Many people know and understand that every business should have an HR person, but they don’t know what HR responsibilities and duties in a company are. HR is an essential part of every company that keeps the business running. They are responsible for making sure everyone feels comfortable among many other things. 

The term “HR” has evolved over the years. Stereotypically, human resources workers are depicted as stick in the mud people who out to get you in trouble for not following company policy. This is a common misconception perpetuated by television. HR is much more than that and more important than that.

Below are some HR responsibilities and duties in a company. 

5 HR Responsibilities and Duties In a Company

Recruit Candidates

It’s an HR workers responsibility to understand the company’s values and culture and hire the right candidates accordingly.  Recruiting new employees is a large part of what keeps the company running and a great responsibility. Choosing the wrong candidates could be detrimental to company culture and the business itself, which is why HR workers have to be incredibly diligent. It’s also important that the job position HR is recruiting for looks appealing to candidates and is an accurate representation of the job and company. 

Process Payroll

Payroll is a necessary task for any business. Employees can get frustrated when they aren’t paid on time. One of HR’s most important responsibilities is to process payroll. This is typically a weekly, or bi-weekly task that must be completed.For larger companies there are probably several people who work on this and have many automated processes. For smaller businesses, it may be more difficult to learn how to set up payroll. Processing payroll can be very stressful because you have to make sure the proper taxes are deducted for each employee. Canal HR’s payroll services make this recurring task a breeze. 

Update Policies

As time goes on, things that worked well in the past may not work anymore. HR is responsible for reviewing policies, at least yearly, to make sure they still align with business values and are inclusive. It is HR’s duty to create and enforce the proper boundaries within a company and be objective if a problem should arise. Sometimes a policy has to be created as a reaction to an occurance. It’s important to be flexible when creating and updating new policies and understand that it may have to change in a few months or years. When updating policies it’s also important that you inform all employees about what policy is being updated and when it will go into effect. 

Advocate For Employees

Updating policies goes hand in hand with advocating for employees. Unfortunately, there may be a time when an employee is not getting the respect they deserve and it’s HR’s responsibility to advocate for that employee. Employees should feel satisfied and motivated to do their work well, and that can’t happen if there’s harassment or other problems impeding their work. When you advocate for your employees, they are likely to feel safe and supported at work. It also shows that behavior that doesn’t follow the rules will not be tolerated. Additionally, sometimes advocating for your employees goes beyond the workplace. Employees should feel welcome to speak to HR if they are having problems.

Employee Benefits Management

Employees likely have many benefits such as paid time off, health insurance, life insurance, retirement benefits, etc. Getting paid a lot of money is not always the best incentive to retain employees but the right combination of benefits may help. If you run a small business you’ll need to figure out how long your employees should have vacation time. This may differ from large businesses because there aren’t as many employees. 

Paying for insurance out of your own pocket can be a hassle and costly. Being able to pay for insurance through your job is incredibly convenient and a great way to keep employees happy. If your business offers several benefits and each employee is allowed to choose their own, then it is HR’s responsibility to keep up with which employee has which benefit. Giving employees the proper support and benefits is a great way to decrease employee turnover and keep employees satisfied.

Canal HR: The HR Company You Can Trust 

Canal HR knows and understands the necessary HR responsibilities and duties in a company. Payroll management, workers compensation, and human resources compliance are just a few areas of expertise we specialize in. Every business needs human resources, no matter how big or small it is. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you and your employees.