)

Thank you for spending your valuable time…..

research final

Documents

hr personnel

personnel management

functions of hr department

personnel department

perception of hr department

human resource management

performance management

hr planning