An HR Job Description Deals with a Valuable Resource: People
Each company has its own unique culture. It encompasses the values, visions, ideals, norms,
working language, systems and habits of a group who work together. A good human resources
employee develops and manages their company's culture. They recruit new hires, maintain
benefits and payroll, mediate conflict and engage in training and development. Their role is at
the core of a company's success.
People choosing HR careers begin by earning an associate's degree or a certificate.
Graduates with bachelor's degrees may also be eligible for management positions. Those who
earn master's degrees in human relations can move on to work in directorial and senior-level
management roles. There are two options for earning a master's degree: the Master of Business
Administration with a concentration in human resources, and a human resource's master's degree.
HR professionals can choose to seek accreditation from the HR Certification Institute. This
designation and others like it show a commitment to excellence and ongoing growth in the field.
What do professionals in HR careers do?
Human resources specialists are responsible for recruiting, screening, interviewing and
placing workers. They may also handle employee relations, payroll, benefits, and training.
Human resources managers plan, direct and coordinate the administrative functions of an
organization. They oversee specialists in their duties; consult with executives on strategic
planning, and link a company's management with its employees.
HR specialists tend to focus on a single area, such as recruiting or training. HR
generalists handle a number of areas and tasks simultaneously. Small companies will typically
have one or two HR generalists on staff, while larger ones may have many devoted to particular
areas and services.
Some typical daily tasks for an HR worker include:
Consult with employers to identify needs and preferred qualifications
Interview applicants about their experience, education and skills
Contact references and perform background checks
Inform applicants about job details such as benefits and conditions
Hire or refer qualified candidates
Conduct new employee orientations
Process paperwork
HR managers will also:
Plan and coordinate the workforce to best use employees' talents
Resolve issues between management and employees
Advise managers on policies like equal employment opportunity and sexual harassment
Coordinate and supervise the work of specialists and staff
Oversee recruitment and hiring process
Direct disciplinary procedures
Gene
Background of Human Resource Roles
For a long time, Human Resources Management (HRM) has been viewed as a cost to
be minimized. This fit into the traditional view of HRM as a caretaker for the business.
Employees needed to be managed at (preferably) low cost. In line with this, HR was
seen as a potential source for efficiency gains (Becker & Gerhart, 1996).
This meant in practice that if companies were able to save time and money managing
their personnel, they would save money. There wasn’t much focus on the effectiveness
of HR.
But if you don’t see an HR department as something that adds value, why would you
focus on the value that it added?
In the late nineties, this idea started to change. Research indicated that HR decisions
could influence organizational performance. This research was done by assessing the
sophistication of the HR architecture and relating it to business performance.
The following figure, by Huselid and Becker (1995) shows this impact. As the HR
architecture becomes more sophisticated, the market value per employee increases.
Once we know that HR practices increase organizational performance, the next
performance? That’s what we will explore in the remainder of this article.
15 Key Human Resources roles by Becker & Gerhart.
The roles we are talking about here are so-called “high-performance work practices”. HR
adds value if these practices, or roles, are realized.
1. Hiring from within and from outside
Hiring is one of the key Human Resources roles. An important distinction is that
between hiring from outside vs. hiring from within. Through employee training and smart
succession planning, companies can create a so-called talent pipeline.
Internal hiring is preferred as it enables a company to fill jobs with internal talent that already knows the
company and is ready for a challenge. A lot of companies can improve their internal hiring practices. If
the right talent isn’t available internally, HR needs to hire external talent.
2. Attraction and selection
When hiring an external candidate, attracting and selecting the right people is crucial. It
is HR’s role to maintain a good selection ratio. The selection ratio is a recruitment metric
that refers to the number of hired candidates divided by the total number of candidates.
It is up to HR to make sure that sufficient candidates are attracted and eventually the
right people are hired.
Hiring the right people involves employment testing, another key Human Resources role.
3. Employment testing
Employment testing is the responsibility of HR to test how suitable candidates are for a job.
Although this is something that is often outsourced to professional testing-providers, the process should
be managed by HR.
