Human resources (HR) is a very important department in any organization that plays a vital role in managing employees and ensuring the company’s smooth operation. However, there are certain misconceptions about what HR does, and some people have unrealistic expectations from this department. All the employees must know what the prime responsibility of HR is and what is not so they know what to expect from whom. In this blog post, we will explore what HR does not do and clear up some of the myths surrounding the role of HR.
First of all, HR has an advisory role in the organization; contrary to popular belief among employees, HR assists line managers and executives in the strategic decision-making process but does not make them by themselves. They have to ensure that the line managers smoothly manage their work by assisting them in achieving the company’s goals by providing the required Human Resources.
While HR creates the policies in the organization, enforcing them is the responsibility of the line manager. However, HR managers support the line managers in implementing these policies primarily by identifying the policies that are not being followed and discussing how to make these policies work out.
Not all sorts of employee conflicts are handled by HR. HR might remove the discrepancy between the managers and their subordinates, but their managers must resolve the disputes between the employees of the same level of the hierarchy. HR, in actuality, acts as an advocate and a mediator. Sometimes they require involvement from other departments, including the legal as well. They need more authority to resolve all sorts of conflicts on their own.
HR is responsible for getting an employee’s performance review, but the prime responsibility of setting goals, providing feedback, coaching, and conducting performance evaluations lie on the line manager. The burden of observing day-to-day operations also lies on the shoulders of the line manager.
Lastly, HR train employees generally for the organization’s culture during the onboarding process, but job-specific skill development & training is the line manager’s responsibility. The best organizations have line managers & HR taking responsibility for employee training & development altogether.
The line manager shares the requirement of a person in his team to assist him in their work with the HR managers. HR Managers then start the recruitment process on behalf of the manager, who then gives the final say on whom to hire and who to not by giving out the requirements of skills, education, and qualities required in the person fulfilling the role. Similarly, if a person in the department of a line manager is not being compliant with the company policies or not fulfilling the role requirements, then the line manager informs HR to fire them. HR then manages the separation process on behalf of the line manager.
In conclusion, HR plays a critical role in an organization’s success. However, it is important to understand what HR does not do to avoid misconceptions and false expectations. HR is not solely responsible for making decisions, enforcing policies, resolving all conflicts, managing all aspects of employee performance, or handling all employee development and training. HR is an advisory and supportive department that works closely with line managers to achieve the company’s goals. Therefore, it is important for employees to know the division of responsibilities between HR and line managers to understand what to expect from whom clearly. This will help build trust and transparency within the organization, which is essential for its growth and development.
