?Human Resources Management?: three words that, as part of the active population, we associate with boss, laws, empowerment, Curriculum Vitae, salaries, posts, strikes... But where is the truth? Are Human Resources (HR) professionals just there to fill in vacant posts with employees more or less gifted for their tasks, as in the case of redeployments? ?People want and expect respect. HR is a discipline that espouses and encourages respect for all working people and their families?, tells right away Professor William G. Wallick, from the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Dr Wallick, who is in Mauritius as a Fulbright Scholar to lecture on HR topics at the University of Mauritius, and to do research work, will conduct a seminar on ?Standards for HR Professionals? at the Mauritius Institute for Management at the MEF-MCCI Building in Ebène on February 21.

<B>Simplistic sorting</B>

The aim of the seminar is to provide a forum for discussions to compare and contrast the roles HR professionals and other industry leaders should play to achieve that task. ?In order for HR professionals to be fully effective, they must be sure that their perceived roles match the roles that their senior leaders expect them to play. Two-way communication is very important.?

One can understand the complexity of such a profession. As a professional who began his career in human resource management (HRM) in 1976 and occupied various positions in HRM for 21 years, professor Wallick witnessed a great deal of evolution in the profession itself.

Today, one can still notice in some vacancy adverts a real discrepancy between the tasks and profile needed, so that many candidates are not selected because of a very simplistic sorting that, in most cases, is made by an administrative officer. ?There are too many cases where this officer has no HR experience or training, and may not have the discernment to retain some profiles who just not fill exactly the original criteria but who could prove to be at least as effective?, deplores management consultant, Daden Venkatasawmy.

<B>Public funds? wastage</B>

And what about ?Resources?, a term which depicts the employee as a tool to achieve productivity: if the days of entitlement mentality are counted, this system, based on the automatic promotion of the employees with the number of years at work, is still surviving at the expense of performance orientated promotion.

HR professionals do not just deal with pay slips but, according to Dr. Wallick, with ?benefit issues, employee and labor relations, and the health, safety, and security of the workforce.? ?As the ?order and execute? system of management has receded, HR professionals are more concerned about how Human Resource departments can promote the welfare of the employee and ensure his efficiency?, says Meenta Gooljar, a HRM from the ministry of Local Government.

As regards flexibility, Professor Wallick does not agree ?that refusing to be redeployed from a former post to another job is not being ?flexible?. For him, it is important to ?find out a job in which (the employee) can and wants to evolve.?

Daden Venkatasawmy considers that, actually, Mauritius is on the other side, already very liberal with working conditions: ?Recent factory closures and the ease with which employees were fired is obvious?. The contract of some Sri Lankan women cannot contradict him. In Mauritius, only a few firms do perform sound personality tests when they recruit at management level. The insufficiencies or incompetence of some employees cannot be solved just through training. ?There is much wastage of public funds on training. Given that the training is heavily subsidized by government funds, (...), the firm is prone not to have high expectations from it (...)?, underlines Daden Venkatasawmy.

There is still a lack of interaction between firms and the education sector. When firms do not go on the campus, it is not surprising that graduates do not know anything of their expectations.

<B>Olivier Masson

QUESTIONS TO WILLIAM G. WALLICK

● <B>What do you teach at the University of Mauritius ? </B>

I teach courses in human resource management and human resource development. I always try to hold interactive classes where students can learn from me and as well as from each other. All university students bring life experience to the classroom. This is adult learning in action. Adults want to take responsibility for their own learning, they want to enhance their ability to solve problems, and they want to be able to use what they learn in real life. My job is to guide and facilitate the learning process.

● <B>What can you say about your long experience of HRM in America? </B>

In the two decades that I worked as an HR professional, I realized the value of continuous learning. I learned that the most effective way for an organization to gain or keep its competitive advantage was by using its employees? knowledge and skills to the fullest. One of the most logical ways for employers to improve an employee?s individual performance (and ultimately the performance of their organizations) is through continuous workplace learning.

● <B>You published research on the employment, retention and inclusion of individuals with disabilities. What are your conclusions ? </B>

Individuals with physical and mental disabilities are the largest unemployed and underemployed demographic group in the US, despite the fact that several federal laws have been passed to protect the rights of these individuals in the workplace. HR professionals are usually well aware of the tasks that need to be done in a particular job when looking for potential employees. Technological advancements (computers?) have helped individuals with disabilities to find employment. I?d welcome a dialogue with HR professionals, advocates for individuals with disabilities, and/or individuals with disabilities to discuss the realties present here. I can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]

● <B>You have also co-written a book on corporate training. What is corporate training? </B>

The book that I co-authored in 2003, What CEOS expect from corporate training, highlights the importance of two-way communication between CEOs and corporate trainers in strategically planning for and implementing workplace learning and performance initiatives. In 2006, it was estimated that organizations in the United States spent nearly $ 110 billion dollars on learning and development. Leaving such matters to chance can turn into very costly mistakes. The book provides suggestions for understanding the most up-to-date workplace, learning roles, competencies and outputs and ways for trainers to evaluate their own competencies.

● <B> Is HRM just about productivity and competency measurement? </B>

It?s really a very complicated and, at the same time, exciting field. Some of the competencies needed for successful HR practice include ?business knowledge? (they need to understand the financial and technological facets of their industry and organization); ?HR knowledge and skill? (they need to be able to perform the responsibilities noted above); and ?personal credibility? (developing relationships with employees, managers and executives and behaving ethically and honestly).

● <B>Is training always worthy? </B>

Training has been overused as the ?cure all? for an organization?s performance problems. There are two fundamental areas of Human Re- sources: technical side, comprising job analysis, calculating salary scales? And Human resource development which is more related to the way we ensure the environment, procedures and incentives which help make the employee work more efficiently and effectively for the organization.

● <B>Are needs assessments essential? </B>

Absolutely. A thorough needs assessment will help to uncover the root causes of performance issues. Needs analysis is useful to determine the best course of action to take; the best course of action that will benefit both the employee and the employer.

Sometimes it is not lack of training but barriers on the work place that stop people being efficient. Assessment will help eliminate barriers that could prevent an employee from being most productive.