Steps to Follow for Organization
A well-organized HR department can provide structure and help meet business needs. It will also manage your most valuable resource, your employees. The HR department can be divided into several disciplines. Human resources managers who work in smaller businesses might have to perform additional duties such as talent management, compensation and employee benefits, training and development, compliance and workplace safety.
The HR department has a talent management team that covers many areas. The department’s previously distinct areas have been combined under one roof. Talent management is responsible for recruiting and developing employees, as well as retaining them. The recruiters are the key to any company’s success in building its workforce. They are responsible for all aspects of the hiring process, including posting job openings on job boards and sourcing candidates through social media and job fairs. They also serve as first-line contacts to run background checks and conduct interviews. The success of a recruiter is measured by several metrics. These include the number and origin of candidates, how long it takes to fill the positions, and the reasons why an applicant was not hired. The talent management team is responsible for strengthening the employer-employee partnership. Employee relations, or support, is an area of the talent management group. This role involves the study of job satisfaction, employee engagement, organizational cultures, and resolution of workplace conflicts. Gallup estimates that employees who are disengaged cost U.S. companies $600+ billion per year in lost productivity. This is why this role is so important to your success.
Smaller companies may have one or two HR professionals overseeing the benefits and compensation roles. Companies with larger staffs will usually split the tasks. The HR function of compensation includes assessing the pay practices and setting the compensation structure. In addition to creating job descriptions, the compensation department works with department managers and with talent management to plan for succession. HR professionals are usually responsible for coordinating with the company’s administrator of 401(k). Although payroll is an integral part of the HR compensation and benefits function, many companies outsource this function to a payroll service provider or bookkeeper. Payroll professionals are usually placed in separate teams that handle the tactical process of creating payroll. The compensation team is able to focus on strategy and planning.
Every company wants its employees to thrive. This means giving them all the tools they need. These tools don’t have to be physical, such as laptops or job-related software. They can also include new employee orientation programs, leadership training programs and personal and professional development. The HR team is integrally involved in training and development, sometimes called learning and developing. The training team may be responsible for creating instructional programs that directly impact the success of the company depending on the role of an employee. Many colleges and universities today offer training and development degrees. An instructional design degree would be helpful.
Every company wants its workers to be safe. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA), which mandates employers to create a safe work environment, requires that they do so. HR has a large focus on safety training and keeping logs to record any fatalities or injuries that occur at work. This department also works closely with benefits specialists to manage Workers’ Compensation filings.
