The HR department is an important part of any business. It is the one area with a vested interest in making sure all employees are happy, healthy, and productive. When you have a good team working for your company, it translates to success for everyone.
If you want to start a successful business, you need to have a good HR department. While many people think the HR job description is about hiring and firing, more is involved than that.
In this blog post, you will learn about the HR job description and how it can help your business.
Who Is an HR Manager?
The HR manager is also known as the director of human resources.
An HR manager is the one person who makes sure your business runs smoothly. They are tasked with hiring, training, and management of employees.
HR managers are also there in case anything goes wrong on the job. It could be that an employee needs to be disciplined. Or something more serious happens like sexual harassment or even a workplace accident.
People have different ideas about what human resources managers do and don’t do. Some people believe that the HR department will simply monitor their time clock to make sure they get paid for the hours they work. While this may be true in some cases, it doesn’t represent a good HR staff very well.
Let’s look at some of the specific tasks that a human resources manager is responsible for at their company.
Recruit Candidates
Every company needs talent, and HR managers are new employee recruiters.
A good HR department starts by meeting with managers to determine what skills are needed for a certain job. These types of meetings go beyond just listing tasks and responsibilities; they dive into qualifications as well. For example, you may need candidates with a certain certification to work at your company.
Once the team has those goals, they research where they can find talented people to fill those jobs. This means looking at job boards, social media sites like LinkedIn, and even attending career fairs. Your HR team may have to set up working interviews with people they think would be a good fit for the company.
Conduct Interviews
Once you find candidates interested in your open positions, it’s time for them to attend the interview.
This is another function of an HR department that people often underappreciate outside of the business world. However, having someone there who knows how to interview candidates makes sure that everyone gets a fair shot at the position they want.
An experienced manager makes sure that every candidate has a chance to shine. They know the art of interviewing and can get the information they need from each candidate.
Choose the Most Suitable Candidates
The last step in choosing candidates for a position is making the final decision.
This means that your HR department needs to compare each candidate’s application, interview answers, and references against each other. They need to make sure they are going with the person who has all the skills and experience necessary to do a great job at their company.
If there are two equally qualified people, they may need to pick based on personality or culture fit so that everyone can work together well as a team.
The difference between success and failure can come down to the smallest detail. If an applicant cannot work with your organization due to personality or cultural issues, it can make them less productive. And can even lead to their termination if they are not willing to change.
You want the right person in your company for the position you have available. That’s why a human resource manager is so important to every business.
Manage Employee Onboarding Process
When new employees leave your HR department, they should have everything they need to be a productive part of your team.
This means that any paperwork and computer access has been taken care of so they can hit the ground running on their first day. Also, if any training is needed, you want them to complete those programs.
You may also provide opportunities for professional development. Your staff will know how to grow within the organization over time.
HR managers can utilize WorkBright HR tools to make the process even more efficient.
Process Payroll
Every company has to pay people at some point.
Have you outsource payroll to a third party, or does your HR department handle it? You still need someone who knows what they are doing when it comes to money.
It’s not just about taking timecards and adding up hours—though that is part of the process. When you work with an experienced team, they’ll ensure all deductions are accurate and in compliance with the law. They will help you set up a system that makes paying employees as easy as possible.
An HR manager should handle everything payroll related from hiring all the way through processing paychecks. Of course, they may need help from accounting if any deductions need to be made.
Many people are intimidated by money and would rather avoid it at all costs. But, a good HR team will make dealing with payroll as painless as possible for everyone involved.
Conduct Disciplinary Action
HR managers make sure that employees are held accountable for their actions—while also making things fair.
Sometimes this comes into play after someone has been fired from the company and wants to contest it. However, there are many ways that disciplinary action can be necessary, including:
- Conducting performance reviews
- Admonishing an employee for not following rules or policies
- Termination of employment for causes such as theft or misconduct
Your HR manager ensures that everyone is treated fairly throughout the disciplinary process. They check on the correct application of any termination procedures. And they make sure no one is being singled out in a way that goes against your organization’s values.
It may be a difficult process to follow, but it is important so that everyone knows what behavior is expected of them.
