HRM 635 Topic 1 DQ 1

Conduct research on the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) website. What is the role of this organization and its purpose as it relates to the guidance it provides to human resource (HR) professionals? Explain how SHRM assists HR professionals in effectively and efficiently completing their tasks/duties and supporting leadership within the organization. Additionally, discuss the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on human resources and how SHRM has adapted its guidance and resources to help HR professionals navigate the challenges posed by the pandemic.

Solution

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is an organization whose mission includes educating and informing Human Resource officials, providing them networking opportunities and advancing the ever-changing profession. HR professionals focus on issues that affect businesses, like employee satisfaction, labor and management relations and taxes and wages. Currently, SHRM is concerned with healthcare, immigration and civil rights because these affect employees as well. To advocate for the profession, SHRM members and representatives lobby state, local and federal governments, form partnerships with these governments to protect the HR professionals who are most vulnerable to discriminatory practices and closely follow legislation (What’s the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)?, 2024).

The COVID-19 pandemic threw employers and employees into chaos and uncertainty, with no clear end in sight. HR operated in crisis mode for much of 2020 and the first half of 2021, figuring out how employees could work from home, trying to provide extra mental and physical health support, and working more than ever on C-level strategies for keeping their organizations functioning. As the dust continues to settle and companies adjust to a new normal, the role of HR has fundamentally changed. HR is a key participant in figuring out how people can function best in their new post-pandemic environment, be it onsite, hybrid or 100 percent remote. That requires flexibility, adaptability and creativity—for HR professionals as well as employees. With COVID-19, you needed to come up with a policy and get it approved in three days. That pace and need for innovation will continue even as companies settle into a new work environment. There are whole new ways of working with speed and agility. HR can play a central role in determining what worked well during the crisis and building on that to create competitive advantages (Harbert, 2021).

References

Harbert, T. (2021, September 1). The pandemic has expanded the role of HR. Welcome to SHRM | The Voice of All Things Work. https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/hr-magazine/pandemic-expanded-role-hr

What’s the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)? (2024, November 4). Indeed. https://www.indeed.com/hire/c/info/society-for-human-resource-management#

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