You need to be aware about the job description of the human resources personnel, before looking for a job in the HR department of an organization. Read ahead to know more about their roles and responsibilities…
Human resources are the assets of any organization. They need to be looked after properly, because they are the reason behind any company’s existence. Human resource department is the one that takes care of the employees in the organization.
Thus, human resources become an important department and function of any organization. When you take up a job in the human resources, you are basically dealing with the policies and strategies followed by the organization for welfare of the employees (human resources).
Job Description
There are various functions that the HR Department looks into. They are –
- Recruiting and hiring
- Promotions
- Determining salaries
- Handling leaves
- Reviewing and processing awards
- Handling retirements
- Worker’s compensation
- Policy making and implementing
- Training and development
Apart from these, there are several other areas where the human resources department plays an important role. Hence, the department is termed as a support department. In order to work efficiently for the employee welfare, it is mandatory that the people working with the human resources are aware of how to handle the above.
Drafting Policies
Every organization follows certain policies and the HR department formulates these policies. It is the most important function of the HR department. All the policies need to be drafted taking into consideration the goals of the organization.
Recruitment & Selection
It is the responsibility of the human resource department to recruit the staff required in the organization. All the departments of the organization send the details of how many people are required and what qualifications should they possess for the job. The HR department accordingly invites applications for the job, screens the resume, selects the right candidates and hires the one that fits in completely according to the needs.
Job Description Drafting
The HR executive drafts the job descriptions that the people of the various designations of the organization are expected to perform. These job descriptions defines all the qualities, skills and qualifications required for each designation.
Change Management
Every organization goes through changes at one point or the other, and not all are pleasant. Employees find it difficult to adjust to these changes. The human resource personnel plays an important role in change management by implementing the change in a manner that suits both – the employers and the employees.
Background Checks
It is the responsibility of the HR department to perform the background checks of all the employees that are appointed by the organization. The potential employees should also be thoroughly checked.
Employee Records
The HR department is expected to file all the details of the employees working in the organization. Each employee has a file of its own and these files are confidential. The job requires the executive to always keep these files updated.
Employee Relations
The HR department plays an important role in maintaining good employee relations within an organization. It is the department that takes into account the inquiries and issues faced by the employees. This is an important aspect of the job description and needs delicate handling.
Performance Appraisal
Annual performance reviews and appraisals are conducted by the HR department. Employee performance needs to be conducted accurately as the promotions and salary increase depend on these reviews. All the performance management records need to be maintained in the correct employee files. Performance appraisals is one of the important HR manager duties too.
Training and Development
All the employee training and development needs of the organization are handled by the HR department. It identifies the people who need to be trained, arrange for the training sessions and later take feedback to ensure that the training is implemented in the day-to-day work of the employee.
Compensation & Benefits
An important function of the HR department, compensation refers to the current salary that is paid to the employees. Deciding the compensation for new employees, for the old ones based on their performance and devising competitive salaries is the job of an HR executive. Benefits include the health benefits, dental benefits and other such benefits that are provided by the organization to its employees. A proper record of such benefits availed by the employees needs to be maintained, and the maintenance of this record is the responsibility of the HR department. This is a delicate human resources issue and needs to be handled with care and professionalism.
Leave Management
The HR department looks after the leave management of the employees. They need to maintain proper records of the number of leaves entitled to the employees, the leaves taken and the balance. It is also responsible for looking after the employees’ attendance and regularity. The HR department needs to update the leaves as per the changes in the laws too.
Discipline & Decorum
Arranging for disciplinary action on the employees who are guilty of missing out too many days of work, is also one of the roles of the HR department. As penalising those who do not follow the rules and regulations of the company, and who refuse to follow the company policies. This ensures that there is discipline in the organization.
Safety
The safety requirements of the organization are of paramount importance. It is the responsibility of the HR department to draft the safety policies to be followed by the organization and to implement them.
Salary
The salaries of the various people working in the HR department varies according to their qualifications, experience and their current designations. Depending on the qualifications, the salary could range between $48,000 to $80,000 yearly. The entry-level salary range for the HR personnel differs according to the designations they hold, and is roughly between $30,000 to $85,000. As you climb up the corporate ladder in terms of experience and designation, both, you can expect to earn around $250,000 too! (Vice President Level)
Apart from the above, the human resource manager job description also include the following –
- The HR managers work closely with the company lawyers to sort out the corporate issues and suits filed against the organization.
- The HR managers are required to play an important part in the determination of the annual budget of the organization. He conducts the benefits, performance appraisals and the salary hikes, so he is in a position to determine the increase in the organizational spending.
- Any changes in the staffing of the organization needs to be handled by the HR manager.
- He is also in charge of the employee motivation and needs to resolve issues which hinder employee performance.
As you can see from the above, the job encompasses the entire work done by the HR department. If you are looking for a job in human resources department, you should possess the ability to talk and listen to people, to communicate correctly and to be able to perform all the above mentioned tasks. Contrary to the popular belief, there are plenty of careers in human resources. It is not only a job that is important, but is also full of responsibilities. All the best!!