HR tasks can divided into 3 categories - ANSCommon HR tasks
Less common HR tasks
Uncommon tasks for HR department
common HR tasks (typical) - ANS•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) - ANS•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 - ANS•Employee (talent) acquisition
•Employee support or maintenance (internal)
•Employee retention (external)
•Employee separation
Managers and HR intersection - ANS•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 - ANS•HR sets up procedures
•HR provides guidance
•HR routinely acquires and screens applicants
•HR usually processes documents for the selected applicant
, Benefits - ANS•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 - ANS•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 - ANS•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 - ANS•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 - ANS•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
Management style and approach - ANS•Reflects the background and experiences of individuals
as they rose to supervisory and managerial positions. Some traits of a good manager are based
in personality, BUT can also be learned and sharpened
•Reflects organizational culture in which they have worked
Expectations - ANS•Usually clear for line managers
•May be confusing for HR managers
•Individual expectations influence the responses that they anticipate receiving
Training - ANS•Line managers think selecting the "right" worker, usually based on experience is
key to a good hire
•HR managers tend to believe in potential for development of individuals
Participation - ANS•Line managers value results and tend not to delegate responsibility
•HR managers value process and training, therefore tend to delegate and create learning
opportunities
Control - ANS•Line managers tend to value organizational goals and objectives
•HR managers feel that the line approach stifles creativity and impedes learning and growth