Human resource management in small and medium enterprises in Portugal: rhetoric or reality?

Abstract

This piece of work aims to understand the role of human resource management (HRM) at small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Portugal, as well as to contribute to a better knowledge of this area, still briefly studied. More particularly, it aims to understand the level of implementation of human resource practices in SMEs. This research in centred on the Portuguese best 1,000 SMEs. In what concerns the method, we implemented a questionnaire addressed to the enterprises managers and utterly analysed with the statistical package for social sciences. Although we can not generalise it to the national background, this study allows us to conclude that HRM is not yet a reality in SMEs. Moreover, human resources are not seen as a strategic factor for the organisation. SMEs only apply some human resources parcelled and reactive practices, without any strategic integration. However, we can affirm, even that informally, that there exist HRM in SMEs.