1. As a Specialist: The HR department has staff relationship with other departments/managers in the total organization. The personnel department is responsible for advising management from the Managing Director to the lowest line supervisor in all areas relating to HR management and industrial relations. HR department also performs various functions of employment, training and development. It represents the management in many of the relationships that affect the organization as a whole. It is also responsible for representing various workers’ problems to the management.
HR department generally acts in an advisory capacity; it provides information, offers suggestions and is not responsible for the end results. The HR managers must exercise control each and every aspect very tactfully in order to win the confidence and cooperation of all line managers. They have to persuade line managers to work with staff specialists and not against them. The authority of the HR manager should derive from concrete HR policies and programmes and from the advantages and result of accepted specialised knowledge.
2. As a Source of Help: In certain situations (when line managers lack skill or knowledge in dealing with employee problems), experienced HR managers assume line responsibility for HR matters. But it may be resented by the managers who ought to seek staff assistance in meeting their HR responsibilities. They should earn the reputation and confidence of line managers of being a source of help rather than a source of threat to line managers. Staff assistance is likely to be effective when it is wanted rather than imposed.
3. As a Change Agent: HR Manager should work as an enabler and change agent regarding HR areas and he should be familiar with different disciplines like management, technology, sociology, psychology and organizational behaviour as organizational adaptability, viability and development are dependent on human resources development.
So, the HR manager should work as a consultant of an organizational development by providing necessary information and infrastructure to the line managers. Thus, the role of HR managers is more concerned with providing information and offering advice to the decision-makers rather than making decisions.
4. As a Controller: Nevertheless, it is still true that effective HR executives advise on policies, help managers in implementing their programmes and provide services, exercise monitoring and control functions sparingly.
