Human Resource is that part of the business which is responsible for managing the people of a business or an organization efficiently so that they work in accordance with the employer’s objectives, and together the organization is able to gain a competitive edge. Human Resource Management is the effective management and maximum utilization of people of a company and bridges the space between the employer’s objectives and employees’ performance. An HR is responsible for managing the activities involved in the employee cycle, from recruiting, training, development, compensation and firing. Hence, the Human Resource department is the most prominent part of any organization. 

It is important here to note that even the Human Resource has certain limitations. Some weaknesses in Human Resource Management that, if not rectified on time, may accrue losses in the business. Here are some of the most common mistakes committed by the Human Resource department that should be avoided.

What are the common mistakes made by the HR department?

If the HR department of your company is likely to commit these mistakes, then you should be aware, as these may cause problems in the long term. 

1. Absence of written rules and policies

Oral communication is not relevant as it is not set in stone. But many HR managers tend to rely on the oral transfer of policies, which further leads to conflict between different groups in an organization. 

2. Fallacious commitments

Many times, HR managers tend to make false promises to the job aspirants in order to grab the finest talent in their organization. This is the major fault of Human Resources, which should be resolved by the employer to reduce employee turnover. 

3. Reckless recruitment

Hasty recruitments lead to the hiring of wrong people many times. HR has its own roles and responsibilities, and because of this, they are unable to extract the creamy layer of talent. There is a need to give enough time and space for recruitment and selection of employees, and hurrying hires can be fatal for the company.

4. Insufficient employee documents

It is essential to maintain each employee’s details and information for future obligations. This is a common yet disastrous mistake committed by the HR department, which many times stand at the cost of the employer and employee relations. HR managers should possess an in-depth knowledge of employment rules and regulations so that the recruitment process becomes smooth.

5. Favoritism

Favoritism is a ‘big no, no’ when it comes to the employment process in big companies. Still, many HR managers look for their relatives and friends for the job. Employers are advised to always keep an eye on this matter at the time of selection. 

6. Overlook employee training

In order to maintain the budget, HR cut down expenditure on training and development of the employees and think of this as unimportant. Disregarding the training is a serious mistake and may increase employee accidents and employee absenteeism, and the organization will have to bear the long-term consequences. 

7. Excessive interaction with employees

Socializing and interacting with the employees is not good for the healthy growth of the manager and employee relationship. There should be a formal curtain between the employees and HR managers. Otherwise, the employees will not work effectively and efficiently, and their productivity will reduce significantly.

8. No value for employee privacy

The matter of employee privacy is very significant and should be complied with by the HR managers. If unknowingly, they disclose the personal information of any employee, then it may reveal their privacy to their co-workers and employer, which at times, become the subject of life and death for the employees.

What are the weaknesses of Human Resource Management?

Though Human Resources is believed to be the strength of any organization, it too has some embedded limitations. 

1. Time and expense considerations

The process of Human Resource Management comprises a full employment cycle, from workforce analysis to recruitment to training and development to firing, which is extremely time-consuming and expensive. As recruitment and selection require a lot of patience, and training of the employees is very costly.

2. Uncertainty

It is not known that the employees recruited in the company will stay for the long term. Hence, Human Resource Management is unpredictable, as the company may be unable to retain talent. 

3. Insecurity among existing employees

Human Resource Planning is indeed a complicated procedure. At times when there is surplus manpower, the company fixes this imbalance by firing or laying off employees. This results in insecurity among existing employees and erosion of their confidence in the organization.

4. Flexibility issues

Human Resource Accounting sounds preposterous. This is because Human Capital at times becomes unmanageable. The same approach does not work for each and every individual. 

How to avoid the mistakes committed by the Human Resource department?

The common HR mistakes and problems can be avoided by making the most of this significant department. It is extremely important to counseling the members of the HR department when there is a rise in inaccurate results. As HR managers have a lot of work to perform, it is a high possibility of these mistakes. This is the department that is responsible for maintaining the workforce in an organization. Hence it is very important that common mistakes by the Human Resource should be reduced to a large extent. 

Conclusion

Human Resource plays a vital role in every organization, as it serves as a link between a job aspirant and an employer looking out for talented employees. A major part of Human Resource Management revolves around Talent Acquisition and Talent Retention. But there are certain problems in front of the Human Resource department and some mistakes which the members of this department commit, knowingly or unknowingly. 

The limitations of Human Resources cannot be rectified, but the provisions have to be made earlier. If the HR department makes mistakes very frequently, then there is a requirement of counseling for them. They have a lot of duties and responsibilities, which increases their probability of committing mistakes. But the value that Human resources derive from every organization should be realized and recognized.

Questions

1. What are the common mistakes of HR managers?

Some of these mistakes which should be kept an eye on are hasty recruitments, favoritism, too many friendly relations with employees, lack of written policies, ignoring employee training etc.

2. What are the limitations of Human Resource Planning?

Some inbuilt limitations are time and cost considerations, uncertainty, inflexibility and loss of confidence and morale of employees.