Why Do Canteen and Security Services Fall Under Admin Instead of HR? Let's Discuss!

Dear All,

Can anybody tell me why canteen, security, transportation, and gardening come under the Administration Department?

All the above departments provide services to employees, so why do they not fall under the HR department?

AKCV

Hi,

Some of the organizations cover this department under HR. No specific reason can be given for the same, but everything depends on company policy only.

Regards,

Human Resources directly deal with employees within the organization who work on core production or services. Employees within an organization cater to customers directly and are critical for customer performance and satisfaction. Indirectly, security, canteen, transport, and gardening services cater to customers. Typically, only in public sectors or major companies, these departments are part of the organization. In most cases, these departments could be outsourced for easier administration and economic reasons. They are also involved in external activities such as purchases, repairs, services, maintenance, etc.

I believe it is mainly a stylistic choice by the organization to determine the reporting structure based on the product, customer importance, and security reasons. However, the administrative personnel handling these departments are overseen by HR.

Canteen, security, transport, etc., are the facilities given to the employees. This comes under facility management and not HR.

Rgs,
Divya

Canteen Transport & Securities are related to the support system/facilities for employees, more aligned with the administration of the company. HR is related to HR activities such as manpower planning, recruiting, training & development, and many other core activities. These facilities for employees should not cause confusion. In some organizations, these functions are under the HR department but managed by separate staff, for example, recruiters and others.

So, it is a part of HR. It is not solely HR. :icon1:

Generally, services like canteen, security, transport, and garden are outsourced. Hence, they are considered part of administration. If the employees working in the canteen, security, transport, or garden are on the company's payroll, then these services must fall under HR.

Dear All,

Nice topic.

As per my experience, first, it is required to clarify the difference between Admin and HR. According to me, it can be summed up in one simple statement, which is as follows: "HR makes the policy and system, while Admin is responsible for implementing it."

What do you say, buddies?

For aspects like the canteen, security, etc., we [HR] create the policies to be followed, and Admin is responsible for ensuring their proper implementation. Am I right?

All the best.

In small companies, all these things are expected to be handled by the HR, while in major companies, this is handled by other people. So, all that matters is money and cost control.

The volume of work related to administration and the time involved in it is a critical factor in determining whether it will fall under HR or a different department, like the Administration Department. If there is a scenario where there are three transport vehicles or a guest house with the capacity to accommodate 20 individuals, then the HR Department (depending on its workforce) may handle the task. However, in the case of larger setups, such as having 4-5 staff colonies and a guest house with a capacity for 150 people, there would certainly be a need for an administration department or individual(s) dedicated to these responsibilities.

As we all know, these are services provided to employees, so HR must be involved because any dissatisfaction arising from poor services would be a concern for the HR Department.

Involving contractors and other vendors is akin to outsourcing the administration tasks to external parties, but even in these instances, the primary responsibility remains with HR, which must ensure that services are provided in accordance with the company's policies and norms.

Hi friends,

I would like to inform you that most organizations outsource canteen, security, and transport services. However, in micro-level organizations, these functions are handled by the HR department only. In macro-level organizations, these functions are separate from the HR department. Additionally, at the macro level, the HR department is responsible for ensuring compliance in security, transport, and canteen services.

Regarding Mr. Tiwari, when it comes to implementing policies and systems, the HR role is crucial at 75% because creating policies and systems is not sufficient; implementation and achieving goals are equally important for the HR department (meaning follow-up is key).

Hi Dude,

Basically, all outsourced services to maintain the facility (office premises) come under the admin department because they are responsible for facility management.

Regards,
Sankar

Hi all,

HR professionals are responsible for creating policies and working beyond them. They focus on supporting human relationships and treating employees as valuable assets. On the other hand, administrators are tasked with adhering strictly to policies and ensuring their implementation. They maintain discipline and primarily concentrate on cost-effective methods.

In summary, HR motivates employees beyond policies and practices, emphasizing the human aspect, while administrators prioritize policy adherence and cost efficiency.

Thank you, Mr. Tiwari, for making it so simple. I also agree that these issues are related to the facilities provided to employees, and therefore, they are included in the Admin department.

In small groups, HR looks after these things, and in big organizations, it comes under Administration for more transparency and effectiveness.

Thank you, buddies, for the appreciation.

Santu was not satisfied with my reply. But, dear, what I said is, if we create a system, it is very obvious that we have to take care of its implementation too. So, we have to inform the admin to take care of this profile and ensure proper implementation. Now, Santu is clear.

I agree with Preety. It depends on the company whether it puts the canteen on the HR or admin side, but everything depends on company policy. What do you guys say?

Mukesh:(

HR has lots of other value-added things to do. Admin is nothing but managing things. Why do HR managers waste their time on these tasks when they could invest their time in other HR tools?

Regards,
Kashif

Let me clarify that HR means Human Resources, and as a department, HR is concerned with Recruitment to Retirement. On the other hand, Administration means to serve and manage. The role of HR in industries is to develop potential or sharpen skills, while the role of administration is to maintain all services in an equal, uniform, and justified manner. These functions are complementary to each other, but their bases are different. Please let me know if you need more clarification.

Dear,

It all depends on the company policy. Some big companies simply outsource these, whereas some put them as separate departments under Facilities and Admin, respectively. Still, security personnel usually report to the HR Manager.

Baiju

In some companies, Admin functions are like profit centres, i.e., the concerned department will be charged for the cost of security, transportation, etc. So, the employees under the admin department may be called as direct labor where you can make money. On the other hand, most HR functions are support functions, which are indirect, and generally, no charges are made for HR functions like recruitment, performance management, IR, employee services, C&B, etc.

These are two different areas. In smaller organizations, both functions HR and Admin are attached to HR, whereas in organizations with large manpower and a variety of facilities, it is an admin function. Earlier, it was called Personal and Admin Departments. Now, HR plays a strategic role in the business, and hence HR is responsible only for core HR practices, procedures, systems, and policies. Admin now falls under facilities management. In case the management decides to combine these two functions, they are at liberty to do so.

Patrudu

Dear Seniors,

I am working as an Admin Manager in the Automobile industry and want to train my canteen staff of 100 who are working in 3 shifts. Please provide me with some canteen staff training consultancies in Andhra Pradesh (or other states) or email me at [vnssatya@gmail.com](mailto:vnssatya@gmail.com). The training should be conducted in the local language, Telugu.

Regards,
Satyasai

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