Drawing on contemporary research: explain which HR activities are most likely to be performed by line managers. Indicate how HR professionals can ensure that line managers undertake these activities effectively.
For Mr. Tanvi Newaz's Class
Z Score,T Score, Percential Rank and Box Plot Graph
MGT301--assignment 01--Line Managers
1. MGT301
Assignment 01
Md. Tanvi Neawaz
Section 03
6/12/2013
By Team Blue
Samiya Yesmin 11304043 – Protiti Khan 11304018 – Shoieb Ahmed
Abdullah 11304001 - Golam Asfia 11304001 – Saqif Rahman Sabit
11204017- Abdullah Ibne Hossain 10204015
2. Team Blue 2013
Drawing on contemporary research: explain which HR activities are most
likely to be performed by line managers. Indicate how HR professionals can
ensure that line managers undertake these activities effectively.
To understand this we need to start with the basicso Who are the line managers?
Line managers are basically the managers with whom each workers and employees directly
communicate with and report to regarding their work and responsibilities. Line managers then
communicate with the HR managers about the overall productivity and challenges.
o HR manager:
HR professionals are usually technical specialist in one or more technical areas. HR
professionals should have their own strategic partner skills as they have to provide technical
guidance and human capital services to their organization.
Basic roles of a HR manager:
Basic roles of a line manager:
Recruiting staffs according to needs of an
Supervise subordinates, implement
organization, deciding basic salaries, evolve
performance appraisal processes,
strategies regarding managing and utilizing
determine performance related pay
human resources, etc.
structure, maintain discipline among
employees, etc.
In most organization human resources (HR) is responsible for activities relating to
governance, regulatory and other activities that involve monitoring the internal and external
workforce. Small businesses with few employees often have no specialist HR staff. Recruitment
and management of employees are carried out by line managers. There are some basic reasons
why a line manager has to come up with certain HR activities and those are to reduce cost, to
provide a compressive approach to HR, to make managers responsible, to quicken up decision
and using them as an alternative for outsourcing HR activities. Some HR related tasks are
performed by the line manager which are mostly designed by and come from HR manager. First
of all line manager has to take care of the people who work under him. It goes through employee
Page 1
3. Team Blue 2013
recognition scheme, where he has to keep account of the peoples’ work so that he can evaluate
them later. Secondly, after evaluating employee performance a manager has to decide about
performance appraisal. However, (Renwick, 2003) has suggested that manager mostly shows
unwillingness about performing these kinds of job. Although performance appraisal is mostly
designed by HR manager, line manager has to execute the practical terms. Thirdly, Grievance
handling and labour relationship is another important task that a line manager has to do. Here,
the line manager always needed to be careful so that no staff or employee develops a felling of
discontent or dissatisfaction. Next, when a business has a performance-related pay structure, the
line manager has a significant role in determining whether his direct reports will receive a pay
increase. Line managers require training to ensure that their ratings are based on objective
criteria and are not biased or discriminatory. Then, discipline in the workplace begins when a
line manager sets out his expectations with his team. Definitely, the line manager's commitment
to enforcing the rules is more likely to influence employee performance and behaviour than any
glossy employee handbook. Apart from all these factors, line manager provides all the necessary
training activities for members of staff since he is the expert man in his division. As part of the
employee training, these people have to go through employee development. (Renwick, 2003)
The roles of line manager in organizations is becoming increasingly complex because of
new organizational structures like virtual and network organizations which have less welldefined line manager roles than the traditional hierarchical, bureaucratic organization which
model the line manager role in the first place. As a result there are extensive implications from
any move to assign responsibility for HR to line managers. One of the main implications is the
effect on the size of the HR Department. This implication is likely to be a pressure for a
reduction in the size of the HR department. Now part of this is undoubtedly a response to
financial pressures. But reducing size of the HR Department is well accepted around the world.
Assigning more responsibility to line managers allows the organization to reduce the size of the
HR department and hence to reduce costs. But it also creates the risk of increased costs from
managers making inappropriate or even unlawful decisions or from ineffective negotiations with
employees or their representatives. Also HR departments are moving from their traditional
servicing and administrative role to a more developmental and strategic one. For example in
Denmark, HR departments aim to contribute to the formation of corporate strategy by conducting
opinion surveys, work environment surveys and participating in industrial negotiations in close
Page 2
4. Team Blue 2013
cooperation with the executive committee (Brewster and Mayne, 1994; Sinding et al., 1994). But
then again where the HR department acts as a “strategic partner” it may well be that it is the line
managers who take on a champion role; trying to protect their staff from the strict interventions
of HR, or ensure, for example, training, even when the HR department believes that it is not
directly justified. The change agent and strategic partner, by contrast, will have to be closely
involved with their line management colleagues if they want to perform that role successfully.
HR managers will surely need help in this area. (Larsen & Brewster, 2003)
Thus a key responsibility of line-managers is related to human resource management,
enabling them to take responsibility and add value to their role. Human Resource Management
can help line-managers perform these tasks effectively by doing the following1. HRM can refine, merge and simplify policies and processes to explain line-managers
their duty. Also providing them with accessible, easy-to-use tools and support will make
it easier for managers to learn about “people management” & add value to their role.
2. HRM need to understand line-managers’ point-of-view, to help them overcome any
problems that may arise.
3. All changes have to be clearly outlined. Including them in making any changes or
explaining them the reasons behind such changes will make transitions easier.
4. By Involving senior management with “people management” initiatives will help linemanagers view HR related tasks as part of a whole organisational culture change, which
are being supported by and driven from the top- for business reasons.
5. Performance reviews should be given, while reinforcing people management objectives.
This would help them learn what should and should not be done.
6. Short, interactive sessions, opened and endorsed by senior managers, to help improve
their skill and knowledge level should be conducted.
7. Demonstrate the benefits that line-managers will get from performing people
management through superior performance results. Thus encouraging them to undertake
such tasks.
8. Supporting line managers through routine operational tasks can help us avoid being more
involved and enable them to develop their potential as effective people managers.
(Dalziel & Strange, 2007)
Page 3
5. Team Blue 2013
Bibliography
Dalziel, S., & Strange, J. (2007, September 20). How To: People Management. Retrieved October 05,
2007, from www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/howto
Larsen, H. H., & Brewster, C. (2003). Line management responsibility for HRM: what is happening in
Europe? Vol. 25 No.3 pp. 228-244 . Emerald Insight.
Renwick, D. (2003). Line manager involvement in HRM: an inside view. Vol. 25.No.3 , pp. 262-280.
Emerald Insight.
Page 4