Human Resources Cycle: Comparison of models

What is the Human Resources Cycle? 

Also known as the Human Resources Life Cycle or the Employee Life Cycle and refers to the stages of an employees time in a particular organisation and the shifting roles the Human Resources function play in each of those stages.

There are several models or versions of the Human Resources Cycle:

The 3 stage Human Resources Cycle model:

1. Recruitment
2. Retention
3. Redeployment

The 4 stage HR Cycle model (1)

1. Recruiting and On boarding
2. Orientation and Career Planning
3. Career Development
4. Termination or Transition

The 4 stage HR Cycle model (2)

1. Recruit
2. Train
3. Evaluate
4. Promote

The 5 stage HR Cycle model

1. Recruitment
2. Education
3. Motivation
4. Evaluation
5. Celebration

The 7 stage HR Cycle model

1. Recruit
2. Manage
3. Reward
4. Train
5. Motivate
6. Policies
7. Evaluate

The 8 stage HR Cycle model

1. Job description
2. Selection and placement
3. Organisation design
4. Skills assessment
5. Training and education
6. Performance management
7. Compensation and reward
8. Career planning and career development

As you can see they are all describing the roles HR play within the working life-span of the employee from pulling together job descriptions through recruitment, deployment, management, development and exit. The only real difference is the level of detail or focus in the various models.

In effect the HR Cycle is simply attaching the roles of HR to the stages employees journey through whilst they are in the company.

Back to The Oxford Review Encyclopaedia of Terms