What is the role of human resources?

For a company to run smoothly, it’s helpful for the HR department to cover the core responsibilities. As mentioned above, there is a lot for them to cover so we’ve compiled a list of the non-negotiable factors.

• Hiring and onboarding new employees: This can include training, welcome packs, ensuring that new-hire documents such as payroll information are signed and integrating the employee into the team.
• Payroll and benefits: Human resources will also be involved in ensuring that payroll is completed on time and correctly, as well as handling new and leaving employees pay information.
• Training and development: Whilst personal development and advice should come from a mentor or line manager, HR can be the central point for training courses and company‑wide initiatives to up-skill the business.
• Employee policies: Each company will have a set of policies and guidelines, such as working hours which should be in place to keep the business running smoothly and to protect the workforce. The HR department should monitor these to keep them in place and to ensure that they are being adhered to.
• Employee relations: HR departments can often be the link between directors and the workforce, so it is their role to keep that relationship healthy and solve problems in a timely and effective manner.

When do I need to hire an HR Representative?

Working out when you need to hire for an HR role can be a tricky question, with different sources offering different solutions. One study suggests that in companies with up to 250 employees, demand for those in HR roles is significantly higher with an average of 3.4 human resources employees per 100 full-time positions in the company. The ideal number differs according to the size of the company and the rate at which the business is growing. Some organisations use ratios such as 2 HR roles per 100 employees as a rough benchmark, though needs vary widely.

How to build out an HR team for the first time: Where to start and skills to look for

By the time you’ve grown your business and started taking on employees, it may be time to consider taking on an HR Generalist or HR Manager. Below, we’ve covered the main human resources roles, but here we’ve also covered some of the skills you should be looking for.

• Communication: Communication is key in HR roles as HR is the link between workforce and employer, acting as a voice for the employee and a representative for the employer.
• Administrative: Being an HR representative involves managing absence, filing, and payroll details. Staying on top of the day-to-day admin is key to a smooth operation and should be an area of strength for a potential candidate.
• HR Knowledge and expertise: Previous experience in an HR role is ideal and would form the basis of HR expertise. Education in the field, or supporting fields such as organisational psychology, would also be helpful. Having this knowledge to call on is invaluable as an employer.
• Coaching: A key element of HR responsibilities is coaching and training, so experience or a demonstration of these abilities is crucial to a high–performing HR representative and should be part of the interview process.
• Recruitment: Recruitment is a cornerstone of HR, so experience or knowledge of the selection process is imperative to the functioning of the department. To build a successful team, you need to have a robust recruitment process and the HR role within your company is central to that.
• Analysis and reporting: When operating as an HR generalist, it’s important to measure metrics such as recruitment, staff turnover and retention, engagement, and performance. Employing someone analytical to stay on top of this information will help paint a clearer picture in an employer’s mind of the health of the workforce.

What are the different functions in HR?

An HR department can be an one‑employee operation or can consist of a whole variety of human resources roles taking on a selection of HR responsibilities. If the company is small, consisting of 1‑10 employees, then there may only be one HR. Alternatively, in the case of a larger business consisting of over 10 employees, there may be a team made up of directors, managers, assistants, or generalists. We’ve tried to break down who’s who and which role you may need to hire for.

HR Director

An HR Director is typically a senior role, often filled by someone with several years’ experience and a relevant degree. An HR Director will manage a team of managers and assistants, overseeing the hiring process as well as training and policy roll out.

HR Manager

The HR Manager will communicate closely with the workforce, with this particular role taking on evaluating employee programmes, improving employee relations, reducing staff turnover , and ensuring that on‑boarding and training are carried out effectively. Some companies choose to bring in an HR Manager once they reach around 16–20 employees, depending on their structure and needs. 

HR Assistant

An HR Assistant will make up part of a wider human resources department, often under the guidance of an HR Manager. An HR Assistant will take on more administrative duties such as entering employment data into databases, assisting in the hiring process, tracking absences and holidays, and maintaining files. HR Assistants normally come in to play when the HR department is growing and the HR Manager needs support in the day‑to‑day running of the department.

HR Generalist

Recruiting an HR Generalist can often be the first step in building your HR team, along with the HR Manager. Generalists assist more closely than an assistant, with more knowledge and involvement in the organisation and running of the department such as recruitment and training. An HR Generalist will often have a degree in their field and over five years’ experience.