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Latest 2026/27 Update
HR tasks can divided into 3 categories - ANSWERS Common HR tasks
Less common HR tasks
Uncommon tasks for HR department
common HR tasks (typical) - ANSWERS •Nearly universal HR tasks:
-Employment and recruitment
-Compensation and benefits administration (policy level more than logistics)
-Employee relations
Labor relations (unionized)
Less common HR tasks (frequent) - ANSWERS •Employee health and safety
(exceptions)
•Training and development (exceptions)
•Security
•Child care
•Award and recognition programs
•Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action
•** Risk management (malpractice)
•Executive compensation administration
,•Organizational development
•** Employee assistance (EAPs)
•** Outplacement services
•*** Payroll
** Subject to Outsourcing
Alternative perspective of HR - ANSWERS •Employee (talent) acquisition
•Employee support or maintenance (internal)
•Employee retention (external)
•Employee separation
Managers and HR intersection - ANSWERS •Most routine HR activities:
employee hiring, evaluation and discharge
•Employee compensation and benefits administration (manager's role)
•When HR provides basic information to managers, future interactions and
relations tend to be easier ("Communication good!")
Employment - ANSWERS •HR sets up procedures
•HR provides guidance
•HR routinely acquires and screens applicants
•HR usually processes documents for the selected applicant
Benefits - ANSWERS •Minimal to no role for departmental managers in
benefits administration
•Managers should have knowledge of basic policies
, •Such knowledge will save HR time and reduce employee frustration
Compensation - ANSWERS •Line managers should know basic organizational
policies and guidelines
•Managers should assist HR with writing or updating position descriptions
•HR should conduct wage and salary studies; deviations should be investigated
only after discussion with manager and permission has been granted
Employee Relations - ANSWERS •Line managers must know their limits and
boundaries before becoming involved in employee problems
•HR should help administer an employee appraisal program
•HR should coordinate discipline issues, but does NOT initiate them
Personnel records - ANSWERS •These must be maintained by HR and MUST be
secure (access must be restricted(
•The exception are informal brief notes about recent activities or issues
maintained by a supervisor
•These should be transferred to HR within a reasonable time (commonly each
year)
Staff Managers - ANSWERS •Tend to rise from the ranks of the people that
they supervise
•Begin with specific expertise
•As advance in an organization, employees supervised become diverse
•HR departments tend to be smaller, making supervision easier