A well-functioning HR department is one of the keys to a successful business. It’s responsible for managing employee records and ensuring compliance with employment laws. Core functions include managing employees’ payroll, addressing grievances, and facilitating workplace training. They’re also in charge of updating desk manuals and ensuring forms used by the company, such as job applications, direct deposit paperwork, and request for leave documents, are up-to-date.
Recruitment and Selection
HR personnel are responsible for finding and screening candidates to fill roles in the company. They may also be involved in the “onboarding” process, which consists in assisting new hires with becoming part of the team and getting familiar with work processes. HR staff helps the business comply with labor laws by creating and updating policies regarding working hours, safety, equal employment opportunities and more. They also act as intermediaries between managers and employees by mediating grievances or disciplinary proceedings. Often, HR professionals are asked to conduct job training or offer workshops for their co-workers. They can also coordinate participation in external seminars or conferences to give staff a chance to expand their skillsets and improve morale.
If an organization is looking to outsource, it’s important to find a provider of HR services that offers full capabilities. For example, they should provide a platform for employee self-service and document storage. They should also be able to customize service offerings to meet client needs. Some providers also offer HR-as-a-service, which combines infrastructure, platform and process outsourcing under a single contract.
Training and Development
Getting the right people on board saves time and money. Talented employees get the job done faster and represent your brand better, which improves client satisfaction. HR professionals work with managers to identify training needs and develop employee growth plans. They also encourage employees to attend seminars, conventions and conferences to boost their knowledge base.
HR may also handle employee safety and benefits management depending on the business size. They work with compliance professionals to draft all company policies that comprise the employee handbook. Lastly, they also provide workplace orientations and new hire onboarding.
They act as a liaison for employees by resolving compensation, leave, disciplinary procedures, general welfare and housing issues. They also create and implement employee policies that promote fair pay, reasonable working hours, work-life balance and practical benefits. Additionally, they are responsible for staying current with employment laws to ensure their organization’s policies and practices meet the required regulations. They escalate employee grievances to tier 2 specialists or HR management if they can’t resolve the problem independently.
Performance Management
HR managers must recognize and communicate evolving employee needs to management. They must also be experts in managing budgets for hiring and training new employees and for employee salary increases. Regulatory compliance is another key role for HR professionals. It includes working with a legal department to ensure that all company policies, including those regarding employee handbooks, job applications and garnishments, are up to date and in line with federal and state laws. It also includes tracking government-mandated paperwork such as workers’ compensation filings, OSHA reports and employee pay stubs.
HR staffers are also often a company’s liaison to labor union officials. It may involve negotiating contracts and helping to mediate disputes between union representatives and management. Finally, HR specialists are frequently involved in organizational design. It means helping to decide how many supervisors a firm should have and clarifying what kinds of jobs will be supervised. They can also help create a process to assess and improve employee performance. It might include facilitating employee performance conversations with managers and offering coaching for sub-par performance.
Compensation and Benefits
A good compensation plan is the foundation of employee retention. HR professionals must understand how to create a competitive salary package that attracts and retains talented employees, including benefits. They must also determine how much to pay people based on their roles and responsibilities. To help the company compete for talent, HR staffers might promote unique perks like free gym memberships or 100% dental and vision coverage. They may also coordinate training opportunities for workers to upskill or develop new skills. Helping the company comply with state and federal employment rules, including ensuring that all workers are paid properly and treated fairly during the hiring process, is another duty of human resources. They also oversee the disciplinary and grievance procedures. HR teams might also ensure the organization has an up-to-date employee handbook, compile performance appraisal reports and develop and distribute training programs. Those who work in this department might also be in charge of arranging and facilitating conferences, conventions and seminars to improve the quality of the workforce.
Employee Relations
Employee relations is all about building a healthy rapport between leadership and staff. It ensures that the team looks forward to starting their working day and contributes to higher productivity, reduced churn rates and lower training costs. In addition, the HR department ensures that workers have access to the tools they require to be effective, including tools like computers and software linked to their jobs and access to educational opportunities. In addition to creating policies and standards for employees that include perks like health and life insurance, 401(k) and retirement programs, and paid time off, they may bargain group pricing with insurance providers. Employee relations can include facilitating the resolution of disputes, settling complaints and investigating claims of discrimination or other violations within the business. It can also involve ensuring that employee morale is high, which cuts down on workplace conflicts and disruptions and ultimately boosts profit margins.
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