Final answer:
As an HR professional in the 1940s or 1950s, one's responsibilities would have included administering benefits, running payroll, handling orientation and performance appraisals, as well as hiring and firing. This was before the shift towards proactive management in later decades and before the greater emphasis on rights and diversity initiated by the 1964 Civil Rights Act and other societal changes.
Step-by-step explanation:
If one were an HR professional in the 1940s or 1950s, the responsibilities that would likely be added to their portfolio would include administering benefits, running the payroll department, handling orientation and performance appraisals, and overseeing hiring and firing decisions. It was less about focusing on proactive management, a concept that gained greater importance later on, as individual contribution and initiative took on more significance in the workplace. The progress made in terms of gender equality and employment rights in later decades, particularly the 1960s with regulations such as the 1964 Civil Rights Act, brought considerable changes that impacted the roles and expectations from HR departments.
Professionalizing human resources functions became instrumental in reducing bias and discrimination in the hiring process, as shown by research indicating a disadvantage for applicants with Asian-sounding names. The introduction of such professional HR practices led to the improvement of recruitment strategies and broader diversity in the workplace. Moreover, concepts like workplace culture, employee rights, safety, and work-life balance began to take root in organizational policies, highlighting the evolving nature of HR's role in fostering a healthy and equitable work environment.
Performance evaluations also became an important part of the HR role, with the process being structured to provide feedback to employees to aid in their career development. Ensuring fair treatment of employees, particularly women who were often discriminated against in the workforce during life events such as marriage and childbirth, became a focus for HR professionals in time as well.