Date of Award

1992

Document Type

Research Paper

First Advisor

Mary Finan

Second Advisor

Dave Garland

Third Advisor

Lucy O'Connor

Abstract

In an ideal work environment, there would be no need for rules, regulations, policies, or procedures. Employees and employers would work towards mutually understood goals, with the same priorities, and with trust and an implied contract of fairness and equality. Unfortunately, this ideal state is impossible because of the individuality inherent in the human condition. Because all individuals are different and therefore have different goals, priorities and agendas, it is inevitable that conflicts will arise. Additionally, as the work world has grown to be more and more complex and differentiated, it would be impossible to efficiently run a business in today’s business world without some kind of detailed plan for operations and management. Thus, we have seen the birth of organizational policies and procedures. There has been incredible growth and innovation in the human resource (HR) departments of organizations, and their value to the organization has been studied in great detail. This effort is evidenced in the changes that have taken place in the structure of HR departments and in the amount and type of personnel policies and procedures that have evolved. Many business people have asserted than an employee is the most important asset that a company can have. Therefore, it would seem that organizational policies that guide and regulate employee behavior would be of paramount importance to the organization. What follows in Part I is a discussion of the environmental influences on organizations, the function of the personnel/human resource department in organizations, the research that has been done in the field of human resources, and the importance of human resource policies and procedures. Part II is an analysis of one organization’s Personnel Department with respect to the concepts discussed in Part I.

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