While vendors will try to sell you all kinds of assessments (of course), scientific literature shows
that only a few are truly effective. These include IQ tests, work test, conscientiousness tests, the
structured interview, and assessment by colleagues.
You will find a brief overview of these measures below. For a full overview, check Schmidt & Hunter’s
1998 paper with a full overview of personnel measures.
4. Formal performance appraisal
Employees are tested to make sure that they will perform to the best of their ability in
their new role. Performance appraisal also called performance review or evaluation is a
method to evaluate the job performance of the employee. In most companies, this is an
annual or bi-annual event.
These appraisals facilitate communication between employee and manager, enhance
the employee’s focus, help in setting professional and personal goals, improves
performance, and help in determining training needs.
Although the performance appraisal cycle is something that a lot of employees and
managers are unhappy with, it still is a very effective tool to improve results when done
right.
Although it seems to be in fashion, getting rid of appraisals is not the solution. Increasingly, companies
are opting to go for more continuous feedback as an alternative, which may have some merit. However,
an official moment to review performance is still widely considered a best practice and one of the key
roles for HR.
5. Compensation and contingent pay
Fair compensation is a key Human Resource Management role. Work is not done for
free. Compensation that is seen as fair will motivate employees to do their best and to
stay with the company. In our article on HR best practices, we closely examine
contingent compensation.
6. Employee benefit management
Employees work for more than just pay. Creating the right benefits for employees is
crucial in retaining key talent.
We know from the literature that at a certain point extra pay doesn’t make employees
happier. However, the right benefits might. Common benefits are extra holidays, a
learning and development budget, extra paternity leave, a childcare budget, et cetera.
The easiest way to select the right benefits for your employees is to just ask them.
Some employees value learning and development, others look for extra pension plans,
and a third group may want company-organized childcare.
By accommodating these needs, HR can create tremendous value for individual
employees that leads to increased motivation, satisfaction, productivity, and retention.
HR Analytics for HR Business Partners
7. Promotion rules
In line with hiring from within, setting rules for promotion is also one of the
responsibilities of HR. Promotions are usually based on merit and/or seniority. They are
part of an effective succession planning and are a great way to retain top performers
who are eager to learn and develop themselves.
It is up to HR to put in place procedures that enable the internal movement of talent
through promotions. Promotions should not be handed purely based on current
performance but should also account for predicted future performance.
This is illustrated by the Peter Principle, which states that people tend to rise to their
“level of incompetence”. This relates to the idea that good performers will always be
promoted until they reach a function in which they stop being good performers. They
then have become incompetent in their new function and will be stuck there for the rest
of their career.
8. Problem-solving groups (also called quality circles)
These are groups of employees who are actively involved in problem-solving. Groups
are composed of volunteers that meet a few hours every week or two to look at
productivity and quality problems. These groups have a special type of leader or
facilitator.
9. Total Quality Management
A more structured approach to quality circles. Total Quality Management (TQM) is an
organization-wide effort to create a climate in which employees continuously improve
their ability to provide products and services that customers will find valuable.
10. Information sharing
HR has a central place in sharing information with employees. This can be via a simple
newsletter to keep everyone up to date with the latest. It also entails work safety
procedures, announcements of layoffs, mergers, or an acquisition, or any other
impactful event that is relevant for employees.
Clear, transparent, and timely information sharing is crucial in building and maintaining
support and successful organizational change.
Another key aspect of information sharing is internal knowledge sharing.
This is often referred to as know-how (experience), know-what (knowledge), and know-
who (finding the person to help solve the problem). These three elements are crucial to
solving problems quickly and effectively.
HR has a key role in facilitating this as well, especially in large organizations.
11. Job analysis and job design
Job analysis is about gathering and analyzing information about the content and
requirements of a job.
Whenever a new job is created (or when an old job opens up), the first step to hiring the
right person is to define what the ‘right person’ will look like. This is done in the job
analysis. The University of Nebraska has a great step-by-step guide on job analysis.
Job design is similar to job analysis.
