Daily HR and Admin Reports: Is This a Standard Practice in Your Company?

Dear All, I received a message from the Operations Head to send the daily report of HR and Admin activities. How is it possible to do so? Does the company follow this procedure? Please clarify.

Regards,
Raji

I have never come across such situations or heard of them, but you can handle it at the end of the day, similar to what you have done for the day. I believe they just want to know the updates from the HR and Admin end.

Regards,
Sai
[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Even I feel the same way, but it is very difficult to keep track of everything. Sometimes, we are so engrossed in administrative tasks continuously. Do you think it would be possible to take a moment in the middle to jot down notes or make entries for the work completed? I am unsure if I am doing the right thing. Could you please guide me?

Regards,
Raji

Yes, I can understand the situation. Make an alternate plan such as sending emails regarding important issues whenever you have time. These issues need to be addressed. Also, communicate the same with the Operations Head. This is how I will work it out. Explain the whole situation and ensure that you keep a record of it.

Regards,
Sai

Well, about possibilities, I can't say for sure, but yes, it is not appropriate, actually. A Head of Operations has no concern and no rights to ask the HR & Admin Department for their daily activity report.

Further Clarification Needed

Second, please share more about him, your firm, and your role. Is he the only senior person in your company? Is this a small business firm where you are working, where he is one of very few seniors or HODs? This generally happens with small business units (One Command Orgs).

Sure Sai, the reason for this question is that we maintain a separate sheet for recruitment, which can be accessed by the HR team and head. Additionally, we use online chat for regular issues (it is used among all employees). However, a better option may be sending emails on important issues for record.

Thanks, Sai.

Regards,
Raji

After reviewing your responses, I would like to suggest considering your initial query. You are aware that he is the main senior person in your company, regardless of his post or department. Therefore, your own question seems contradictory.

You already know the answer to your query (how is it possible to do so?) and it is important to note that Health Care Companies/Industries have different work systems, procedures, and policies compared to other industries. In small health care companies, Operations heads, who are responsible for almost everything, sometimes have the authority to control the HR system as the sole commanding authority. The HR system in a small health care company differs from the Industrial HR System, which is something you should understand.

You have received many responses so far, and I believe you have found the answers to your questions.

I agree that it is too hectic to send a report of activities every day to the seniors. However, having been asked to do so, there is no point in deliberating on the issue of why such a report is needed every day, especially when you are not in a position to convince them about the futility of such an exercise (according to you). The seniors may have their own reasons. Now, the need of the hour is to determine how to prepare such a report. It is difficult to prepare a narrative report on various activities you undertake daily as it is time-consuming and eats up your quality work time. I, therefore, suggest you devise a format for a report on daily activities. You know what daily activities you conduct as HR. For example, you check attendance. List them out and prepare a format on the lines given below. This is only a suggested format. You can modify it to suit your needs.

Report on Daily Activities

This should be in table form.

Date: …….

S.NO | Activity | Status Report

1. Checking attendance: Present: … on leave … deputation …

2. Recruitment: No. of candidates recruited … No. of cases in which joining formalities completed …

3. Training: Training programme: … Employees deputed …

4. F&F settlement: No. of cases settled …

5. Employee engagement activities: Whether conducted … Yes/No Title of the activity …

Though I arranged it in table form in Word format, it is getting disturbed when posted in CiteHR. You can have a table with three columns, namely S.No; Activity; Status Report, and fill the data under the respective column.

If no format has been devised by the Controlling office, just devise a format as above. This does not take much time and at the same time gives a bird's eye view of the activities undertaken by you.

Regards,
B.Saikumar
HR & Labour Law Advisor
Mumbai

We should never have the feeling that HR is supreme and that no one has the right to question HR. This clearly shows a mindset that HR is above scrutiny and whatever they do cannot be questioned. When people can file RTI queries about the President of India, HR is no exception. The top management is supreme. Your post should not encourage other HR professionals to adopt an arrogant attitude whenever anyone inquires about their daily routine. It is important not to refuse the management.

The Head of the thread starter has requested an MIS report for some reason, which the person may be unaware of. They might think, "How can they ask me for my daily sheet? I am working tirelessly every day, and still, they need a sheet from me."

Relax. When you are in a job, document what you have done. Keep a diary and write down the work you have completed each day and how much time it consumed. If you can't write it down, it may be perceived by management that you are not doing any work at all. Do what is in the interest of management and always remain humble.

There is no simple yes or no answer to whether this happens in companies elsewhere.

We should never have the feeling that HR is supreme and no one has the right to question HR. This clearly shows your thinking that HR is supreme and whatever they do cannot be questioned. When people use RTI to ask queries about the President of India, then HR is no exception. The top management is supreme. Your post should not make other HRs who read this post develop an arrogant attitude whenever anyone asks about your daily routine and not refuse the management.

Understanding the Request for MIS Reports

The head of the thread starter has asked for an MIS report for some reason which the person is unaware of. He/she only thinks, "How can they ask me for my daily sheet? I am working daily like a dog, and still, they need a sheet from me."

Relax when you are in a job, do what you have done, keep a diary, and write down what work you have done that day and how much time it consumed. If you can't write, it means you are not doing any work at all. This is what will be perceived by the management. Do what is in the interest of management and always be humble.

There is no yes or no answer to whether this happens in companies elsewhere.

