New to HR Executive Role: What Are the Key Responsibilities I Should Know?

Hi everyone, I have been promoted to an HR executive position in my company recently. I don't have experience in HR; I am a fresher in this field. There is no one to train me. I want to know what roles and responsibilities HR performs in a company. Kindly share your valuable suggestions to [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons].

Thank you and Regards,
Mrudula.

Congratulations, Mrudula.

Regarding the job role of HR, it varies. Assuming a basic HR role, the following list outlines some responsibilities:

1. Recruitment -

- Understanding manpower requisitions from the concerned department.
- Drafting job descriptions and obtaining approval.
- Sourcing candidates with required skills.
- Conducting interviews.
- Encouraging employee referrals.
- Coordinating technical interviews.
- Communicating employment status.
- Maintaining candidate databases.
- Conducting background verifications.

2. Induction and Onboarding -

- Issuing offer letters.
- Providing appointment letters and company policies.
- Facilitating introductions.
- Coordinating IT setup.

3. HR Policies and Manual -

- Drafting HR manuals.
- Updating policies.

4. Attendance and Leave Records -

- Monitoring attendance.
- Managing leave records.
- Addressing absenteeism.

5. Performance Management -

- Assisting with performance appraisals.

6. Employee Engagement -

- Monitoring turnover rates.
- Engaging employees.
- Conducting surveys.
- Planning events.

7. Workforce Management -

- Resolving conflicts.
- Preventing groupism.
- Addressing employee issues.

8. Statutory Compliance -

- Ensuring compliance with labor laws.
- Managing leaves, minimum wages, deductions, etc.

9. Exit Formalities -

- Conducting exit interviews.
- Providing feedback.
- Managing relieving processes.

10. Compensation and Benefits -

- Designing salary structures.
- Advising on tax benefits.
- Handling gratuity and PF.

11. Employee Motivation and Training -

- Organizing training sessions.
- Providing internal/external training.
- Sending motivational communications.

These are fundamental HR responsibilities. Wishing you the best.

Dear Mrudulla,

Understanding Your Organization's HR Needs

First of all, let me tell you about the type of organization you work for—whether it's a software company, factory, industry, or real estate company. The reason I ask is that there are various kinds of work in HR.

Examples of HR Work

Some examples of work in HR include:

- Recruitment
- Generalist duties
- Training and development
- Statutory compliance (major)
- Payroll (major)
- Settlement processes
- And more

Regards,
Ajay

Thank you very much, ma'am, for your valuable information. I will definitely learn about all these and implement them in my company. One question I have is how to create an HR manual in my company. Our company is in real estate.

Thanks & Regards,
Mrudula.

Making an HR Manual is a task. Understand what goes into an HR Manual:

1. Company Details/Introduction
(like the About Us section on the website)

2. Organizational Structure

3. Key People in the Company

4. Company's Culture

5. Attendance
• Office hours
• Grace period and late allowance
• Consequences of late entry
• Overtime schemes (if any)
• Rewards (if any) for regular attendance

6. Leave Policy
• Number of allowed leaves
• Diversification of leaves - PL/CL/SL
• Process to avail leave
• Special case leave
• Leave Encashment policy (if any)

7. All Other Practices Followed by the Company

8. Attach Sample Forms in the Appendix
If you are going to use them.

You can read HR manuals of different companies to understand how to structure yours. Copy-pasting contents won't help; you need to decide what to include and what modifications to make.

The link provided below is a search link for HR Manuals where you can find detailed information and possibly HR Manuals of a few companies as well.

Hope this helps. 

Regards,
Mrudula.

Change is the law of nature.

Sharing my personal experience, my firm had rules that people would bend for their own benefit and later ignore. For instance:

Although the office timing is 9:30 to 6:00, people would walk in leisurely at a time they deemed suitable. There was complete freedom for the in-time.

People used to take leaves without filing proper leave applications, and many leaves went unnoticed.

When I was appointed as HR, I found myself in a similar situation. During my first month, I drafted an attendance policy and observed the behavior of the employees. Simultaneously, I drafted a leave policy.

These are the two main policies responsible for attendance and absenteeism.

Suggestions for Implementing HR Policies

My suggestion, knowing that people may resist change, is to focus on positive changes. Rather than introducing negative changes, focus on positive ones.

For example, appreciate on-time employees while also addressing latecomers. Even though it may be challenging with your current staff, acknowledging punctuality in front of colleagues can be a significant motivator. A simple thank you to someone for arriving on time can go a long way. This positive reinforcement can encourage others to follow suit.

Implement a carrot and stick approach. Consider giving an award (even just a certificate) for the "Attender of the Year" – someone with minimal late marks and leaves. This positive competition can foster a better spirit among employees.

People resist change because they fear losing something. For instance, arriving on time means sacrificing a few extra minutes of sleep and coming in leisurely. Filling out a leave requisition form means giving up the freedom to be absent at will without notice.

If you can show that these changes will benefit them in some way, they may be more willing to try.

I hope these suggestions help. Best of luck! 

Regards,
Divyesh Patel

That's true about HR in India. I do not know how long it will take for people, even in corporate settings here, to understand the role of HR.

