Human resources, what exactly do you do? definition, responsibilities and identikit
From the smallest to the largest company, whatever the size of your business, human resources management is an essential function for the success and development of your organisation. In fact, it is a driving force in the implementation and management of the overall strategy in order to maintain success and achieve its goals.
What does human resources management do? What is its role and what fields of action characterise it? This article is dedicated to this key function for the success of a company and reviews the main activities of an HR department and an HR manager.
Definition of HR management
Human resource management (or HRM) is the set of systems put in place to organise, make good use of and develop human resources, i.e. the individuals working in an organisation.
While personnel administration focuses on purely administrative aspects, HRM is more comprehensive. It deals with the management and administration of everything concerning the company's personnel, whatever their profession or status.
This personnel management also includes listening, support and advice, which are essential to manage all employees within the company..
What is the role of human resources management?
The main role of human resources management is to ensure the sustainability and growth of the company by employing its employees intelligently. Its role is multifaceted, being at the same time strategic, social and administrative.
Human resources management includes precise key missions:
- to strengthen the company's strategy through the implementation of a human resources policy;
- to optimise the company's productivity on the basis of its human resources, working to promote their efficiency (including the development of skills, motivation, etc.); and
- managing and supporting change ;
- organising and administering personnel on a day-to-day basis (including payroll management, administrative tasks and compliance with legal obligations).
The trend in HRM is to give an increasing place to well-being in the workplace: employees increasingly demand a certain level of job satisfaction, meaning in their work, recognition and empowerment.
What are the activities of the HRM department?
Personnel administration
Personnel administration essentially involves administrative activities, such as
- leave and absence management
- time management,
- payroll management,
- management of the single personnel register, etc.
Between the management of employment contracts, medical examinations and social declarations, obligations related to the labour code or collective agreement, this part of human resources management requires a sound knowledge of regulatory and legislative aspects and constant updating of the latest changes in the law to ensure HR compliance.
The compensation policy, which affects both payroll and employee motivation, must be integrated into the strategic plans. Developed in line with what the competition offers, it enables the company to remain attractive and retain its talent.
Recruitment and integration
Recruitment is one of the decisive human resources activities that directly contributes to the company's performance. It consists of identifying the company's needs and finding talent that can meet them. From the definition of a job description to the selection of the right person, a well-structured recruitment process provides the company with the necessary efficiency.
In addition to staff acquisition, it is also about retaining talent, starting with finding the right motivational levers and organising their integration into the company.
The figure of the HR manager
The HR manager, i.e. the person in charge of human resources, is primarily responsible for the personnel search and selection process. After meeting with the company's top management, i.e. CEOs, directors and senior managers, the HR manager has to implement a recruitment strategy that enables the company's harmonious development and meets the need for new employees. For this reason, he/she personally takes care of the recruiting process or delegates the mission to selected recruiters, who are in charge of
- drafting and publishing job offers
- CV screening,
- assessment centres and job interviews.
The HR manager has to be able to manage the negotiation process on the points of the employment contract during the recruitment phase, especially with regard to the economic aspect. Indeed, he or she must be able to meet the salary requirements of the candidate selected for the role, while remaining within the budget range set by the company.
The HR Manager is in charge of human resources management, working in tandem with HR administrators and relying on HR management software. This means that the HR Manager is in charge of managing career advancement, resignation and dismissal practices, compensation policies (salary increases, grading, bonuses, benefits, etc.) and labour relations.
The HR Manager is also responsible for drawing up the company's staff development plan: he or she must manage training courses and activities with the aim of enriching and enhancing the knowledge capital of the company's employees. It is up to the HR Manager to check the overall performance of the company and the level of employee satisfaction through monitoring and evaluation systems on employee performance. Based on the analyses obtained, he or she may decide to move departments from one department to another or from one task to another where their level of productivity should be higher.
The activities performed by the HR Manager
The HR Manager is in charge of controlling and following up the following tasks:
- Managing the personnel recruiting and selection procedure
- Managing administrative and fiscal aspects related to the HR department
- Planning of activities concerning employee training and development
- Monitoring and evaluating employees' work and job performance
- Devising models and strategies to manage and improve the organisational chart
- Creating a sense of belonging of employees to the company through the development of a specific corporate culture
- Improvement of employee motivation and satisfaction rates to increase the well-being of human capital
- Managing and developing the HR department in collaboration and in line with the growth of other departments
How to become an HR Manager?
With regard to the required university education, an HR Manager must have a degree in business or law or humanities. It can be a considerable advantage to possess certificates attesting to participation in HR management and development courses.
When selecting an HR manager, apart from academic qualifications, the background of experience in human resources is also examined. A solid experience in this field can make the difference compared to other candidates, especially if it is in medium/large companies or HR consultancies.
The skills of an HR manager
An HR manager must have certain qualities and skills to do his or her job well:
- Have a precise knowledge of personnel evaluation techniques and be familiar with performance management processes
- be able to manage remuneration and incentive systems
- have a broad knowledge of contractual and labour laws and regulations
- be able to organise the planning of staff training and development processes
- have developed excellent interpersonal, listening and mediation skills
- show excellent organisational and decision-making skills
- show an aptitude for teamwork
- be able to work in a stressful and competitive environment that requires excellent problem solving skills
- be able to adapt quickly to change, showing a high degree of adaptability and flexibility
Article translated from Italian