The People Managers

29 July 2008:

Human Resource Management (HRM) is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organisation’s most valued assets – the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business.

The terms “human resource management” and “human resources” (HR) have largely replaced the term “personnel management” as a description of the processes involved in managing people in organisations. The field is evolving rapidly. It is both an academic theory and a business practice that addresses the theoretical and practical techniques of managing a workforce.

Jonathan Muthige has been the Human Resources and Transformation Director for Coca-Cola South Africa for one-and-a-half years.

“I have two roles. First of all is the human resources function, which is people management in the company and ensuring we have the right polices in place to enable the staff to have optimum performance. There is also the role of providing advice to leaders of different sectors and providing support to the human resources team. I also ensure compliance with the labour legislation,” he explained.

“The transformation side of my role encompasses the full spectrum of transformation inclusive of BEE.”
Muthige said it was costly to hire people because of the salary payment and other costs, like advertising for a post and inviting people for interviews. An HR manager also has to ensure that this cost is managed well.