Curious About HR Routines: How Do HR Professionals Kick Off Their Day?

Dear Friends,

Good morning. Could you please suggest to me how an HR professional typically starts their day on the job? I am interested in knowing what their day-to-day activities involve. Kindly share your comments.

Warm Regards,

Ramu

Hi Ramu,

We can categorize our responsibilities into two:

a) Managing Points

b) Checking Points

Checking points of the superior will be the Managing Point of the subordinate. Examples of some checking points which require daily review are:

a) Absenteeism for the previous day & today (Shift wise & Departmentwise)

b) Manpower - Required Vs Available

c) Recruitment - Both regular & temporary workforce. Plan Vs Actual

d) Separation - Superannuation/Resignation etc.

e) Statutory Compliance - Registers to be updated/Returns to be submitted

f) Monitoring the Activity Chart for compliance of welfare measures

g) Administration: Reviewing the canteen and security logbooks.

i) Counseling - Meeting the employees as planned in the Activity Chart

The above will differ based on the profile/company.

Thanks & Regards,

Kalyan R

Hi Friend,

When I joined the industry after completing my masters in HRD, I started by planning all my activities in advance. I failed on many occasions in attending to the tasks I had set for myself.

While introspecting, I realized that I am working for a manufacturing site, which involves many aspects of administrative functions in HR. The setup I am working in does not have the flexibility to accommodate my priorities. Different people have different priorities at different times. Since HR is about supporting other functions to perform smoothly, I need to make my approach flexible.

I then opted for a 50-50 approach for planned and unplanned activities, which works well for me now. I don't regret if I can't finish something I intended to (as long as it was due to something I had to attend to, which was unplanned but necessary).

In my monthly planning, I list out the dates with essential deadlines to meet, such as statutory payments and returns, MIS reports, etc., and input them into the Microsoft Outlook Calendar.

I start my day by reviewing records of Security, Time Office for the previous day (especially 2nd and 3rd shift), checking the absenteeism report to attend to any problems faced by an employee who remained absent without intimation, and then attending to the received emails.

Next come the planned activities like recruitment, scheduling interviews, coordinating for them, reviewing induction and orientation training of new employees, and other similar tasks.

Once a week, I allocate 2 hours for filing work (mostly on Saturdays).

Some of the planned activities include:

- Participating in Training programs to see if the learning process is going on as desired.
- Preparation of MIS
- Updating the database
- Conducting interviews
- Verifying activities to be conducted as part of Quality Systems including housekeeping

Some of the unplanned activities include:

- Attending to emergencies (medical treatment for employees)
- Attending visits by government officials
- Employee counseling for reasons including resignation.

I have tried to provide the answer from my perception, and I am sure you will get a lot of answers from other members based on their work responsibilities and experiences.

- Hiten