HR departments deal with the human needs of workers in a company, providing services such as benefits, hiring, firing, and handling complaints. In large companies, managers may also handle HR work, while in small companies, owners handle all duties. Despite criticism, HR employees are keen on meeting employee needs and encouraging workers to do their best. They often know employees better than they think and can provide personalized advice.
HR is an acronym for HR, that element within a company that deals with the human aspects/needs of the workers. Many companies have an HR department, which can provide a wide range of services to their employees. Some people who work in HR are considered part of the department, but many people outside that department may be dealing not only with the financial aspects of the job, but also with the “human element” of employing workers.
For example, while not technically part of an HR department, a supervisor or manager may be responsible for hiring or firing workers, writing employee reviews, providing daily job feedback, and encouraging and the support of workers. All of this is potentially HR work. However, in large companies, a large HR department may not have much daily contact with the same employees. So managers or supervisors do some of the work involved in human resources and members of the human resources administration can supervise their work. In small companies with only a couple of employees, there is no formal HR department, and managers or owners handle all of that department’s duties.
Some standard responsibilities of an HR department include:
Insure, offer and explain benefits, such as health insurance or 401k.
Management of occupational health and safety issues.
Offer information or advice about special work programs, such as continuing education rebates or smoking cessation programs.
Advertise vacancies, screen candidates, create interviews and hire potential candidates.
Manage all paperwork related to hiring or firing employees.
Distribute payroll and bonuses (although payroll disbursement may be outsourced to another company).
Help workers apply for family leave, maternity leave, sabbatical or disability leave.
Possibly by attending company-wide motivational events.
Approve performance reviews and consider raises or promotions.
Handle complaints about employer abuse, sexual harassment, discrimination or hostile work environment charges.
It is often a criticism that large companies, and sometimes even small ones, lack a sense of humanity when it comes to caring for their workers. While HR departments are under pressure from those in finance departments to keep costs down, most of its workers are keen on helping meet employee needs and encouraging workers to do their best. If you work in a relatively large and “impersonal” company, it can be great to get to know the people in your HR department.
In some ways, HR employees may already know you better than you think. If you’ve worked for a company for a long time, HR employees likely already know when you had your children, whether you had to take time off because your mother was ill, how well you performed at the company, and when you participated in teams. Workers often make the mistake of thinking the HR department is inherently impersonal, but most of its employees would argue they differ.
They are truly working not just for the employer but for the employees. Knowing these people by name personalizes your relationship with people who already know a considerable amount about you. When starting work at a new company, seeking the advice and advice of HR departments is also an excellent plan, as always, these people may know you more intimately than anyone else you work with.
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