Human resources departments are integral parts of modern businesses. These departments function as the administrative hubs of most companies, and HR employees handle many of the company- and industry-specific tasks that come along with managing human capital.
From benefits and compensation to hiring and conflict resolution, human resources managers typically stay very busy and must wear a lot of hats throughout the workday.
What Does A Human Resource Manager Do?
A human resources manager leads the HR department and oversees the daily tasks of HR employees. In smaller companies, an HR manager may function as the entire department themselves, taking responsibility for all HR tasks.
Human resources managers will generally work closely with candidates in the recruiting process, and they will also play a large role in shaping company policies and procedures.
Likewise, a human resources manager will coordinate with company leaders to determine benefits and compensation to be provided to new hires, experienced employees and contractors.
What Are The Most Important HR Concepts?
HR departments, traditionally known as personnel departments, employ a variety of concepts to keep a company running in the background. Recruitment and onboarding of employees are large parts of an HR department’s role in a company, and HR professionals typically have a role in determining qualifications and hiring practices for new workers.
Additionally, determining and administrating benefits are other concepts that HR works with on a daily basis. Benefits may be provided by the company as in the example of paid time off, but they may also be provided by a third party as in the example of health insurance offered by a separate provider.
HR will need to assign, coordinate and track the accumulation and use of certain benefits, particularly those provided directly through the company.
HR teams are also involved in the planning and execution of training programs. Topics of programs executed by HR generally involve policy training as opposed to role-specific training, although HR may be involved in scheduling time for employees to attend role-specific training.
Building A Strong HR Team
Building a strong human resources team starts with thinking about the needs of a business as they relate to employee management. Essentially, a human resources team is tasked with handling all aspects of employee management as this management relates to the company and not the individual role.
Department managers still manage each employee’s day-to-day performance, but an HR team manages each employee’s experience with the company as a whole.
With this in mind, a strong human resources team will be made up of individuals who can utilize interpersonal skills, demonstrate excellent communication abilities and multi-task on several detailed items at once. Likewise, human resources employees need to be of the utmost integrity and character as they are provided with a lot of authority over important company policies that may include items relating to company funds.
Some companies outsource these responsibilities to HR companies that specialize in providing support for business owners who don’t need to hire and manage a dedicated human resource administration team. This is often the case for businesses that are large enough to require advanced human resources functions but still small enough not to have the need for full-time HR employees.
Human Resources Responsibilities List
A human resources department handles a variety of tasks and must remain versatile. The types of tasks handled by HR can change from day to day, and they can also vary by employee and situation.
Below is a list of HR functions and responsibilities that a team may encounter:
- Time-off request management
- Intra-workplace conflict resolution
- Harassment accusation investigation
- Policy creation and consulting
- Payroll administration
Because human resources departments are engaged in fluid situations much of the time and HR functions can vary, roles will generally need to be flexible in providing support for various departments across a company.
Some HR employees may need to travel for certain job functions, but travel time is typically limited to meeting with candidates and attending meetings with third-party benefits partners.
Article Sources:
https://www.strategy-business.com
https://www.thebalancecareers.com
https://www.selecthub.com
https://www.aihr.com
https://smallbusiness.chron.com
https://www.itagroup.com
