human resources manager task and responsibilities

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The 10 essential roles of an hr manager in today’s workplace.

In the 21st century, the role of HR manager has become ever more pivotal in driving organizational success. This, in fact, is on account of the ever-evolving work environment. For instance, from talent management to compliance, employee satisfaction to diversity and inclusion, HR managers are, without a doubt, responsible for everything required to build a thriving work environment. What’s noteworthy is that the ever-evolving HR field calls for constant upgradation of skills. Furthermore, with an 11% rise in HR and administrative roles in July last year, these roles are in high demand even today.

In this blog, then, we explore the top 10 roles and responsibilities of a successful HR manager and see what other traits one needs to succeed in the field.

What are the 10 Key Responsibilities of an HR Manager?

Hiring and Recruitment

As an HR manager, the role is crucial in creating effective hiring and recruitment processes. As a matter of fact, this is necessary to ensure the success of the organization. Most importantly, these responsibilities extend beyond administrative tasks. The HR manager, therefore, plays a strategic role in acquiring the right talent that is essential to build a strong company.

Create Compelling Job Descriptions

Needless to say, this entails clearly outlining the responsibilities, qualifications, and expectations for each role within the organization. In essence, this helps in attracting suitable candidates who suit the organization’s culture and requirements.

Design Effective Onboarding and Training Programs

Design comprehensive onboarding programs and facilitate training and development initiatives to ensure that the new hires feel welcome and supported. Furthermore, this also helps them to get better equipped to transition into their new roles smoothly.

Strategic Talent Management

The role of HR manager also calls for implementing strategic talent management practices. This includes identifying high-potential employees, creating development opportunities, and implementing succession planning. Moreover, by nurturing and retaining top talent, HR managers can ensure a strong and capable workforce. Again, this contributes to the long-term success of the organization.

Develop Employee Retention Strategies

Another requisite is that one must focus on implementing initiatives to improve employee satisfaction and engagement. In short, this necessitates creating strategies for higher retention rates. Furthermore, this involves conducting exit interviews, analyzing employee feedback, and proactively addressing any issues or concerns raised by employees.

ALSO READ: Employee Retention Strategy: Meaning and Benefits

Manage Compensation and Benefits

HR managers are responsible for implementing competitive compensation and benefits packages to attract and retain talented employees. Therefore, one needs to stay up-to-date on the market trends. Moreover, HR managers need to benchmark salaries to ensure employees are fairly compensated for their skills and contributions.

Streamline Event Planning and Scheduling

Organizing job fairs to attract potential talent is a crucial aspect of the recruitment process. Simply put, the role of HR manager is vital for ensuring the hiring processes run smoothly and efficiently. Equally important is providing a positive experience to the candidates. This, in turn, helps drive successful hiring outcomes.

Ensure Compliance With Rules and Regulations

An HR manager should ensure the organization complies with employment laws, internal policies, and industry standards. In addition, they also need to promote a fair and respectful work culture. This further contributes to the overall growth of the organization.

ALSO READ: What is Compensation Management: Definition & Examples

Facilitate Performance Reviews

Performance reviews are essential for providing feedback, setting goals, and building a future roadmap for employees. Therefore, HR managers must facilitate the performance review process and help employees if they face any challenges during the same.

 Setting an Ideal Work Culture

The role of HR manager is significant in shaping and maintaining an ideal work culture within the organization. Hence, they need to actively promote a positive work culture by implementing rewards and recognition programs. In brief, cultivate a culture that values diversity and inclusion. Moreover, encourage open communication and respect. Create an environment where employees can thrive and contribute their best. Furthermore, regularly assess and refine the work culture to ensure it aligns with the organization’s overall mission and vision. This will definitely attract top talent and enhance employee satisfaction and retention.

The Role of HR Managers in Contributing to Employee Satisfaction and Retention

Work Environment

The role of HR manager is vital in creating a positive work culture and fostering an environment of respect, including diversity and inclusion.

Employee Lifecycle Management

Ensure strategic recruitment and effective onboarding, provide training and development plans, and facilitate seamless performance management processes.

Hiring and Onboarding

Hire new talent who align with the organization’s overall values, and support them to settle in their roles.

Engagement and Retention

Enhance job satisfaction and retention by investing in employee growth. Moreover, offer timely feedback

What Skills and Qualities are Necessary to be Successful in the Role of HR Manager?

