HR procedures serve to implement policies by prescribing the chronological sequence of steps to follow in carrying out the policies. Procedures relating to employee selection, for example, might provide that individuals first be required to complete an application form, followed by an interview with an HR office representative.
HR procedures
prescribed sequence of steps
to be followed in carrying
out HR policies
Grievances, promotions, transfers, and wage adjustments likewise must be administered according to established procedure in order to avoid problems resulting from oversights. For example, as a step in the disciplinary procedure, the failure to give an employee written warning of a violation might prevent the organization from discharging the employee for a second violation.
HR procedures, like HR policies, must be treated as means to an end, not as ends in themselves. When organizations become bureaucratic, complaints may be raised about excessive red tape, inflexibility, and impersonality in making HR decisions. Unfortunately, when procedures become too detailed or numerous, they can impair rather than further the interests of the organization and its employees. To avoid this hazard, procedures must be reviewed periodically and modified to meet changing conditions.
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