Any job should have a variety of skills and tasks. In addition, a job should be significant
and the holder of the job should have a degree of autonomy.
Job design is related to job rotation, job enlargement (giving more responsibilities to the
employee), and job enrichment (increasing the employee’s autonomy over their work).
12. Job rotation
Job rotation is the practice of moving employees between different tasks. This promotes
experience and variety for employees and works well for all employees.
Job rotation can be a good method to retain employees who are at risk of leaving by
giving them new and challenging assignment’s that they haven’t done before through a
horizontal promotion.
For some employees, job rotations have traditionally been used as a way to keep
employees motivated and happy, and to broaden their knowledge.
13. Attitude survey
The annual engagement survey is one of the most recognizable HR efforts in an
organization. Surveying the attitudes of employees helps to understand where the
organization is at, what the attitudes of employees are, and how productivity can be
improved through better people management.
Measuring employee engagement isn’t easy. The link shows you a great step-by-step
overview of how to approach this challenge.
14. Grievance procedure
Grievance procedures have never been more relevant as shown by the Harvey
Weinstein scandal and the #metoo movement. HR has a crucial role in handling
grievance procedures.
In case of reported or suspected abuse, theft, misusing company funds or time, and
other unethical behavior, HR is in the lead to bring this to a solution.
Best practices are to have predefined structures in place, communicate everything in
writing, and, if possible, apply mediation to solve problems in an amicable way.
15. Conflict resolution
The final role of HR is conflict resolution. Spotting conflicts early on and resolving them
swiftly and effectively pays a tremendous dividend in the long term. Successfully
resolving conflicts is the final key responsibility of HR.
This overview with the 15 most commonly recognized Human Resources roles. When
managed well, these high performing work practices will lead to motivated employees
and superior organizational performance. This is what good Human Resource
Management is all about: creating organizational value through engaged employees.
It goes without saying that these HR roles should align with each other. It is hard to hire
the right people if you do not compensate them fairly. Or, you will run a big risk if you
have a grievance procedure but can’t effectively resolve conflicts.
The greatest value will be created by bundling these roles into a streamlined whole.
To create a better overview of these roles, we have included an infographic. It shows
the three categories of Human Resources Roles: Traditional HR responsibilities,
production optimization, and managing employee attitudes.
The 3 New Roles of the Human Resources Professional
Traditional HR is transforming and adding new critical roles
BY SUSAN M. HEATHFIELD
Updated December 06, 2019
Some industry commentators call the function of Human Resources the last bastion of
bureaucracy. Traditionally, the role of the Human Resource professional in many
organizations has been to serve as the systematizing, policing arm of executive
management.
Their role was more closely aligned with personnel and administration functions that
were viewed by the organization as paperwork. This is because the initial HR functions
needed, in many companies, came out of the administration or finance department
areas.
Because hiring employees, paying employees, and dealing with benefits were the
organization's first HR needs, bringing in finance or administration staff as HR staff is
not surprising.
Administrative Functions and Executive Agendas
In this role, the HR professional served executive agendas well but was frequently
viewed as a roadblock by much of the rest of the organization. Some need for this role
remains—you wouldn’t want every manager putting their own spin on a sexual
harassment policy, for example.
Nor can every manager interpret and implement the employee handbook as they
choose. Payroll and benefits need administration, even if they are now electronically
handled. The administrative functions of the HR department continue to need
management and implementation. These tasks are not going away anytime soon.
In this role, employees regarded HR as the enemy and going to HR was the kiss of
death for your ongoing relationship with your own manager. Employees believed and
were often correct, that the HR function was in place solely to serve the needs of
management. Thus, employee complaints often fell on deaf ears in an HR department
that existed to serve managers' needs.
They criticize everything from their education to their professionalism to their support for
employees. More importantly, they accuse HR professionals of misleading employees,
failing to keep employee information confidential, and exhibiting poor practices in areas
such as investigations, benefits options, and hiring employees.
In some cases, HR is held in such disrespect that you may want to understand why your
employees hate HR. Part of it is, of course, that employees don't always understand
what the HR department does.
