The Human Resources Manager – HR Manager for short – is responsible for all personnel matters within a company. HR places job advertisements, handles the application process and takes care of all employees beyond hiring. The HR department is responsible for development of all intangible resources that an employer receives through its employees, such as their knowledge, skills and motivation.
HR department acts also as intermediaries between companies and stakeholders.
A professionally organized HR department is the point of contact for the company’s employees. As a contact person, it makes a significant contribution to ensuring that a company takes care of its employees.
Human resources management comprises the following sub-areas (functions) in a shortened overview:
- Personnel planning
- Personnel marketing / employer branding
- Personnel recruitment
- Personnel selection (personnel selection)
- Personnel deployment (planning), personnel retention / personnel retention
- Personnel assessment (performance management)
- Personnel development, training and talent management,
- Personnel fees
- Personnel administration, including time management, payroll accounting, organizational management
- Personnel controlling and HR reporting
- Resignation and leave of absence (release)
- HR strategy and concepts
- Organizational development
- HR software applications
Personnel requirements planning: An important task for every HR manager. The current workforce is compared with the forecast of staffing requirements and, in case of a discrepancy, used as a basis for decision-making for personnel measures.
Recruiting: The recruiting of the workforce required by companies in terms of quality, quantity, time and space is one of the most time-consuming tasks of an HR manager.
Personnel deployment: The work tasks are assigned to the employees in terms of quantity and quality.
Personnel development: Supporting employees in their professional and personal development continues to gain in importance and makes a significant contribution to binding high-performing and competent employees to the company in the long term. This task of HR managers is particularly important for employee loyalty.
Personnel layoff: One of the more unpleasant tasks of an HR manager. Before issuing a notice of termination, the search for alternative employment opportunities for employees should also be considered.
Personnel remuneration: Finding a mutually fair remuneration for the work performed by employees is a task of HR managers that is usually handled together with other managers. In addition, profit-sharing or capital participation as well as social benefits must be taken into account accordingly.
Personnel management: This tasks consists mostly of information obligations, as well as the administration of time recording and absences.
Personnel support: This diverse area includes, for example, regulations of the general Equal Treatment Act, return interviews, integration management, on- and off boarding or support after bullying.
Improving morale: Effective HR teams encourage colleagues to do their best, which contributes to overall success. Their job is often to reward employees for good performance and to create a positive work environment.
Data protection: Modern HR teams are also increasingly concerned with data protection. The digital world creates more and more employee data that has to be managed. Good HR departments know this and protect this data.
As in the past, human resources will play a major role in the economy in 2020 and 2021. Despite advancing digitization and automation, human labor is irreplaceable. However, investments in the qualification of employees are necessary in order to optimally use the potential.