Who Watches the Watchers? HR Accountability Can Transform Workplace Environment Accountability is one of the most important requirements of answerability. It is the opposite of responsibility and offers criteria to assess performance. In general, the human resource manager holds other employees accountable for their duties.
From hiring, coaching, training to motivating and retaining employees, a human resource manager has a variety of roles to play. They watch over all employees to ensure they match up to their responsibilities. But who watches the watcher?
Do organizations have a system that can audit HR departments? Who holds HR managers accountable? Let’s delve into the details to find out the answers to these questions.
Why HRM Accountability is Important Human resource management has the purpose of promoting and supporting the goals and mission accomplishment of an organization. The HR manager must follow a structured framework to support the organization’s mission and objectives within the borders of rules, laws, and regulations. Jack Phillips –a famous author of the book “Accountability in Human Resource Management HRM,” has talked about the payoffs of measuring HR responsibilities. Some of the top reasons he has mentioned: ● Identifying the contribution of human resource management to organizational effectiveness ● Determining whether a human resource manager is accomplishing objectives of the company ● Identifying the strengths and loopholes of HRM processes ● Calculating the ROI (return on investment) in HRM programs ● Determining if HRM programs or policies justify resource investment ● Establishing a database to help management in making critical decisions about human resource management
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Typically, HR managers are directly accountable for the impact of human resource management decisions and also responsible for regulatory compliance of the actions. However, both HR managers and HR staff have shared accountability. The HRM accountability system guided by OPM (Office of Personnel Management) that helps organizations assess the performance of HR managers. The system guide provides a framework with established policies that include values of fairness, equity, and openness. Moreover, it has criteria that help firms evaluate how HR managers should perform as a functional expert and how they administer and support employees. How HR Accountability Helps Transform the Workplace Environment If HR managers are aware of the fact that they are accountable for their responsibilities, they can facilitate a transition by redirecting their efforts in many areas. They can help transform the workplace environment by; ● Focusing more on shaping values than designing programs ● Becoming actively involved in the HRM goals and strategies developed to support the organization’s mission ● Ensuring effective communication of the policies to employees ● Acting as a consultant on issues, to help and encourage staff to give their best ● Simplifying, streamlining, or automating HRM processes such as classification and staffing ● Providing employees with accessible information, on-board support, and online diversity training
Bottom Line Overall, accountability is an essential aspect of every field. And when people know they are answerable for their actions, it adds to their sense of responsibility. HR managers, in this regard, need to follow an HRM framework to fulfill their duties and promote a thriving work environment.