Transformation of HR
If the HR function in your organization is not transforming itself to align with forward-
thinking practices, executive leadership must ask HR leaders some tough questions.
Today’s organizations cannot afford to have an HR department that fails to contribute to
lead modern thinking and contribute to enhancing company profitability.
In this environment, much of the HR role is transforming. The role of the HR manager,
director, or executive must parallel the needs of his or her changing organization.
Successful organizations are becoming more adaptive, resilient, quick to change
direction and customer-centered.
Three New Roles
Within this environment, the HR professional, who is considered necessary by
managers and executives, is a strategic partner, an employee sponsor or advocate and
a change mentor.
These roles were recommended and discussed in Human Resource Champions,
by Dr. Dave Ulrich, one of the best thinkers and writers in the HR field today, and
a professor at the University of Michigan.
The HR professionals who understand these roles are leading their organizations in
areas such as organization development, strategic utilization of employees to serve
business goals, and talent management and development.
Let’s take a look at each of these roles and their impact on HR functions and practices.
Strategic Partner
In today’s organizations, to guarantee their viability and ability to contribute, HR
managers need to think of themselves as strategic partners. In this role, the HR person
contributes to the development of and the accomplishment of the organization-wide
business plan and objectives.
The HR business objectives are established to support the attainment of the overall
strategic business plan and objectives. The tactical HR representative is deeply
knowledgeable about the design of work systems in which people succeed and
contribute.
This strategic partnership impacts HR services such as the design of work positions;
hiring; reward, recognition and strategic pay; performance development and appraisal
systems; career and succession planning; and employee development. When HR
professionals are aligned with the business, the personnel management component of
the organization is thought about as a strategic contributor to business success.
To become successful business partners, the HR staff members have to think like
business people, know finance and accounting and be accountable and responsible for
cost reductions and the measurement of all HR programs and processes.
It's not enough to ask for a seat at the executive table; HR people will have to prove that
they have the business savvy necessary to sit there.
Employee Advocate
As an employee sponsor or advocate, the HR manager plays an integral role in
organizational success via their knowledge about and advocacy of people. This
advocacy includes expertise in how to create a work environment in which people
will choose to be motivated, contributing, and happy.
Fostering effective methods of goal setting, communication and empowerment through
responsibility builds employee ownership of the organization. The HR professional helps
establish the organizational culture and climate in which people have the competency,
concern, and commitment to serve customers well.
In this role, the HR manager provides overall talent management strategies, employee
development opportunities, employee assistance programs, gain sharing and profit-
sharing strategies, organization development interventions, due process approaches
employee complaints and problem-solving, and regularly scheduled communication
opportunities.
Change Champion
The constant evaluation of the effectiveness of the organization results in the need for
the HR professional to frequently champion change. Both knowledge about and the
ability to execute successful change strategies make the HR professional exceptionally
valued. Knowing how to link change to the strategic needs of the organization will
minimize employee dissatisfaction and resistance to change.
Organization development, the overarching discipline for change
management strategies, gives the HR professional additional challenges. Consciously
helping to create the right organizational culture, monitoring employee satisfaction, and
measuring the results of organization initiatives fall here as well as in the role of
employee advocacy.
The HR professional contributes to the organization by constantly assessing the
effectiveness of the HR function. They also sponsor change in other departments and in
work practices.
To promote the overall success of their organization, they champion the identification of
the organizational mission, vision, values, goals and action plans. Finally, they help
determine the measures that will tell their organization how well it is succeeding in all of
this.
7 Responsibilities of HR Professionals
In the past, business leaders have often thought of human resource (HR) specialists as
the professionals that ensure that all staff members comply with organizational
policies. The role of the human resource specialists has also typically been associated
with administrative duties, such as gathering, filing and storing paperwork, and they
have traditionally worked in establishing and enforcing company regulations. In part,
this is because the human resource role frequently originated from administrative or
finance departments. This is logical, as responsibilities such as payroll, hiring and
benefits lie in the scope of those business units.