Firstly, a successful HR manager must possess a combination of strong and effective communication skills, strategic thinking, and problem-solving abilities to support the overall business strategy. Secondly, HR managers should be empathetic and emotionally intelligent to understand and connect with the employees on a deeper level. As a matter of fact, this helps in building strong relationships with them. Thirdly and most importantly, they must also possess strong leadership skills and ethics to manage a team of other HR professionals.

ALSO READ: 5 Things That the Human Resource Management Team Does to Drive Growth

How Can HR Managers Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace?

In essence, HR managers can promote diversity and inclusion by creating and implementing inclusive policies. This includes fostering diverse hiring and recruitment and conducting diversity training. Additionally, they can organize cultural events, encourage open communication, and regularly assess the progress made toward achieving diversity goals.

What are Some Best Practices for HR Managers in the 21st Century?

Technology plays a crucial part in every aspect of business today. Thus, HR managers must be able to:

• Embrace technology and develop future-ready skills
• Prioritize employee experience
• Promote and foster diversity and inclusion
• Foster collaboration and communication
• Prioritize employee well-being
• Collaborate with leadership to align HR strategies with overall organizational goals

To sum up, these practices will enable HR managers to adapt to the evolving work environment and drive the growth and success of the organization.

Upskill With Emeritus

Given the vast scope of the field, aspiring HR professionals can go a long way in this space. And with Emeritus India’s high-impact HR courses , they can learn and hone their skill set and acquire future-ready skills befitting the role of HR manager. They further offer high-in-demand courses in association with renowned institutes to make stellar education accessible globally.

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Human Resources (HR) Manager Job Description

Quick job search.

• Work from home

As a Human Resources (HR) Manager you will be the first point of contact for all HR communications, leading the HR team to ensure that all day-to-day duties and responsibilities are proactively undertaken and that all relevant professional standards are met.

Being an HR Manager  

This role includes various senior responsibilities towards coaching, mentoring and supporting staff members and HR Managers are required in almost all sectors and industries. It can be a varied and rewarding role with duties centring on leading the HR department processes and managing a variety of HR policies, procedures and practices within the company.  

You will be expected to manage the team responsible for implementing HR processes with efficiency, while ensuring employment regulations, professional standards, policies and procedures and legislations are all in place. Your open approach will be an active representation of the company values, setting and reinforcing the standard for positive behaviours at all levels.   

You will need to be passionate supporting all employees, building strong relationships and representing the staff perspective in decision-making processes conducted at management and executive level. It is also expected that you will lead your team by example, displaying your adaptability to change and willingness to embrace new ideas and processes.  

HR Manager is a great role in which to apply your technical knowledge and experience, to ensure procedural excellence relating to human resources, employee relations, compliance, staffing, training, culture, and much more. 

HR functions have recently undergone a huge adjustment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Strategic business changes were needed, and new technology systems and remote working tools were introduced. Priorities, projects, budgets and headcounts were reviewed, and furlough schemes began.  HR Manager roles have shifted and changes to teams and recruiting processes will potentially have been revised to accommodate the business focus and priorities. 

Is an HR Manager job a good fit for you?

This is the perfect fit for you if you want to get more from your career and ensure that others get more from theirs.  

If you have been working in HR for at least 3 years and also have a year’s experience as a Manager or Team Leader, now could be the time for you to take the next step in your HR career, embracing the opportunity to apply Employment Law, HR policy, best practice and workforce development as HR Manager.  

You will need to be an experienced HR professional with the abilities and skills to manage the HR business unit, functions and staff. You will also need to have a good working knowledge of Employee Relations (ER) and employee experience. Experience in diversity and inclusion, learning and development, organisation development and design are essential. It is also beneficial to understand people analytics, resourcing, reward and talent management. Finally, you will require an understanding of Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) and Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS). 

It is worth obtaining a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) at Associate or Chartered Member Level. To become a member, click here .   

Your day-to-day duties as an HR Manager will include:  

