The role of human resource management in professional development and promotion of women in organizations

Abstract

In the past decades development of information technologies, increased international competition on the free market, globalization and businesses expanding outside of their countries of origin have lead to significant changes in the societies all over the world. All these changes and the world economic and social crisis have to be changed in the demographical structure of the work force, raising the issue of engaging human resources, especially women, into social and economic development. Responding to these changes and aiming to create a high level of competence, organizations today face the challenge of incorporating diversity management. Human resource management, through its policies and procedures based on diversity management, can recruit, motivate, develop and retain talented employees for all social groups, especially women. The aim of this paper is to present and analyze how policies and procedure developed by the human resources management influence professional development and promotion of women in organizations. The paper will especially analyze four types of policies and procedures: equal opportunities, development possibilities, formalizing the human resources management system and work-life balance and their influence on professional development of women in organizations. At the end, the paper will present potential avenues of further research in this field.