Today, the HR executive role is shifting to align with more forward-thinking
practices. Modern human resource executives must contribute ideas and lead
organizations in advancing corporate objectives. Additionally, HR executives must
grow and change in parallel with their respective organizations. This is especially
vital, as large enterprises grow nimbler and consumer-centric. The following 7
passages reveal a few of the relatively newer responsibilities of human resources
executives in the modern work environment.
1. Participate in Planning and Development
In the modern marketplace, human resource executives serve as strategic partners.
They participate in the identification, development and execution of corporate
objectives. In this capacity, HR executives align the work of their business unit to
achieve company goals. The participation in company planning allows human
resource leaders to gain a profound understanding of the organizational activities
needed to aid in the sustainable growth of the enterprise.
2. Provide Employees With Career Assistance
Periodically, human resource leaders conduct staff member evaluations. Today, HR
professionals take an active role in helping employees advance their careers. Instead
of simply grading employees on a checklist of performance points, modern human
resource specialists help workers identify areas for improvement and develop specific
action steps.
By helping employees with career development, modern HR professionals gain
deeper insight into available human capital and the availability of internal candidates
for potential role succession. This helps organizations gain a marked advantage in
filling future roles and meeting forthcoming market demands.
3. Find and Recruit Employees That Advance Company
Objectives
Today’s human resource executives do more than post ads and interview job
candidates to fill open positions. Modern HR executives formulate employer brands
designed to attract the right job candidates.
In this responsibility, human resource leaders work to promote their respective firms
as highly favorable workplaces. HR executives often earn this kind of accolade for
organizations by creating a positive culture and providing satisfactory compensation
and benefits as ways to attract ideal work candidates.
4. Serve as Leaders of Change
Modern human resource leaders frequently lead change initiatives for their
organizations. As a result, current HR executives yield strong project management
skills in their corporate toolboxes. The professionals are skilled at helping
organizational stakeholders make the connection between change initiatives and
strategic needs, minimizing change resistance and employee unrest.
Shaping organizational culture, managing staff member satisfaction and weighing the
success of change initiatives are all a part of the human resource professional’s scope
of responsibility in the modern workplace.
5. Advocate for Employees
While fulfilling their roles as employee advocates, HR executives play an integral part
in the success of organizations. In this regard, human resource professionals
contribute to building a work environment where employees feel satisfied and
motivated.
To promote this outcome, HR leaders deploy effective practices such as employee
empowerment, goal setting and open communication, resulting in a positive culture
that leads to the workforce delivering better consumer experiences.
6. Provide Support for Domestic Violence Victims
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) forecasts that domestic violence can affect 1
in 4 women and 1 in 7 men in the United States. The issue has grown so prevalent that
employers can no longer afford to think of domestic violence as a matter best left to
the local authorities. As a result, today’s HR professionals encourage those who’ve
experienced domestic violence to seek help in the workplace.
To encourage this, human resource professionals promote an organizational culture
where staff members do not feel intimidated or ashamed to approach to HR
employees with domestic violence concerns.
7. Ensure No Cyberbullying At Work
Traditionally, workplace intimidation took place solely in the office. Today, however,
the connectivity of the Internet extends the influence of bullies to victims’ personal
workstations and homes, an activity called cyberbullying. Employees and supervisors
know that this can happen in the workplace, yet dealing with office cyberbullying may
prove challenging. Despite this, contemporary human resource executives strive to
eliminate this kind of negative activity in the workplace.
Modern HR professionals are leaders in their organizations. The specialists sponsor
the organizational mission, vision, values and goals among staff members, and they
monitor and adjust organizational activities to ensure the success of various initiatives.
Human resource specialists contribute to enterprises by managing the most important
asset of any organization, the people who complete the daily tasks that result in
productive outcomes. Their work aids in the global success of their organizations.
Image licensed from Depositphotos.com
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/the-new-roles-of-the-human-resources-professional-
1918352
https://www.digitalhrtech.com/human-resources-roles/
https://www.allbusinessschools.com/human-resources/job-description/
https://gethppy.com/talent-management/7-responsibilities-of-hr-professionals
