What is HR?
Human resources (HR) is the department within a business which closely manages the employee experience, from hiring to leaving. HR’s primary role is to take care of a company’s employees and ensure the organisation is compliant with employment laws.
Who is HR?
HR can be as big as a whole team, or as little as a single officer or manager.
What is HR work about?
The HR world involves activities such as engaging in virtual and in-person events that make a difference in HR practice.
The responsibilities of HR
Recruitment: The HR teams of corporations are responsible for finding and screening qualified candidates for positions.
Training and development: HR often organises or provides training to its employees, as well as offering development opportunities to the individuals working for that business.
Performance management: HR often monitors an employee’s performance, ensuring the maximum efficiency and success of each employee.
Benefits: HR manages compensation and benefits packages, as well as welcome packages for its employees.
Payroll: HR often oversees payroll tasks.
Annual leave: HR departments may monitor and approve or deny holiday requests sent in by employees.
Company culture: The department assists and maintains the company culture within organisations, which can be significant when recruiting and retaining employees.
Legal compliance: HR ensures the organisation complies with specific legislation and regulations, such as fair employment and workplace safety.
Employee records: Employee records are usually held and updated by the HR team.
Risk management: HR can help identify potential areas of liability and implement procedures to mitigate them.
Diversity, equity and recognition: HR helps design reward and recognition approaches in order to help employees feel valued.
Employee experience: Systems can be established; processes and routines can be followed to create a great employee experience.
How can HR help me as an employee?
Career planning: HR can help employees plan their careers by doing things such as: creating individualised career trajectories, developing growth plans and identifying gaps in their expertise.
Performance management: As this is also a part of HR roles, it monitors employees, keeping them motivated and ensuring that employees operate within specific laws.
Conflict resolution: One of the most obvious tasks undertaken by an HR department in every business. This resolves any personal issues employees may have with one another. If there is any misconduct from employees HR will carry out investigations and proceed with the necessary course of action.
Disciplinary actions: HR can investigate anything they feel necessary, and it can help employees learn from mistakes, and implement improvements into their future work.
Work environment: HR helps create and maintain a healthy work environment for employees to flourish, ensuring efficiency is at its peak.
Personal issues: HR can help employees with any personal issues they may be experiencing alongside work.
Leadership development: HR can help develop better managers, by providing and organising training, as well as promoting knowledge transfers across departments.
Overview
HR can help in many ways, as exemplified above. Having an effective HR department helps any type of business – including growing ones – succeed by helping to develop a dynamic workforce and a great employee experience. HR ensures a culture focusing on teamwork, collaboration and innovation by promoting employee engagement, leading to an increase in employee retention and a decrease in employee absenteeism.
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