Briefly explain the human resource management goal of complying with legal and social obligations.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. A fundamental goal of the human resource management (HRM) function of an organization is to ensure that the organization is complying with and meeting its legal and social obligations. The passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 really made this goal salient. Subsequent court cases made it clear that organizations that violated this law and discriminated in hiring, promotion, compensation, or other HR decisions could face millions of dollars in fines and penalties. In most organizations, it is the role of the HRM department, along with the legal department, to ensure that business is conducted within the law so that financial penalties and bad press can be avoided.Beyond the strict legal parameters of compliance, more and more organizations today are assuming some degree of social obligation to the society in which they operate. This obligation goes beyond the minimum activities required to comply with legal regulations and calls for the organization to serve as a contributing citizen. Some firms support volunteer activities by employees in the local community either by granting time off or by matching employee contributions to local charities. Others provide pro bono services, and some establish charitable foundations to deal with societal problems. Whatever the choice, it often requires some work by the HRM department that goes above and beyond its usual responsibilities. See 1-3: Goals of Human Resource Management