The HR department is often the unsung heroes of business. They take care of a lot of things within a company, and even if you don’t deal with them daily, it’s their hard work that creates a safe working environment for you. They are the ones to introduce you to your new role and make sure you get settled in properly or carry out your exit interviews if you decide to leave for opportunities elsewhere, asking if there are ways that you think the company could improve. They provide support when you’re sick and need time away from the office to recover or need to alter your working hours to something more flexible due to a change in your circumstances. Yes, the HR department does a lot within a company, but there are four of the main things that they do well.
1. Payroll
Every employee deserves to get paid on time and in full for their hard work, but it is HR that manages the payroll within a company. They make sure any annual leave taken during that period is factored in and recorded properly, or if an employee is to receive a bonus, it’s also HR that makes sure that it is included in the pay-check. If there are any issues with an employee’s pay, HR can do what they can to resolve the problem as soon as possible and make sure that that employee gets the money that is owed to them.
2. Timesheets and Expenses
Another thing that your HR department manages daily is all employee timesheets and any employee expenses that need to be covered. This includes things like taking clients out to lunch, purchasing materials, or ordering food for meetings. Just like managing payroll, inputting this data manually can be very time-consuming, which is why you should always invest in time and expense software that your HR department can use to make this task easier.
3. Employee Training
All members of staff need to feel comfortable in their roles, and having quality training to prepare them for their duties is part of easing them into the company and providing them with the right knowledge to excel. HR will take care of curating training programs for new employees, as well as carrying out refresher training sessions to make sure each employee is up-to-date, especially if there have been some changes. They will also be there to discuss with individual employees about other development opportunities to help them progress up the career ladder and can arrange this for them.
4. Conflict Resolution
The HR department covers a lot of administrative work, but they are also there to make sure that the company is a safe place for all employees. However, there will be times where colleagues will have conflicts, or an employee might have a grievance about their manager. If these things can’t be resolved between the two parties themselves, HR will step in to handle the situation and come up with a solution. They are also there to protect the company by making sure they follow strict codes of conduct and by staying up-to-date with employment laws.
Your HR department does a lot of hard work to keep your company safe and employees happy, so they deserve your respect and should be rewarded for this.