Importance of Proper Reading and Systematic Work Culture

Well, Mr. Kravi, it seems you are not reading the responses properly. Incomplete reading/posts/queries always create confusion and arguments take place. I request you to please try to avoid it.

Secondly, there is a system and work procedure which is really important today to maintain the work culture systematically. If you are an HR personnel, you must know what rules and procedures are, and the purpose of the same.

HR is not a supreme entity, and I agree with that too because it works as a part of the organization and comes under management. But it doesn't mean other department heads deserve the right to interfere or ask for reports from other department activities. If it were so, there would be no need for departmentalization with their respective HODs.

Clarification on RTI and HR Systems

Also, I don't understand why you used RTI, which is a totally different matter. In what context do you want to convey yourself? But I guess you forget that there is also a big difference between Industrial HR and HR systems in a Healthcare Company, which I explained earlier.

I never said something that forces you to respond in this way, but I would say please try to differentiate things before giving responses. Healthcare companies and other SBUs sometimes do not have a complete and good HR setup and work under ONE COMMANDING Officer, like in that case where an Operation Head deserves the right to control the work and others (where there is no departmentalization like in other industries).

Regards.

We have to understand that at the end of the day, we must spend time introspecting on what we have done during the day. This exercise helps improve planning and thereby our productivity the next day and beyond. We must also realize the key responsibilities of HR & Admin in day-to-day activities. In my opinion, these would be:

1. Number of people on planned leave.
2. Number of people absent without any prior information and approval.
3. Overtime hours.
4. Incidents and accidents that have taken place (if any).
5. Details of any employee grievance - you may open a helpdesk for employees where they can post their problems, grievances, and suggestions. The actions taken on them, along with the number of pending grievances/suggestions, can be another item in the daily report.
6. Any special events taking place.
7. Briefing on union meetings (if any).
8. Any major problems faced.

These are just some thoughts - you can create a format on an Excel sheet, and filling these will not take much time. You can take these points as a concept and develop to suit your context.

Regards,
V.T. Avadhany

There is a certain hierarchy in organizations. Actually, there is no harm in sharing certain important information with other officials as this will pave the way for the smooth operations of the company. As an operations manager, he is entitled to know the matters relating to HR (I do not know whether he is your boss). What I suggest is that you prepare an MIS report format and send it to him daily, which will help him understand the priorities of the problems.

MIS FORMAT

DATE: -

No. of employees present: -

No. of employees absent: -

Production target of the day: -

Achievement for the previous day: -

Accidents that happened: -

Details of actions taken: -

Permissions sanctioned (Union officials): -

Any shutdowns reported/activities stopped: -

The above is only a specimen. You can add any more activities and send it to him. This will be appreciated. You will observe that most of such information pertains to the operations manager. This will enable you to advise him to take action as well as perform your HR duties perfectly.

HR work itself involves coordinating with other divisions for the smooth running of activities every day.

All the best.

There is a system in our company to send online the daily activities in the HR area at the end of the day. All the HR personnel log in and send the report through the module designed for this purpose. Alternatively, you can send the report via email. These reports are stored in the system, which will be helpful for writing your appraisal.

Wish you good luck. Thank you.

As per the organogram, whom are you reporting to, the Operation Head or someone else? In case you are reporting to or answerable to another executive, please apprise them of the requirements of the Operation Head and the problems involved therein. Let them take up the issue with the Operation Head.

There must be some provocation for the Operation Head concerning the mentioned requirement; perhaps reports indicate that the HR Manager does not perform substantial work and wastes time, or something similar. Sometimes, even the Head of Department demands an activity report for the day. In any case, it would be advisable to keep an activity report for a few days and inform your Head of Department. This could prompt your Head of Department, armed with your reports, to address the issue with the Operation Head, potentially leading the latter to abandon his demand.

You should not feel disturbed about this matter.

Regards,
S.K. Johri

We have a system of sending the daily HR report online for all HR personnel working in our organization. All shop personnel executives can log in and send their activities at the end of the day, which can be viewed by the seniors and colleagues once they open and log in. Alternatively, you can send your report of daily activities through email.

In this process, a record of achievements can be generated, which can be helpful while writing your annual appraisal.

Yes, it is a new practice that is being implemented. This practice helps your boss understand the work you have completed for the day. Additionally, it benefits you since your boss can ascertain that you are performing your tasks correctly.

Sharing Information with HODs

Sharing information with Heads of Departments (HODs) is one of the HR activities. We will submit information and reports to the HODs. You should prepare a format with the available information and show it to the operations head, asking him for developments and informing the security/time office personnel to maintain it on a daily basis. Similarly, you verify and send the same.

Why do you feel worried about sending reports to the heads?

Regards,
V K Rao

At present, I am receiving a daily report from the HR head, who is reported to by two HR executives. The report covers the following sections:

Recruitment

- Total interviews scheduled
- HR interviews
- Technical HR interviews
- Rejections
- On hold
- Shortlisted candidates

Weekly review of departmental structure/hierarchy (broken down into days, finally summarized in the weekly report).

Training

- Scheduled training programs
- Actual sessions conducted
- Induction/orientation of new joiners (if any)

Admin

- Attendance updates
- Including daily tasks such as receiving bills (all)
- Company vehicle maintenance
- Issuing cell phones, etc.

Hope this gives you an idea.