Human Resources Management: What the Course Is Really About

Human Resources Management is a people-centred management course that focuses on how organisations recruit, develop, manage and retain their employees. It looks at the relationship between people and the organisations where they work, combining management principles with workplace practices and employee-related activities.

The course goes beyond simply hiring workers. Human Resources Management can involve recruitment and selection, staff training, performance management, employee relations, compensation, personnel administration, workplace communication and organisational development.

What Human Resources Management is about

Every organisation depends on people to achieve its objectives. Human Resources Management provides an understanding of how those people can be properly recruited, placed, developed and supported within the organisation.

Students are introduced to issues that arise throughout the employee's relationship with an organisation, from recruitment and selection to training, performance, career development and other employment matters.

The people side of management

One important feature of Human Resources Management is its focus on people. Students may examine motivation, communication, teamwork, leadership, employee behaviour and workplace relationships alongside management principles.

This makes the course relevant to organisations across different sectors because businesses, government institutions, schools, hospitals, banks, NGOs and other employers all have people to manage.

What the course can prepare you for

The knowledge gained from Human Resources Management can be applied to different workplace functions, particularly those involving recruitment, employee development, personnel administration, employee relations and organisational support.

The exact subjects and structure depend on the university offering the programme, so prospective students should check the curriculum of their preferred institution.