Human Resource Management
Archived message of the Austrian Standards Institute
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International Standards are to simplify recruitment and personnel development processes.
Vienna (AS prm, 2010-12-10)
- Credit: ASI prm
Today, management standards, for example in the field of quality management (ISO 9000) and environmental management (ISO 14000), are well-established guidance and orientation documents all over the world that are of increasing relevance for a globalised economy.
The US standards institute ANSI just proposed “human resource management” as a new field of standardisation in order to harmonise a broad range of instruments, such as guidelines for human resources (HR), at the international level.
The primary interest of organisations in the field of HR management is to identify, hire and maintain qualified workers. To this effect, it is necessary, for example, to foster a motivating environment and establish effective and resilient processes to support employees in optimally contributing to the achievement of organisational objectives.
Simplifying processes through standards
International Standards are to simplify processes and support HR professionals in better focusing on searching talents in transnational markets and in shaping working conditions in their organisations.
As the proposal states, the new HR management standards “will fill the gap between existing national and transnational laws and private codes that individual organisations construct” by specifying minimum requirements for procedures, measurements and metrics that are valid across national, cultural and organisational boundaries.
The benefits expected include higher transparency and interoperability of different systems as well as a reduction of barriers in labour markets.
In Austria, a working group of the Austrian Standards Institute currently develops indicators for evaluating opportunities and risks in the field of HR management. In addition, a workshop is being prepared that will standardise the professional profile of HR managers.
If you are interested in these ongoing standardisation activities in the field of human resource management or if you wish to comment on the ISO/ANSI proposal (by 13 January 2011), please contact Dr. Hermann Huemer (e-mail: hermann.huemer(at)as-institute.at), the committee manager in charge at the Austrian Standards Institute.