• Manage all core HR departmental areas, including payroll, employee relations, HR admin, learning and development, internal recruitment, employee engagement, and maintaining and improving HR systems. 
• Provide advice and direction where needed to the HR team on work priorities, budget and staff resources, strategic, policy, organisation and staff management issues.
• Current regulation compliance, including accepted professional standards, policies and procedures and legislation (including legislation on data protection, the Equality Act and health and safety).  
• Manage the implementation of employment policies. 
• Ensure employment law, HR policy, best practice and workforce development are applied.
• Ensure the onboarding process is handled in a professional manner to expedite the settling in period.
• Manage the execution of the HR Strategy to ensure achievement of the objectives.
• Support HR staff to ensure that all relevant professional standards are met. 
• Continuously improve engagement and welfare activities, maximising productivity, devolving HR responsibilities to line managers and building leadership capability.  Identify HR trends so that attention can be directed to key issues and resources.
• Identify staffing needs and manage the creation of job descriptions and handbooks.
• Develop and implement management talent planning.
• Develop the organisational structure to support future growth, using best practice principles. 
• Manage the company’s employee programmes, staff benefits and packages. 
• Control the performance review programme to deliver continuous employee development. 
• Regularly coach, mentor, and support colleagues to identify individual strengths and development needs
• Ensure employee training requirements are well managed and monitored. 
• Manage the training and development plans and ensure they are of a high standard. 
• Conduct annual remuneration and benefit surveys and reviews. 
• Determine relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for incentive schemes.
• Manage the diversity, equality, and inclusion values and practices within the company.
• Enabled all team members to access appropriate guidance and information to manage their workload.
• Ensure the offboarding process is handled in a professional manner to ensure everyone is consistently treated fairly.
• Manage the allocation of HR budgets.
• Ensure internal HR communications, including any issues, initiatives and programmes are well planned, coordinated, relevant, timely and adhere to the company’s values. 
• Make sure that company values and approach are utilised to strengthen the organisational culture.
• Demonstrate the company values, championing the leadership behaviour framework. 
• Demonstrate a high-performance ethic with a focus on successful outcomes. 
• Develop and maintain effective relationships to encourage retention and ensure the team perspective is fully represented in decision making. 

Are you a good fit for an HR Manager job?  

To succeed as an HR Manager, you will need to draw on a range of skills and knowledge, while showing your personable nature, positive attitude and proactive leadership techniques.

Essential capabilities required: 

• Working knowledge of employment regulations.
• Good working knowledge and understanding of regulations, accepted professional standards, policies and procedures and legislation (including legislation on data protection, the Equality Act and health and safety). 
• Excellent understanding of HR practices. 
• The ability to manage the implementation of effective employment policies. 
• Good understanding and technical abilities within all HR departmental areas including recruitment, employee relations, workforce administration, employee engagement, payroll, reward and recognition, welfare, learning and development and HR systems.
• A confident leader with experience in leading a team.
• The ability to develop strong working relationships and drive collaboration.
• The ability to accept and provide feedback, be challenged on your advice and work well under pressure.
• The ability to assert your opinion and ideas with confidence. 
• The ability to understand HR statistical reports.
• Experience in monitoring and driving KPIs.
• The capacity to make quick but rational decisions. The ability to think innovatively and rationally about decisions and come up with creative solutions. 

Qualifications, Licences and Certifications

The essential qualifications required to become HR Manager include: 

• A bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management, Psychology, or a business-related subject.  
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a HR role.
• Minimum 1 year’s experience in a management role. 
• Fluent level of English, both spoken and written. 

 In addition, employers will be looking for: 

• Strategic thinking abilities.
• Commercial acumen. 
• Strong organisational skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. 
• Proactive, agile work ethic.
• Experience of managing a skilled team.  
• Leads with integrity, an inspiring role model and encouraging collaboration. 
• Knowledge of Employment Law. 
• Experience of using metrics for driving performance. 
• Thorough and methodical attention to detail.
• Confidence to use your initiative.
• Excellent presentation skills.
• Good time management skills and the ability to prioritise.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Problem-solving skills and initiative. 
• Positive and approachable manner.
• Adaptable to change and possess a willingness to embrace new ideas and processes.
• Commitment to continual personal development. 
• Proficient I.T. skills.  

Where can an HR Manager job take you? 

An HR Manager with a variety of applicable industry knowledge is well recognised and sought after across many industries.  

After working as an HR Manager for 3 years and gaining Accreditation from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), or a bachelor's degree in Human Resources Management, Psychology, or a Business-related subject, your next step could be Head of HR  

Next steps  

Visit our HR Jobs area for new opportunities. 

For more information you can click here for Careers Advice, or to review our recruitment process click here .    

You can keep up to date with industry news and advice by visiting our blog or visit our LinkedIn page.  

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What are the tasks of an HR manager?

The digitisation of today’s job market and work environments

Not only is the ongoing digitisation of everyday and personal activities a presence in our daily lives – digitisation also penetrated the world of business quite some time ago and is no longer limited to global conglomerates. Even to small and medium-sized companies, the so-called Industry 4.0 offers an increasing number of opportunities and options.

