Human Resources Concise

Strategic role of HR

Manage people to maximise business productivity by acquiring, developing, maintaining, and separating staff effectively.

Objectives of HR

Create an environment where employees perform efficiently, safely, and are motivated to achieve business goals.

Interdependence of HR functions

HR relies on operations for job requirements, marketing for staff image and service, and finance for remuneration budgets.

Outsourcing in HR

Use of external specialists for recruitment, training, or payroll to reduce costs and access expertise.

Global outsourcing

Offshoring repetitive tasks (e.g. IT, payroll) to reduce costs; risks include cultural issues, data security, and quality control.

Main HR stakeholders

Employers, employees, employer associations, unions, government, and society all shape HR outcomes.

Legal framework of HR

Governs employment through common law, statute law, awards, agreements, and contracts to protect both parties.

Employment contracts

Define wages, hours, leave and conditions; legally binding whether written or verbal.

Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth)

Establishes Fair Work Commission to set minimum wages, resolve disputes, and ensure fair employment standards.

National Employment Standards (NES)

Eleven minimum entitlements that cannot be reduced by awards or contracts; include leave, hours, and termination notice.

Awards

Industry-wide minimum pay and conditions set by Fair Work; contracts cannot offer less.

Enterprise agreements

Workplace-level collective agreements that must pass the BOOT and include dispute-resolution processes.

Individual contracts

Tailored arrangements for high-skilled workers; must comply with NES and employment law.

Work Health and Safety (WHS)

Legal duty of care requiring employers to ensure safe working environments under the WHS Act 2012.

Workers compensation

Compulsory insurance covering costs and rehabilitation for work-related injuries.

Anti-discrimination and EEO

Ensure fair access to jobs regardless of gender, race, or background; promote diversity and inclusion.

Social influences on HR

Changing work patterns, casualisation, ageing workforce, cultural diversity, and rising female participation affect HR policies.

The HR cycle

Continuous process: Acquisition → Development → Maintenance → Separation.

Acquisition

Process of identifying staffing needs, recruiting, and selecting appropriate employees.

Development

Training and upskilling staff to improve current and future performance; includes induction, mentoring, and job rotation.

Maintenance

Providing rewards, motivation, and workplace conditions that retain and satisfy employees.

Separation

Ending employment through resignation, retirement, redundancy, retrenchment, or dismissal.

Leadership styles

Autocratic (directive, quick decisions) vs Democratic (consultative, motivating); choice depends on situation and staff skill.

Job design

Creating motivating roles with variety, autonomy, and challenge to meet both business and employee needs.

Training and development

Builds skills and adaptability; internal training is cost-effective, external training offers specialisation.

Performance management

Assessing and improving performance; developmental (individual focus) or administrative (organisation-wide).

Rewards systems

Monetary (pay, bonuses) and non-monetary (recognition, autonomy) incentives that attract and retain employees.

Global staffing approaches

Polycentric (host-country staff), Ethnocentric (home-country staff), Geocentric (best person worldwide).

Workplace disputes

Conflicts over pay, conditions, or security; resolved through negotiation, mediation, conciliation, or arbitration.

Effectiveness indicators (BC LAAWS)

Benchmarking, Corporate culture, Level of disputation, Absenteeism, Accidents, Worker satisfaction, Staff turnover.

Benchmarking

Comparing HR performance to standards or competitors to identify improvements.

Corporate culture

Shared workplace values; strong culture reduces turnover and boosts motivation.

Worker satisfaction

Happy employees perform better, show loyalty, and improve productivity—key HR effectiveness goal.