Train and Educate Employees
If an employee doesn’t know how to do their job or where they are going wrong in the performance review process, they won’t improve. Uninformed employees will make mistakes that can cost money or ruin relationships.
Your HR department spends time training new employees and guiding those who are more experienced through a career path within your company.
They may also choose to educate workers by hosting workshops on relevant topics. These could be on issues such as sexual harassment policies and professional behavior.
The right human resources manager will help create a cohesive workforce. And at the same time increase overall skill and knowledge levels across the company.
Review and Update Employment Policies
Your organization has to follow certain rules, both in hiring employees as well as in daily roles.
Your human resources department usually creates these policies. They also monitor them throughout the year to make sure they are still effective.
The most important part of this process is making sure these policies comply with federal laws and regulations—for example, those set by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
In addition to staying up-to-date on relevant legal changes, your HR manager should also consult with stakeholders. This should be on any proposed updates or changes to existing policy documents. This ensures that everyone who needs to know about a potential policy change is informed.
Coaching and Mentoring
Not every person on your team will be the same. If you have a variety of people working for you with unique personalities and skillsets, an HR manager should be able to give them all guidance in one way or another.
Your human resources department works with managers and employees to make sure they utilize each worker’s strengths. And this also includes giving any negative performance issues a chance to improve.
In addition, some workers may need extra support and attention because of specific challenges they face, such as disabilities or lack of experience. Your human resources manager would be responsible for making sure those types of needs are met. They will provide everything from coaching sessions to mentoring opportunities where applicable.
While it’s not always easy dealing with other people, a human resources department seeks to make the workplace more comfortable and productive for everyone.
Handle Employee Relations
Your organization must engender good relationships with all of its workers. A great way to maintain these links is through regular communication between management and staff. And this includes giving helpful feedback in any situation (whether positive or negative).
Your HR team helps create dialogue while also providing support when employees need it most. Sometimes this may mean acting as a mediator during disputes among employees or resolving issues with other departments.
When disagreements occur, your human resources team can step in to find amicable solutions both for the company and the employees involved. This means that you don’t need to get involved and take care of everything yourself.
Ensure Compliance With Federal, State, and Local Regulations
Your organization has to follow some important laws and standards.
Whether you operate as an LLC, S-Corp, or C-Corp, are privately held or publicly traded, or deal with international workers, there are federal regulations that apply to everyone. These responsibilities fall on your business more than anyone else.
And this is where human resources excel. They help the company to meet its obligations through every step of the employment life cycle. This includes hiring practices, compensation policies, benefits administration, and much more.
It’s one thing for your business to treat employees well while avoiding legal issues along the way. But it’s another challenge altogether knowing how these federal rules and regulations might impact your organization.
That’s where your human resources department comes in. They help you stay on the right side of the law and serve as your first line of defense against lawsuits.
HR managers are also responsible for ensuring company policies and procedures are compliant with all rules and regulations at both the federal and state level. In addition, they provide training to new employees on these issues so that everyone understands their rights while working for the organization.
Conduct Employee Benefit Analysis
It’s a good idea to periodically check in with your employees to see how things are going in general.
One of the best ways for human resources to do this is through a benefit analysis survey. This questionnaire solicits feedback from workers and managers so everyone can make better decisions about compensation, hours, and other vital aspects of working life.
Your HR team can use the responses from these surveys to implement new changes that will improve staff morale, productivity, and overall satisfaction at work. They may also reevaluate current policies and procedures while updating both company documents and handbooks where applicable.
Being proactive allows your organization to address any issues before they get out of hand (or end up being too costly). You don’t want to find yourself in a position where you have to make drastic changes.
The analysis survey from human resources can help avoid this. And it does so while keeping your workers satisfied and motivated.
This is what the human resources job description entails.
HR Job Description Explained
It’s a multifaceted role that can help your business in an array of ways. Whether you already have an established HR team or are looking to build one, know that they’re there for your organization’s benefit.
HR managers make sure everyone at the company is content and happy. This includes recruiting new talent, helping with training initiatives, resolving disputes, advising on policies and procedures, complying with regulations, and so much more.
We hope you enjoyed this article on the HR job description. Please keep checking our blog for more informative content.