Confused About HR Roles: Is 'HR Generalist' Really a Thing or Just HR Operations?

I recently had an interview, and the HR team informed me that there is no such term as HR Generalist. They mentioned that profiles such as compensation & payroll, staffing, employee relations, induction, training, attendance, PMS, etc., should be categorized under HR Operations. Is this information accurate?

Regards,
Pooja

It is true because compensation, payroll, staffing, employee relations, induction, training, attendance, PMS, etc., all fall under HR activities. Therefore, it is referred to as HR Operations in every company or firm. Staffing and recruitment are not typically handled by Generalists. The Generalist role involves tasks such as payroll, induction, exit formalities, etc.

I guess this is wrong. Nowadays, every company is coming up with its own terminologies, and they try to refute generally used terms in the market. A good example is Naukri.com, where you will find profiles like HR Generalist, HR Recruitment, and HR Admin.

So, I guess the person who told you this might not have enough knowledge in HR functions, or in his company, they might be calling HR Generalist as HR Operations. Don't worry, HR Generalist is definitely a correct term.

Regards,
Shivani

I come to your discussion to share something with you. I have learned about the HR role and functions (operations).

HR Role Covers:
- Planning and Forecasting
- Administrative Behavior
- Strategic HR
- Conflict Management

HR Function Covers:
- RSS
- CW&B
- T&D
- PAM
- Labor Relations, Employee Health, and Safety

So, what is an HR Generalist? Do you mean the HR roles? Please, I want to be clear.

Regards,
Aly Biplob

Dear Pooja, Actually, all of us are really hovering around to have a convergent shape of the subject and its uniform terminologies. Still, I am trying to discuss some points...

1. We all perhaps know the development of the subject HR. Actually, the subject gained momentum during the Second World War. It evolved from Welfare man to Ombudsman to Labour man to Personnel man, and finally to HR man in a refined state.

2. Following the basic concept of Prof. Alfred Marshall, the division and departmentalization of labor has contributed significantly.

3. In this competitive stage, every subject has come under skilled management perspective. This momentum increased after the widespread development of Ethernet. The current focus is on the best utilization of human resources effectively and efficiently. Like every management, HR management also comprises three-tier functions: ground level - Maintenance, middle level - Operational, and superstructure level - Strategic level.

4. We may unknowingly use interconnected terms - HR roles and functions. So far, I understand that HR roles cover HR Generalist, Comp. & Rewards, payroll, time office, Training, etc., while a more generic and broad spectrum may speak through functions - like HR Operations, or any such.

5. Obviously, there are international standards.

Thanks,

Prsanta Roy Choudhury

HR Operations vs. HR Generalist

HR Operations focuses more on operational issues in HR such as letter generation, employee data management, leave sanctioning, payroll administration, etc.

HR Generalist focuses on both operational and developmental issues. After gaining significant exposure in operations and demonstrating the ability to contribute to streamlining departmental operations, one's role evolves into that of a generalist. It is at this juncture that an individual can later choose to specialize in a particular subfield of HR.

You guys seem confused. What is HR? It means managing human resources. What is HRM? Human Resource Management. There are many functions of HRM, and you are involved in one of them. That's it. Every company uses different terms, but the main job is to ease the employee-employer relationship. This is what we learn regarding Industrial Relations. Other functions are just the office jobs assigned by the company. That's it.

An HR Generalist is responsible for playing a strategic role, including tasks such as performance management, attrition forecasting and control, compensation and benefits management, and more.

On the other hand, HR operations involve handling basic HR transactions such as onboarding, orientation, socialization, and exits (including all necessary documentation, filing, and file management).

I hope my perspective provided you with some insight.

Regards,
Bharath

Hi Pooja, I will outline some of the important KRAs of an HR Generalist. To become a generalist, you need to be strong in many areas of the HR gamut. A couple of companies do recruit candidates for trainee HR Generalist positions.

Development of HR Department (forms, employee handbook, HR manual)

- Contact applicants to inform them of employment possibilities, considerations, and selection.
- Inform potential applicants about facilities, operations, benefits, and job or career opportunities in organizations.
- Handle employee database (both in soft form and file management).
- Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, interpreting and administering contracts, and helping resolve work-related problems.
- Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employee relations.
- Manage leaves and attendance.
- Liaise with various consultants.
- Motivate employees on a day-to-day basis.
- Stop all types of rumors and misleading communication.
- Administer disciplinary procedures.
- Plan and conduct new employee orientation to foster a positive attitude towards organizational objectives.
- Play a role in "employee engagement" by winning the trust of the employees, which can help the organization in controlling attrition.

Regards,
Pooja Jaiswal

I have read all comments on this topic. What I believe from my experience is that there is an existence of HR generalists, but we don't have a specific profile or designation name for them. Human Resources is mainly divided into two parts:

Personnel & Admin

Personnel includes all HRM functions, while Admin encompasses all statutory compliance work. This is my understanding.

However, each industry has its own terminology, so it becomes a challenge to assign a specific name.

Thanks,
Parmod

Hi all, thanks for your responses. I am still confused because I went through naukri.com and viewed some generalist profiles published by good companies. They all mentioned in their job descriptions: Training & development, PMS, Compensation, employee engagement, implementation of HR plan & policies, employee relations, attrition & retention. Additionally, I also saw a post on citehr published a year back where a similar discussion was held, and one person answered well in my opinion. I would like to share it with all of you.

According to that person, HR operations mainly focus on the overall development of the organization such as Quality, Job designing, ISO, Six Sigma, Project Management, Quality Of Work, Work Schedule, and more. On the other hand, HR Generalists deal with employees, including joining formalities, induction, training and development, performance management, payroll, statutory requirements, attendance maintenance, employee relations, employee grievances, etc.

Regards,
Pooja

Understanding HR Operations

What is HR Operations (a title or a function)? To my limited knowledge, there is something called an HR Operations lead, not just operations. I am not sure if a function can be a position name.

By the way, we have been searching for an HR Generalist for a long time. According to my boss, the Generalist should have at least a minimum knowledge of all HR functions, including but not limited to recruitment, training, policies, and procedures. He will have to act as a substitute in any functional area of HR in case of the absence of the concerned person, e.g., he should take charge of the recruitment officer when the latter is on vacation so that the function will not have to cease. There may be exceptions like administration (property and premise management, medical insurance, cars, hotels, transportation, accommodations providing, etc).

Hi Everybody,
Why are we confused? Generalist means general. HR Generalist encompasses all the functions of HR, including operational tasks. HR operations entail the back-office work of HR, such as payroll management, issuing appointment letters, confirmation letters, PF, and ESI.

In small organizations, there are usually 1 or 2 HR personnel who are responsible for managing all HR functions, which is referred to as an HR Generalist profile. In contrast, in large firms, HR functions are segmented, leading to the formation of specialized teams such as recruitment, payroll, training and development (T&D), and operations.

Therefore, if someone equates HR Generalist with HR Operations, it is important to request clarification on this matter. HR Operations (back office tasks) are a component of HR Generalist but are not identical.

I hope this clarifies things.

Regards,
Shalini Singh