What is the Role of HR?

Employees are the biggest asset an organization has. It would be foolish not to invest, develop, and manage this valuable human resource. 

Sometimes called the “people team,” the Human Resources Department (HR) primarily advocates and promotes the company’s employees. While they work for and are accountable to the company and its owners, they work hard to maintain the company culture. However, HR’s primary role is attracting, hiring, training, and supporting employees. These objectives work in tandem as HR, armed with a futuristic mindset, assists individual employees with the overarching goal of strengthening the company. 

What Does HR Do? 

Traditionally, HR handles recruiting, screening, training, compensation, benefits, and safety/policy compliance.

Talent Acquisition

A significant component of HR’s job is to recruit and hire new talent. They source candidates, screen applications, and run preliminary interviews. They also act as a liaison between candidates and hiring managers. HR is responsible for all the new-hire paperwork, such as payroll, benefits, direct deposit forms, contracts, background checks, and orientation packets. 

Compensation Management 

Offering competitive salaries and enticing benefits packages attracts candidates and retains employees. Regarding compensation, HR evaluates and establishes attractive pay and bonus structures. They monitor similar companies within the industry and region to help employers maintain an edge. They appraise employee performance and disburse appropriate, performance-related pay raises. They also ensure that employees receive the correct salaries and can access their benefits. 

Concerning benefits, they help their employer create attractive benefit packages. They negotiate group health coverage rates, work with a 401(k) administrator, and create other programs and perks. 

Certainly, payroll relates to compensation; however, HR isn’t necessarily responsible for administering pay. While they distribute paychecks, they may also work closely with the finance department or a third-party vendor to compensate workers. 

Employee Development & Support

HR spends a significant amount of time developing and training employees, and this effort exceeds initial onboarding. HR offers and oversees continued training, working through a repertoire of subjects: 

• Safety
• DEI
• Personal development
• Technical skills and cross-training
• Sexual harassment education
• Labor laws and regulations 
• Career growth within the company 

They may also work closely with managers, offering them training in these areas: 

• Compliance
• Staff motivation 
• Technical skills 
• Disciplinary issues 
• Effective feedback

HR’s objective is to help employees reach their full potential within the company, ensuring they have the skills, knowledge, and pathways needed for success. 

Safety & Compliance

Ensuring mental and physical safety in the workplace is another chief concern for the HR department. Federal law requires employers to provide safe work environments, and HR supports this goal by creating and overseeing safety training. They are also responsible for logging and reporting injuries and fatalities and managing workers’ compensation. 

Safety in the workplace includes safety between employees. HR promotes a psychologically safe space by offering training, enforcing workplace relationship policies, and investigating harassment reports. They may also mitigate conflicts and disputes between employees.

HR departments also help the company uphold complex legal and regulatory compliance laws.

Employee Relations 

HR acts as a “relationship liaison” between employees and company leadership, helping to strengthen and support that bond. This dynamic is especially crucial in unionized organizations since HR coordinates negotiations between the union and the company. 

HR also manages and documents disciplinary actions. They oversee risk management and seamless legal job terminations when needed. 

Whether you are looking for the next step in your career or want to add some new talent to your team, Career Concepts can help! With over 50 years under our belts, we can match the right talent to the right opportunity. Contact us today, and let’s get started!