Human resource is what makes a Company live and functioning. If there are only machines, can you call it a Company? No - it is just a bunch of machines, deaf and dumb. A Company is an association of people, transacting business within a premise in our real world. All these people, right from the CEO to the last grade employee, should work in unison and the Human Resource Manager is the one in charge of recruiting, training and managing them day-to-day.

The term management generally stands for people in the supervisory category, assigned with different portfolios of the Company, set forth towards coordinated functioning of the business. Of these, the managerial functions of a HR Manager warrant multiple roles of performance.

Accordingly, the HR Manager is - a Judge, advocate, consultant, arbitrator, bargainer, negotiator, mediator, financial analyst/planner, go-getter, navigator and also alerter of troubles, when they are simmering, to the management.

On the other end, when dealing with the employees of the Company - a psychiatrist, mentor, drill master, disciplinarian, guide, trainer, orator, writer, teacher, guardian and also parent - in handling day to day problems.

Thinking of running a Company, three factors are vital - Man, Machine and Money. All the three are inter-linked with each other. While Machine and Money can be acquired or generated, the first one namely human beings with flesh, blood and brain are unique in that they have emotions and thinking power. So it is a most delicate art to handle them; and make them work in consonance with the objectives of the Company.

Broadly the objectives of Commercial Organizations are related with profit making, while that of Service Organizations are to serve the humanity at large. For example, in a factory manufacturing commercial goods or components, the cost-effectiveness in production is inevitably linked to highest productivity and optimum usage of machinery. Only then the Company can make profits.

Productivity is different from production. While production pertains to the volume in numbers, Productivity is the attitude towards achieving production targets. This is something related to the human beings, engaged in production - to concentrate, follow the production norms and put forth their efforts accordingly.

Human Resource Manager and the department under them are vested with the task of motivating the labor force, towards highest productivity. This is rather a tight-rope walk, to be balanced skillfully because it deals with human emotions.

If you observe successful companies achieving the best possible financial results, you are sure to find HR Managers, who are role models to others, behind this success story. Industrial peace, motivated labor force and team spirit shown by that Company's human resource are making it possible. HR Managers have a vital role in Companies to play - a friend and guide to the employees and advisor to the management. In other words, they are the bridge between two extreme ends, easily prone to flaring up of issues on industrial relations.