Introduction

Human resource management (HRM) is a strategic approach to managing employees within an organization to achieve better organizational performance and contribute to business success. HRM is the efficient and effective utilization of human resources. It involves recruiting, hiring, developing, and retaining employees. The main purpose of HRM is to manage employees in a way that helps the company achieve its goals and maintain a strong workplace culture. When HR of a company does its job well, they hire the right people with the skills the company needs. They also train employees and help them grow in their careers so they can contribute more to the company's success.

A business is only as strong as its employees. So, HR plays an important role in keeping the company running well. HR, also keeps an eye on the job market to make sure the company stays competitive. This includes offering good salaries and benefits, planning events to keep employees happy, and adjusting job roles when needed.

There are a lot of pharmaceutical companies in Sri Lanka. Examples: A. Baur and Company, Hemas Pharmaceuticals, Sunshine, Astron, Gamma, Tabrane, etc. Their situation is the same. The overall purpose of HRM is to generate and retain a suitable human force that gives the maximum individual contribution. The human resources department is managed by department managers and line managers. Most of the pharmaceutical companies have strong HR. But sometimes range managers (Abbott, Sandoz, Novartis, Leben, Lyka, etc.) of a company have more power than HR.

Human resources of pharmaceutical companies face challenges in retaining skilled employees. There are several reasons for this. Such as workplace stress, training and development, competition and benefits challenges, identifying and developing future leaders, employee engagement and motivation, and flexible work arrangements in pharmaceutical research and sales.