What Does Human Resources Do?
Well, that is the loaded question of the day! If you ask us here at Flex HR, we say that we the Human Resources (HR) experts are the glue that holds an organization together. HR is responsible for managing the entire lifecycle of an employee – and covering everything in between such as recruitment, onboarding, benefits, training, payroll, etc. in order for the individual and company to successfully grow. HR is accountable for much more than just a business’s human capital. HR involves comprehensive functions such as HR back-office administration, strategic planning, organizational development, risk management, regulatory compliance, employee websites, and ethics hotlines to name a few.
Flex HR’s very own Founder and CHRO, Jim Cichanski was interviewed by People HR on the roles, responsibilities and risks associated with Human Resources. The article does a great job of summarizing their take on 6 major factors as to what HR does:
HUMAN RESOURCES IS…
- The Policy Maker
Policies and procedures are the key to an organization’s rules, regulations and laws. It’s important to keep these written documentations in an Employee Handbook. - The Strategic Link
HR is the key to linking company growth strategies while managing people simultaneously. HR understands both the needs of employees and that of management. - The Supportive Human Touch
Finding an actual human to discuss HR matters with is a key connection for the workforce. HR is responsible for assisting employees through their entire life cycle, supporting their needs and concerns. - A Risk Mitigator
“HR must be on top of constantly changing laws, while minimizing risk and ensuring compliance. HR can help mitigate possible liability risks for employers” Cichanski notes on the importance of risk mitigation. - An Expert in Resourcing and Logistics
Every day in HR is different, although the tasks seem to stay somewhat the same. HR experts are prepared to talk to various department heads, identify skill gaps, assess organizational needs, and find a way for these to all come together through the appropriate resources. - A Balanced Perspective of HR
HR is accountable for balancing out an employee’s well-being within a company as well as the important policies and procedures that employee must follow.
As you can see, Human Resources is a combination of many functions that all work together to create the backbone of a business. HR deals with many different areas of business, an umbrella term, making it quite complex to easily, and quickly answer “What is HR and what do they do?”
Our Flex HR specialists serve thousands of different organizations, in countless industries, varying from a few to over 75,000 employees.
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