What is human resource management?
Human resource management (HRM) refers to the implementation of a company’s internal strategy, from hiring aims to employee wellbeing checks.
HRM also refers to the tasks that HR staff undertake as part of this strategy. Such tasks include:
- Employee payroll
- Employee benefits
- Annual leave
- Job training and development
- Internal recruitment
- Business succession planning
Employee payroll
One of the main duties of an HR professional is to handle payroll.
Employees want to be paid in full and on time, and HR is responsible for ensuring that is the case.
The compensation you offer employees needs to be satisfactory for them to be happy and fulfilled at the office.
You need to pay amounts that your company can afford and that are in line with their goals, but also figures that are attractive enough to bring in some talented workers.
Employee benefits
The benefits you offer are another thing that HR is tasked with handling.
They need to work to ensure a benefits package is both fair and acceptable for the company and the employees.
These people may also need to work directly with healthcare providers to negotiate plans.
Of course, there are other benefits HR professionals need to think about outside of healthcare.
What should be included in a benefits package?
- Paid time off
- Maternity/Paternity leave
- Wellness programmes
- Training schemes
- Gym memberships
- Company events/holidays
- Commission/bonus packages
- Private healthcare packages
- Employee discounts
- Remote/flexible working options
HR professionals also need to do their research to make sure they are going about things in the most efficient way.
For example, there are many different approaches to PTO software, so be sure to take time to find one that works for you.
Employee performance
Another basic that HR workers should be aware of is managing performance.
It is often up to HR to monitor employees and make sure they are performing adequately.
If no one is managing the performance of workers, it can be hard to know whether the team is being effective and efficient or not.
Performance management is all about helping workers be their best, and providing them the appropriate tools and feedback along the way.
The importance of feedback cannot be overstated. It can help to clarify expectations, build confidence, and simply help workers perform their tasks better.
If necessary, this can be facilitated within a mentorship programme.
Each employee will have a certain list of duties and responsibilities, and you need to ensure they are completing these in a satisfactory manner.
This can often be done by performance reviews, general feedback, or even things like peer evaluation in some cases.
Generally, employee performance will be evaluated a couple of times a year.
Communication and postivity are important during these times, as well.
Our graduate survey data shows that graduates feel least comfortable talking about their mental health with internal HR teams and line managers.
So, in HR, you have a duty of care to ensure that you are kind, open, and that employee mental health should be safeguarded at every stage.
Constructive criticism and finding ways to improve performance without tearing them down should always be a goal.
Annual leave
HR professionals also need to organise their employees’ annual leave calendars.
Taking time off is so important for employees, so it’s equally important that there is an individual taking full charge of the process.
There are many different ways to track annual leave, but each HR professional will need to find a software or method that works well for them.
If you want to learn more about annual leave, check out our detailed annual leave calculator!
