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Why and who in their right mind would want to work in Human Resources? Let’s be honest, most employees are afraid of HR because they think when they get called into the office, it’s trouble. Now sometimes…that IS the case however not always. In HR we are used to this…it is the HR ‘stigma’ if you will.
Click HERE if you are interested in the “proper” definition of Human Resources…enjoy it!
However, it’s more fun to tell it like it REALLY is…let’s look at the +positives+ of being in Human Resources. Where else can you hold a multitude of occupations?
The Eight Occupations of Human Resources
If you are new to human resources, the HR Admin role handles:
- the organization of employee files,
- office products,
- enters data
- maintains the employee database (HRIS)
- follow up on employees when they haven’t completed their onboarding tasks
- …and much more.
Many HR roles complete their own administrative duties but if the HR department is rather large, the HR admin role is a bonus for the rest of the team!
RECRUITER
The human resources department is responsible for hiring employees – all employees – that should count for something, right? In addition, HR is involved in the promotion process as well. I suppose I should also add we are involved in the demotion and firing too…BOO!
COUNSELOR: Why would you want to work in HR when you have the responsibility of counseling everyone? Employees, supervisors, managers, vice presidents, etc.? Seriously, if you wanted to do this, would you become a social worker psychologist? In HR, you counsel everyone on how to talk with others, see both points of view, look at the big picture, and advise on all different type of situations. In HR we call this ’employee relations’ (ER).
RISK MANAGER
It is important the business is up to date with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations to keep the company compliant. In addition, we are the keepers and communicators of the handbooks that speak policy and procedure. This allows the company to run smoothly. Let’s not forget about safety—many times an HR professional is on the Safety team as well.
While counseling employees, we help them to learn how to interact with each other. We also onboard new hires which includes:
- an employees’ introduction to the company,
- the computer systems needed for timekeeping,
- payroll,
- communication of a company’s policies & procedures,
- and all of the other fun rules and guidelines.
There is legal training that is necessary for all employees as well. If the company does not have a learner management system (LMS), HR is generally responsible for either facilitating training to employees or management on how to do so. The list goes on and on and on and gets larger the longer you are in the HR field.
INVESTIGATOR
Most companies have an ethics and compliance ‘hotline’ that employees can call anonymously to report concerns. Of course, in my past life, many employees call these hotlines because they do not like the culture or direction management is moving toward. Pure frustration. All of these hotline calls are heavily investigated, reported to senior management and the legal team (if the company has one). HR is also involved with he said/she said/they said situations where an investigation is also necessary.
Equal employment opportunity reporting (EEO), OSHA requirements/reporting, Affirmative Action Plans (AAP), Unemployment, various Department of Labor inquiries, Human Rights Division inquiries, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFFCP), immigration, E-Verify, lawsuits….this list goes on and on as well. I have a headache just thinking about all of these.
BUSINESS PARTNER
If lucky enough to get a seat at the table, HR partners with management when it comes to creating succession plans, merit planning, projects that involve people, new systems, relocation’s, reductions in workforce, budgets, etc.
Question for You
Are there any other occupations where you perform each of these roles, if not every single one of them? YIKES!
So Why work in HR? Personally, I ask myself that over and over again. Read here about how I entered the Human Resources field—-it’s funny and perhaps a bit lazy as well.
all the best, 🙟 Judean 🙟
I would love to hear your thoughts on this! Please comment below…
Are you in HR, what is your favorite role? Am I missing anything?
If you are not in HR, what about this surprised you? Anything?
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28 Comments
HR is a tough gig and quite the balancing act, for sure. It has to be hard to take the right actions without upsetting the wrong people.
Very much so!
HR is soooo much more than anyone realizes. I learned so much about it in my administration certification classes I took. I give all people who work in HR all the credit in the world! No idea how everyone keeps it all straight!
Thank you – it is a struggle many times but rewarding at times as well.
Very interesting! I give you a lot of credit for navigating some difficult waters as you sort through all the issues that come up. I’m sure that takes a lot of patience!
What a great post! Such a clear explanation of a difficult job! I learned a lot!
This is a great synopsis of these various positions! I used to do recruiting and I loved it!
This is a great explanation as to what HR actually do. Thanks for sharing.
HR is a busy job for sure.. when I worked in HR we also had to plan company events…award dinners, family picnics, etc… Try pleasing everyone will stress you out completely, (on top of all the other task that you list above!)
Great ‘breakdown’ of all the jobs people in HR actually do!
Thank you!
As a manager you have to do many of these things too. Then call HR in when it gets REAL. LOL.
Totally agree – hopefully the manager isn’t part of the problem and if yes – its a double whammy for HR. unfortunately – it happens!
I’ve been in a leadership role and organization for more than 30 years, so this is not new to me as we work closely with our HR department. What has been interesting is seeing how it has evolved over the years!
There is a direct correlation between time and people in my opinion and that is how things ‘evolve’.
Wow the world is getting interesting!
Always good to know who the players are in the game of “work”. Thanks for breaking this all down! Can’t wait to learn more!
HR have a lot of different things to do.
I’ve done HR before. It’s hard job!!! And a job with many hats.
I LOVE HR work! I think I might be strange though! LOL!
Not strange at all! I love helping people but when the going gets tough…its pretty rough.
Love this! seems line HR is something people don’t understand or it gets a bad rap, but this is helpful.
True, so true!
Interesting! I have always wondered the difference in some of these titles.
Great read! Looks like you wear a lot of different hats as HR!
I always thought about becoming a recruiter. It is more of a sales position which I can relate to, with goals and bonuses. At least that was how it was at the last company I worked for.
Recruiting is my least favorite because it feels like sales. To me, recruiting is difficult and can be repetitive in many aspects.
I can so relate to this. I’m from Cairns, Australia, but work in Papua New Guinea as a Corporate Services Manager in construction / Real Estate industry. Fancy tile for being in charge and doing everything, everything HR does Main role really to teach the locals how to do it. Number 1 requirement – huge amount of patience and a sense of humour. And boy, so many funny stories to tell! Really looking forward to reading your next posts.
Hi Harriet! Please bear with me as this is a true work in progress. I will be changing things around a bit but my stories will be fun and at times unbelievable! Thank you for following!