However, how does this affect parts of the working world that are associated with human attributes such as people skills, intercultural awareness or basic social competency – the field of human resources management?

As evident from the “HR Strategy & Organisation 2017” study conducted by the German Human Resource Management Association (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Personalführung e.V.) in cooperation with a human resources and management consulting firm in 2017, the digitisation of human resources management is still not a permanent fixture in the HR strategy of 80% of the more than 300 human resources managers interviewed.

What is the reason for this?

Is it necessary or actually even possible to digitise these departments?

The top 10 responsibilities of an HR manager

Many small and medium-sized companies have reservations about the digitisation of the human resources management departments. The question is, what are the exact assignments an HR manager is required to handle that should possibly be digitised?

We have compiled an overview of the 10 most important responsibilities of an HR manager for you below:

• Manpower requirements budget : The current headcount is reconciled with the manpower forecast and if there is a discrepancy, it is used as the foundation for staff increase or decrease decisions.
• Staff recruitment : The procurement of manpower required by the company based on qualitative, quantitative, timing and geographic aspect.
• Staff assignment : The work to be done is allocated to employees based on quantitative and qualitative aspects.
• Staff development : Supporting employees in their professional and personal development efforts is an increasingly important part of staff management and also makes a significant contribution to the long-term loyalty of top performers and competency holders vis-à-vis the company.
• Release of employees : In most cases, this term refers to individual staff decisions aiming at the termination of employment relationships. Prior to terminating the employee, the search for an alternative assignment for the staff member may have to be considered.

All of the tasks listed above ensure that the perfect number of staff members with the proper qualifications and know-how are at the right place within the company at the right time.

Other important duties human resources experts are directly responsible for include:

• Payroll management: Determination of wages or salaries that are fair for both parties based on the work the employees perform. In addition, bonuses for achievements or capital stakes as well as benefits have to be taken into account.
• People management: In most cases, human resource management handles only part of these responsibilities. These tasks are, for the most part, information related obligations, for instance frequently the management of time records and absence logs.
• Human resources support : This diverse discipline comprises, for instance, provisions related to the General Equal Opportunity Act, reintegration meetings with returning employees and management of their reintegration, onboarding process and offboarding or support after mobbing incidents.

These three disciplines aim at maintaining and, if necessary, boosting the performance, motivation and morale among employees.

The following are also part of the responsibilities of an HR Manager:

• Employee evaluations: Staff members frequently need letters of recommendation, interim letters of recommendation or exit evaluation letters. The required information is provided by the executives in the company and compiled as requested by HR Managers.
• Human resources administration : The initial set-up and updating of personnel files as well as administrative activities, such as payroll management, are among the ongoing responsibilities of people management.

The latter two HR management responsibilities require the processing of larger data volumes in a specifically created or dedicated HRIS .

HR software: A practical complement to HR management – or more work for your HR managers?

People are an important – ideally – the most important resource for a company. Hence, the responsibility of HR management is nothing less than administer, supporting, motivating and satisfying this resource.

This task should not be underestimated – neither in terms of the key role it plays, nor as far as the time investment it requires are concerned.

It is in the interest of every company to ideally equip and support his human resources management.

This can be achieved by choosing a carefully selected HRIS .

It cannot and should not be a substitute for any of the above responsibilities; however, good software can save a significant amount of time. Ideally, it can handle some assignments automatically.

An interview with a job candidate should never be conducted without an HR manager, department head or team leader. Nevertheless, it is possible to reduce the time spent on administrative tasks considerably, which will free up HR managers to dedicate the time saved to other tasks.

kiwiHR was designed to assist HR management with much of its work and to save time. Reap its benefits as you handle important matters thansk to absence management software , the creation of employee database , or the management of important appointments or deadlines from our simple user interface.

kiwiHR is a software available for any end device at a budget price.

You will find all employee information in a single HR system , without ever having to create a single Excel file or searching through your archive. kiwiHR will help you take the first step towards the digitisation of your people management by allowing you to automate and optimise part of your payroll, staff management and employee support as well as human resources administration processes, which will have a direct impact on employee evaluations.

It is our mission to digitise small and medium-sized companies’ people management with an affordable tool – kiwiHR. Usability and the facilitation of your human resources management processes are our top priorities.

Try kiwiHR completely free of charge for 14 days and find out first hand that an online HR software solution is exactly the support tool your human resources management needs – the one you’ve been hoping to find.

If you should have any questions – please send us a message at [email protected] – we are looking forward to hearing from you!

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