If you’ve ever worked in an office, then you’ve definitely heard “HR” get thrown around the workplace a lot. But do you actually know what HR does? What the HR department is responsible for? Or what they actually do for the company and its employees?
The HR department, otherwise known as the “Human Resources” team in a company, is a group of professionals committed to managing, supporting, and organizing employees. The specialists in this team are experts in building and maintaining professional relationships. They’re the people who deal with hiring and sourcing new talent, resolving incidents in the workplace, and even planning training and development initiatives for the professional growth of employees.
Whenever you want to talk about your employee benefits, or seek out a new training opportunity, you go to the HR department. They’re your go-to if you have questions regarding office policies. The HR department is also responsible for professionals staying safe in the workforce, and navigating the correct channels when making complaints.
HR stands for Human Resources. Their name is pretty self-explanatory. In an organization, the HR department is in charge of managing employees—the human resources—of your organization. Remember, staff are often the most important resource any business could have, which means ensuring that they are happy and fulfilled at their respective jobs, and are given ample room to grow is critical to any company. Additionally, companies are responsible for the safety and well-being of employees in the workplace. This falls under the purview of the HR department as well.
Human Resources experts are there to ensure companies can make the most out of the talented team members they hire. At the same time, they also serve employees, ensuring they get the best possible experience at work, enhanced by a positive company culture.
At a basic level, the Human Resources department is involved in making sure the company they work for has a solid roster of appropriately compensated and effectively trained team members. They’re responsible for all of the employee-based activities involved in running a business—from managing payroll, to hiring and firing, and even administering employee benefits.
HR experts can also help to ensure staff members remain happy within a company and acclimate to their organization’s culture. This is because businesses with happy and engaged employees typically see a 17% increase in employee productivity, and a 41% reduction in absenteeism.
To answer the question “what is the HR department?” we need to look at what HR employees usually do. As HR professionals, they are responsible for managing a wide range of different tasks connected to employee wellbeing, compensation, and organization.
While the exact functionality of a HR department will usually depend on various factors, some of the most common responsibilities include:
In most cases, the HR department is seen as a vital tool for business leaders. These experts are essential for providing companies with access to the right talent, and dealing with hiring and firing processes. However, the HR department also plays a significant role in keeping employees happy, engaged, and productive at work.
Some of the main ways HR experts assist employees include:
Cultivating a positive work environment:
One primary focus of the HR department is to create a workplace that’s optimal and engaging for employee productivity. They listen to staff feedback and make changes based on the needs of employees. They can also help with maintaining organization-wide diversity, inclusion, and equity policies.
HR departments can develop sensitization programs, employee codes of conduct, and conduct employee surveys. They’re also an important tool in protecting whistleblowers when workplace misconduct and frauds need to be reported.
Managing employment policies
HR departments are also heavily responsible in creating all manner of employment policies for professionals, ensuring they have the resources, support, and compensation they deserve. They provide a framework for implementing various employment-related processes, like anti-discrimination and harassment policies, and paid-time-off policies.
The HR department will also regularly update everything from benefits and payment policies to employee health and safety strategies based on regulatory updates.
Onboarding and “offboarding” staff members:
A well-designed HR department is crucial in welcoming new team members into the business. These employees not only conduct recruitment processes, interviews, and other hiring tasks, they also assist with getting staff members integrated into the company. They can inform new hires about organizational values and work culture, and assist with workstation set-up.
When an employee decides to leave a business, a HR department can also assist with shutting down their accounts with the company, ensuring they receive the right pay, and giving them recommendations to take to new organizations.
Supporting Learning and Development
A major duty of the HR department is ensuring employees are always equipped with the skills and talents they need to thrive in any industry. As such, they’re often involved with upskilling and reskilling staff members. The HR department organizes various development and training employees to keep skills up-to-date, or teach new ones.
They can also work with employees to ensure they achieve their professional goals, helping them to build career maps and plan for promotional opportunities.
Assisting with Employee Emergencies
HR departments frequently assist with all kinds of tasks related to employees which are outside of a manager’s abilities. They can help with staff members who need to apply for reimbursement for travel or educational needs, and address concerns staff members have with misconduct.
During personal emergencies, HR departments can help employees to access unplanned leaves of absence which may need to be extended over time. Professionals can act as an intermediary between employees and business leaders to ensure relationships are preserved.
As the core group responsible for improving employee experiences in the workplace, HR departments need a number of specific competencies. While the exact skills required of a HR department can vary, some of the most common competencies include:
The HR department is brimming with a wide range of different professionals with unique responsibilities. Some of the most common titles found in a HR environment include:
There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for developing the perfect HR department. For most companies, the key to success will be careful planning, and ensuring you understand exactly what you need from your HR professionals before you dive in.
Some of the most important considerations to keep in mind when creating your HR department from scratch include:
The HR department is an often overlooked, but crucial part of running a successful business. The experts in this team are essential for ensuring business leaders can get the most out of the professionals they hire, and attract future talent when necessary. They can also be crucial to ensuring businesses remain compliant with hiring and employee management regulations.
Without a successful HR department, a company can’t build an effective environment for their workforce, which means productivity, efficiency, and business outcomes are likely to struggle.