An Overview of the Relationship Between Human Resources and Other Departments

The relationship between the Human Resource and other departments within a company can be traced back to the 1920s when the factory workers' welfare came into question.

What Is the Human Resources Department?

The Human Resource Department, or HR, ensures the employees are managed properly and are cooperating with management and vice versa.

This department is also responsible for implementing the HR strategy and ensuring that the employees are given the proper compensation for their work while maintaining the company's mission, vision, culture, and values.

The Key Responsibilities of the HR Department

Even small businesses have an HR Department to make sure the company runs well. After all, it is a key task of any company to make sure staffing and employee relations are well-built. But what exactly are the responsibilities of HR personnel?

Main HR Duties

The National Cash Register Company was the first one that established its HR company after many strikes and lockouts. From then on, HR has been assigned to take care of the recruitment, hiring, compensating, and firing of employees.

Recruitment

The HR department must have a recruitment process to evaluate the company's job positions and their significance. One of the most important duties of the HR department is putting together a job description.

A Brief Job Description Template

One of the HR roles is to analyze and write job descriptions. It's then sent to the other company officials to be approved. A common job description includes the following:

• Title;
• Duties and Key Responsibilities;
• Qualifications;
• Compensations;
• Benefits.

Hiring

Locating and talking to great candidates while keeping the company's goal in mind is another HR department's obligation. The HR must have an effective hiring process that is not limited to looking at the applicants' LinkedIn profiles. An HR professional is also involved in interviews, background checks, and negotiation with the compensation and benefits.

The department must ensure that the potential employees have the skills befitting that of the position using metrics when comparing them to other candidates.

After hiring, another HR function is to take care of the onboarding process of the new hires. This includes helping the new hire with the required paperwork and work schedule, so the new employees are officially recorded in the company's files.

Compensation

Dealing with employee benefits, such as paid vacations and healthcare, is one of the most important tasks of HR professionals as it helps to ensure the workers' well-being.

Employees must be properly compensated for their skills and abilities. Besides, the benefits they receive should be adequate and on time. Such benefits help to have high employee retention and are a part of a good human resources management team's work.

HR is also associated with labor relations, answers any employees' concerns on their working relationship, and continuously looks for ways to raise employee satisfaction.

Training

Employee training is organized by the HR staff for improved efficiency and productivity of the employees at the workplace and to enhance organizational culture.

People involved in HR are concerned with the employees' competencies, making sure they have updated certifications and licenses and have regular performance appraisals to ascertain that they are still right for their positions.

HR personnel also uses corporate processes such as performance management tools to evaluate the employees' performance to make sure the quality of work is acceptable.

Firing

When there are complaints regarding an employee about work or conduct, it's HR's responsibility to investigate the complaint and take proper actions. Typically, firing is the last resort. However, some reasons for immediate firing include:

• Misconducts such as sexual harassment or violating the social media policy;
• Stealing from the company including using work hours for activities that are unrelated to the job task;
• Falsifying company records;
• Disrupting or wasting time at work;
• Tardiness or overall inefficacy to perform;
• Drug or alcohol possession at work.

The HR may conduct exit interviews and must see to the delivery of the employee's last paycheck.

The HR may outsource the following tasks:

• Payroll administration;
• Benefits administration;
• Coaching.

Different Roles Within the HR Department

Here is the complete list of every position in the HR Department. Each company's titles may differ, and some positions may have overlapping responsibilities. This will all depend on the organization's internal policy.

About the Human Resources Manager

The HR Manager (HRM) usually leads the department and is assisted by lower-level HR staff. HRMs make most of the critical decisions that affect both the recruitment and dismissal of employees and are often described as generalists because they're skilled in many areas.

One needs to have at least a bachelor's degree to become an HR manager. Further qualifications include Professional in Human Resources (PHR) Certification to prove mastery of operational and HR management.

How Does the HR Interact with Other Departments?

A company becomes successful when it has employee engagement and all of its departments work in harmony. As the HRs are primarily concerned about the company's most important asset, its human capital, they must know how to collaborate and connect with the other departments well.

HR and the Marketing, Sales, and Customer Support Departments

The HR must hire the appropriate people with skills that the marketing, sales, and customer support departments will be able to utilize to answer the clients' questions and requests while improving the company's image.

The HR must pick candidates that best represent and understand the company's vision and culture as these departments directly connect with the consumers of the company's products or services.

HR and the Accounting and Finance Department

With HR ensuring that each employee gets the compensation and benefits they deserve, any costs - such as any training expenses or recruitment or hiring fees - must be coordinated with the Accounting and Finance Department for proper accounting and reporting.

HR and the Research and Development Department

When new positions are created for a new department or new responsibilities that stem from the R&D team, the HR personnel must know the specific requirements and objectives, so they can search and hire fitting candidates.

HR and the Administrative or Management Department

Perhaps the closest department to HR, the Administrative Department, takes care of the decision-making, planning, and financial review of the business. The HR must work closely with the company's administration to disseminate correct information and implement policies to create the best work environment for the employees.

HR and the Legal Department

The Legal Department oversees any legal issues that affect the company and its departments. It closely works with the HRs regarding employee assistance and training manuals. Thus, the alliance of these two departments ensures that everyone in the company is aware and updated of the laws inside and outside the workplace.

Summary

The HR department is crucial for any organization, from small businesses to large-scale corporations. In one way or another, HR is involved in every department in the company. This is because all employees are always connected to HR from the day they were hired. As long as the department uses manpower, the HR needs to be linked to that department to take care of the workers.