Human resource management (HRM, or simply HR) is a function in organizations designed to maximize employee performance in service of an employer's strategic objectives. HR is primarily concerned with the management of people within organizations, focusing on policies and on systems. HR departments and units in organizations typically undertake a number of activities, including employee benefits design employee recruitment, "training and development", performance appraisal, and rewarding (e.g., managing pay and benefit systems). HR also concerns itself with organizational change and industrial relations, that is, the balancing of organizational practices with requirements arising from collective bargaining and from governmental laws. According to R. Buettner, HRM covers the following core areas: