This research considers the organization of a human resources department under varying conditions. Considered also is the approach to dealing with reported instances of employee misconduct.
ESTABLISHMENT OF A HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
In this consideration of the establishment of a human resources department, the assumptions are that (1) the company is engaged in high tech manufacturing, (2) approximately 1,000 people are employed by the company, (3) expansion is antici pated, and (4) the company has never had a formal human resources department. Considerations of what, why, how, and when are covered.
Managers have for years proclaimed that an organization's people were its most valuable resource. All too often, how ever, this statement represented the real extent of top organi zational interest in the human component of an organization's resource base. Intensive strategic planning and management was reserved for financial, physical, and technological resources. In the late 1970s, however, a widening recognition of the sig nificance of human resources to an organization began to develop (Cherrington, 1989). The broadened perspective toward
1 2an organization's people demands that they be accorded signifi cance in planning and operations on a level with that used in dealing with financial and physical resources.
The first step to be taken in the establishment of a human resources department is obtaining a minimal administrative and clerical staff, and office space to support the new human resources manager. Subsequent to this action, the first work which will be performed by the new department will be the formulation of a human resources management policy for the organization. In the development of this policy, the human resources manager will consult with and coordinate with all department managers and other members of the corporate staff.
Important considerations in the development of the human resourc...