HR (Human Resources) is a vital part of every significant business. But what exactly is HR? And what key roles should your business HR be covering? We will cover all that (and more) in this helpful article.
When people think about HR, it often leads to confusion in the brain. Even the most experienced business owners still don’t understand the different functions of HR. It is entirely natural. After all, the world of HR is endless — a lot is going on in it. This is why you must follow the best HR practices. Also, make sure that your organization ticks all the right boxes when it comes to HR functions.
The 10 Key Roles of HR
Directly below, you can read about the ten most crucial roles of HR. Whether your business is small, large, or somewhere in-between, ensure you have covered these roles. This way, you can provide a high-quality employee experience.
Recruitment
The number one key role of an HR department is recruitment.
Make no doubt about it. It’s the responsibility of HR to discover (and hire) the best employees possible. HR conducts everything from employee screening to the interview process.
Many businesses have now started to use HR Software to improve the efficiency of their HR departments. This is something that your business should do, too, as you’ll be able to send job offers and onboard employees much faster than you’ve done in the past.
Training and Development
Training and development are the following key roles of HR.
During an employee’s stay with a company, HR must provide them with continuous training and development opportunities. For example, an employee is being prepped for a new role and HR will ensure that the employee is up-to-scratch with all the relevant training and learning materials to thrive under their new title. Investment in training also helps employee retention. By doing so, you are showing that you are supporting the development of your staff.
Also Check: Employee Onboarding Automation: All You Need To Know About
Payroll Management
Payroll management is very complex, so HR takes care of it all.
In a nutshell, HR departments ensure employees get their salaries correctly and on time. Without HR, payslip mistakes and delayed payments would be commonplace.
Employee Disciplinary Action
The biggest nightmare for any business manager is when an employee or many employees start to misbehave in the workplace. Whether it’s damaging equipment or intentionally not doing their role, many problems can occur. As a result, what will happen is that the problem employees will be directed to HR for disciplinary action.
This disciplinary action aims to let the employees know what they’re doing is wrong and won’t be tolerated. If the employees refuse to change and continue causing issues, it might lead to HR terminating their contracts. We will discuss it later in this article.
Also Check: Why Is Workforce Planning Important In High-Performing Organizations?
Workplace Bullying
Sadly, workplace bullying is quite common in today’s world. From business offices to shop floors, employees can experience bullying in pretty much any environment. That is why having an HR department in place is so important. This way, whoever is responsible for the bullying can be referred to HR for a verbal warning.
Workplace Safety
Workplace safety is invaluable. Another key role of HR department is to maintain workplace safety. By having workplace safety measures in place, companies can keep the health and well-being of their employees safe. Not to mention, they can also ensure they don’t experience lawsuits or financial damages as a result of employees getting injured.
Most managers don’t have the time or knowledge to take care of workplace safety. Thus, workplace safety is assigned to HR instead. HR ensures that a workplace is safe from top to bottom. They will also provide employees with workplace safety training when they need it.
Also Check: Effective Training and Development in Human Resource Management
Terminations and Layoffs
HR almost always handles terminations and layoffs. For example, suppose HR has terminated an employee for poor workplace behavior. In that case, HR will explain their release and provide the employee with an official termination letter. On top of this, HR will conduct the necessary steps to remove the employee from the company system. It is one of the main parts of the offboarding process and HR has the key role in it.
Maintain Employee Records
Employee records can change at any time. Whether an employee moves cities or changes their email address, it needs to be up to date on their record — which is where the HR department comes in. Typically, an HR department will have a dedicated employee to update all employee records throughout the year. This way, there’s no confusion or miscommunication.
For instance, let’s say one of your employees goes missing from work, and nobody hears from them for a few days. You’ll need to contact them to find out what’s happening, so having their most recent mobile phone number or email on file is vital. Without it, you’d have no way of getting hold of them.
Also Check: 5 Best HR Tools Your HR Department Needs To Use
Share Important Company Information
It’s HR’s role to provide employees with relevant company information and updates throughout the year. There’s a lot to cover, from changes to workplace policies to information on holidays. So, HR departments need excellent communication measures with employees. Your HR department should communicate updates with employees through email, SMS, and letters so they do not miss any messages.
Performance Reviews
Lastly, HR will conduct employee performance reviews. It is one of the key roles of HR.
Performance reviews are usually once a year. However, they’re sometimes every six months. This is entirely dependent on the organization in question and how it prefers to operate. Generally, though, it’s advised that you hold performance reviews once a year.
From performance reviews, employees can then make improvements to how they work. Also, managers can gain insight into how their employees are performing and any potential changes that need to be made. For instance, a manager might discover that one specific department (e.g., sales) is underperforming. As a result, they can hold a long meeting with the sales department to fix any issues and set new goals moving forward.
Also Check: Must-Have Business Organization Tips
Photo by Edmond Dantès
