BENCHMARKING THE PERFORMANCE OF HUMAN-RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

This article focuses on performance measures in the field of human resource management (HRM). It is shown that most efforts to assess HR performance have been restricted to 1. general measures of limited value, such as headcount or payroll costs, or 2. sophisticated measures that many managers are unwilling to use. As a result, adjustments in human resource policies and practices tend to be based on intuition rather than methodical assessment of concrete and specifiable effects. Alternative HRM performance management methods are discussed, including the now popular benchmarking approach, and prescriptions are offered for progressive organizational practice in this domain.