While I was doing my MBA in HR, people thought I was a fool for not taking up Finance, even though my numerical skills were good and I was quick at learning balance sheets. They suggested that if Finance was tough, I should take up Marketing to get a return on the fees I paid. They mocked me when I said I wanted to do HR because I love it. While many of my friends were selected from campus, I was sitting at home job hunting for a long 6-8 months. All those people came to re-emphasize what a big mistake I made by taking up HR, wasting my 2 years and all the money.

I realized that if we cannot change the perspective of people working in the industry, we cannot change a layman's view. HR is just a department for most firms, especially private small/medium firms. They hire a person who may be a fresher or who may not have relevant experience/skill/knowledge only because they can hire them cheaply. Perhaps the mentality is, what knowledge do you need to recruit a person? Anyone can do that. What knowledge do you need to file documents? Even a peon can do so. Thankfully, peons are not made HRs in this cost-cutting age.

I believe there should be proper promotion, and if not promotion, at least people should be educated on HR. Recruitment is outsourced to recruitment consultancies to save time and cost. But how time/cost-effective is this solution? I went to a consultancy for an interview but declined to work there as my counterparts were not even graduates and were pursuing B.Com/BA. They had zero skills in screening resumes and knowing what keywords to fetch (sure, technical knowledge cannot be possessed by all, but a recruiter's main task is to know what to keep and which CVs to reject. Unless one knows the proper JD and specification and its significance, I do not understand how you would work on an opening).

Rare are the consultancies that employ only MBA (HRs) as recruiters. I worked with one such consultancy and gained good knowledge. It was a different experience. I felt privileged even to work in a consultancy.

If the viewpoint towards HR changes from being a cost center to a strategic business partner, things would perhaps start to improve. But the transition is difficult, yet not impossible.

All this is with no offense intended to the people who are in HR with no proper schooling. I do not mean to hurt anyone's sentiments and efforts that they have put in to get that job and perform in the role. However, the fact can't be changed that HR's role is taken very lightly compared to anyone else's role in most organizations.

Sir, I did my MBA in HR/Marketing in 2011. I joined this company in the month of April 2012 as a Customer Support Executive. The HR who was working earlier left the organization. During that time, one of the employees who was senior was handling HR activities, and that employee has also left now. So, I am the one who did an MBA in HR, and I informed the management earlier about my interest in HR. They offered me this role as an additional responsibility. Actually, before joining this company, I searched for an HR job but could not find one, so I joined as a Customer Support Executive in this company. Our company is a startup with only 18 employees. It was started in 2008 and is in real estate advisory. So, you can give me your suggestions accordingly.

Thank you and Regards,
Mrudula

Responsibilities of an HR Professional

As for the job role of HR, it all depends. Assuming a very basic role in HR, the following list shows a few responsibilities of an HR:

1. Recruitment
- Understanding manpower requisition from the concerned department.
- Understanding the requirement and accordingly drafting a job description and getting it approved by the concerned person.
- Sourcing candidates that match the desired skills.
- Screening the candidates by conducting telephonic or personal interviews as the case may be.
- Encouraging the employees to provide references for better prospects.
- Arranging for technical interviews and coordinating with the concerned person.
- Communicating the employment status to the applied candidates.
- Maintaining and updating the database of the candidates.
- Conducting a background verification of the shortlisted candidates.

2. Induction and Onboarding
- When a particular candidate is finalized and selected, giving them an offer letter or letter of intent.
- On joining the services, issuing an appointment letter with a brief working agreement or policies.
- Providing a description of the policies, procedures, and culture followed by the company.
- Properly filing relevant documents of the new joiner as required.
- Introducing them to the team, supervisor, and/or manager.
- Explaining the mode of communication.
- Coordinating with the IT team to get their email ID created.

3. HR Policies and HR Manual
- If the company does not have an HR Manual, drafting the same for the company.
- Making or amending the existing policies and procedures.

4. Attendance and Leave Records
- Keeping track of the attendance of the employees.
- Filing the leave forms and keeping a record of the leaves taken.
- Ensuring there is not much absenteeism on any given day.
- Ensuring no employee is irregular, and if there are such cases, taking corrective and/or preventive measures.

5. Performance Management
- Assisting seniors in conducting performance appraisals by adopting better practices.

6. Employee Engagement
- Monitoring employee turnover and exit rates.
- Initiating activities to engage the staff in their work.
- Conducting surveys to understand their engagement levels and taking actions accordingly.
- Planning events or activities regularly or on some occasions, getting those approved by senior management and implementing them.

7. Workforce Management
- Managing the staff to prevent dissatisfaction among colleagues.
- Handling cross-cultural issues.
- Ensuring there is no groupism or dissatisfied individuals.
- Addressing other employee-related issues.

8. Statutory Compliance
- Ensuring compliance with applicable acts regarding leaves, minimum salary, PF, ESIC, medical deductions, and other regulations.

9. Exit Formalities
- Conducting exit interviews for resigning candidates.
- Seeking constructive feedback for the company and implementing corrective measures.
- Assisting individuals in the proper relieving process.
- Issuing relieving letters and letters of experience.
- Handling the full and final settlement for the individual.

10. Compensation and Benefits
- Designing salary structures for employees.
- Advising employees on tax-saving benefits and investment options.
- Calculating Gratuity, managing PF accounts, etc.

11. Employee Motivation and Training
- Organizing training sessions for employees.
- Providing internal training based on individual contributions.
- Hiring trainers with specific skills when needed.
- Sending motivational emails to employees regularly.

These are a few basic responsibilities an HR will have to handle. Wish you all the best.