Importance of Human Resource Development in Pakistan

In the modern work environment, it is important for human resource professionals and employers to understand that in order for organizations to achieve the desired growth level, certain criteria must be met such as there should be an internal system present within the organization where employees can get the opportunity of training and skill development programs. By providing this opportunity, not only will it benefit the organization financially but it would increase the efficiency of employees as well. If we talk about Pakistan in particular, it is worth noticing that even in high unemployment market there is still a big part of people who give top priority to human resource development when applying for jobs as they feel that if the organization does not have the function human resource development department then there skill development and enhancement limited opportunity can substantially decrease their career growth chances. There is one important point which is worth noticing is why people in Pakistan consider human resource development as a top priority when applying for jobs? Well, the answer is not simple as there are several reasons including the challenges and tough competition among limited opportunities which is why it is important that a person should be able to update its skill set and the convenient way is when their organization whom they are working in provides the learning and development opportunity.

The human resource management is a huge field and comprises of several things from payroll management to training and development all of these things are its part and plays an important role in organization and one of which is the human resource development as it falls in their domain meaning human resource department professionals have to control the human resource development functions and responsibilities. It is necessary that a well-experienced professional leads the human resource development department as it plays a vital role in the organizational development and growth. Using technologies can be very useful and the application of it in human resource development functions has helped a lot in further enhancing the capabilities of the organizations. Now, you must be wondering that why is it important to provide employees with skill development opportunities? Well, it is because employees make the organization and in order to develop a well establish organization there should be a well maintained human resource development department in the organization which provides employees with the essential learning opportunities. The majority of human resources professionals agree on the importance of human resource development in organizations and share that in the current world of fast innovation and technological advancement it is necessary that employees are portfolio is up to date and meets the current market needs. The human resource development is also linked to employee’s motivation and job satisfaction, although there is a difference between each term because they are somehow connected with the human resource development. Let me tell you an example to give you a perspective on how these things are connected, if a person is working in an organization for more than a decade and is delivering for the organization in desired way and is beneficial for the organization but suddenly there is a change in the organizational ecosystem as after the implementation of the new system within the organization it becomes difficult for a non-technical person to operate in the same way as it is used to before. There will be two options for the organizational management either to fire the employee and hire the new person or train the existing one but each of them has a cost. If an old employee gets fired then it would not only increase the burden on the company finances but also discourage old employee and on the other hand, if training option should opt then there would be difficulties as aged employees might not be able to perform well in the training. This scenario indicates one major thing which is the lack of human resource development department in the organizations which is the reason why the employee was not given any chance of skill development or enhancement during the tenure of over a decade. You now have an idea of how an organization could be affected without the human resource development and not only the organization but it also has an effect on the employees as not keeping up with the latest market needs could create some serious challenges.

The human resource development can be quite helpful in decreasing the unemployment rate as if the people get opportunities of learning and skill development then they can easily enhance their capabilities which would help them in finding or switching jobs easily meaning there would be a significant reduction in the unemployment rate. In a country like Pakistan where there is a huge number of jobless population and majority of them lack in areas such as skills. If they were provided with the opportunities and facilities of human resource development then there might not be that a large number of individuals struggling for jobs. It is quite tough to keep a job and studies both on at the same time and people find it difficult to create a balance between two things. If you are more focused towards your job then you might not be able to secure good grade which would result in bad grades or even failing out a course which is bad. The best way to create a balance is to go for the learning opportunity with the company provided options which are often initiated but the human resource development department. Pakistan is indeed a developing country and by developing means its dynamics are totally different as compared to the countries that are developed such as the USA or Great Britain so there are different challenges for Pakistan and if we specifically talk about Pakistan`s economy then we can see that it has now become more services-oriented which is a complete change. Now with the majority of workforce related to the services sector meaning the need and the importance of human resources development department has significantly increased and in order to meet the demand, there should be a defined system for the organization to adopt. It is also important to worth mentioning that it is not an easy decision for any organization to fully implement the human resource development system as it requires a significant amount of resources and finances which is difficult for low tier organizations or small organization to afford. So what should a small organization do? There are several ways of human resource development implementation meaning that it depends on the organization as which way it adopts, if the organization is not able to afford the system development cost then there is an option of the external service provider or a third party outsourcing. By choosing this option, the cost would be significantly reduced as human resource development main purpose is to provide employees with learning and development opportunities and it is not necessary that it can only be provided by the company but the source can be anyone especially when there is a growing trend of training specialists and consulting firms or even online learning service providers and they are quite professional in their work. The cost of setting up an entire human resource development system is way higher than outsourcing the department to the third party and is the reason why there is a recent increase in the trend towards this option by organizations.

Another important aspect is monitoring and analyzing of human resources development department performance as it is critical that the department is performing as per the expectations so how should we check it? The best way to check its performance is by analyzing employee KPI or key performance indicators as if there is a significant change being reflected after the reasonable time period then it means that the department is performing well and adding value to the organization by increasing the workforce capabilities and efficiency. In Pakistan`s economy which is reviving after a decade of decline has the chances for skilled professionals and it is expected that in the near future there might be a huge amount of requirements for qualified professionals and to become one requires updating of skills and capacity which is linked to the human resource development. So, after all of the discussion, it is also important to clarify that it does not mean at all that by implementing the human resource development in the organization would bring a significant change overnight which is indeed not possible as the process would take time and proper management. Yes, the management is also important which is the least important subject being considered nowadays. Without proper management, no matter how much investment an organization makes and how much efforts it puts the result would not be positive or favorable as it is very important that the person who is leading the process is capable. The best way to efficiently manage all of the processes is to assign the implementation task to the qualified professional with human resources management as well as the human resource development expertise. Now, if we look at the common methods of learning opportunities being provided by the organizations around the world through human resource development is counseling sessions, HR certification programs, and the development courses. The most opted one according to the current market trend is the online programs as they take less time and are quite convenient for working professionals to enhance their skills and learn new concepts of their respective fields. All of the options are best on their own and a person should analyze its need first then go for the program according to that. People who disagree with human resource development share that the development of human resource development department puts an added burden on the organization finances which has an impact on the company`s profit and is not a healthy option to go for. This perception is indeed wrong as if you look at the long-term affects then you can easily notice that there is a way less cost when you see its results. It is obvious that in the shorter run or shorter time period there would not any changes that can reflect as it takes time for the process to complete and the process actually works in a way that after the completion of a successful program efficiency of an employee increases which eventually increase its performance which lead to increase in organizational productivity and generate more revenue due to increased efficiency which eventually covers all of the cost of the program.

The world`s leading organizations focus more on their human resource development as they emphasize that in order to remain on top in the competitive market, it is important there employees are well trained and possess the right amount of skills necessary for the organization. They also have a research department which ensures that the level of opportunities they are providing their employees are relevant to the current market needs and they invest in shaping out the perfect plan with all the details and is among one of the reasons why they are successful in what they do. On the conclusion part, you must have an idea on what, how and why human resource development is important and why there is recent growth in the importance of human resource development in Pakistan. If you are an employer, start by giving charge to a professional for human resource development department and he/she should be selected on merit based on experience and capabilities to lead and manage. By introducing a proper and effective management, there would be significant changes which can be easily noticed by analyzing the key factors as discussed above. By ensuring this not only it will increase the organizational productivity but will also increase the job satisfaction level of the employees which is a very good and healthy sign for any organization as it also helps in increasing image and credibility in the market.