10 Important Human Resources Functions For Every Business

While human resources functions may differ from one business to another, the HR department plays a critical role in the successful day-to-day operation of companies large and small.

In this article, the management experts at Sling discuss the essential human resources functions your business needs to stay at the head of the pack.

Essential Human Resources Functions

Human resources employees

1) Workforce Planning

One of the most basic human resources functions is workforce planning.

Workforce planning (a.k.a. human resource planning) is the ongoing process of planning ahead to optimize and maximize your business’s most valuable asset — high-quality employees.

When you incorporate this type of planning into your business strategy — functional, business, or organizational — you streamline the process of creating the best fit between available jobs and available employees. All while avoiding a shortage or surplus in your workforce.

2) Recruitment And Hiring

Human resources functions also include finding, recruiting, and hiring the high-performing employees your business needs to get ahead.

There are many ways to find employees for your business — your HR department will find the ones that work best for them — but the most important aspect of this part of the job is the hiring process.

Your human resources department should function as a way to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak, so that your company hires the right employee for the job.

3) Onboarding

A big part of all human resources functions is onboarding new-hires so that they’re prepared to do the job right and they feel comfortable doing so.

Successful onboarding depends a great deal on effective communication and actually starts before the new team member’s first day.

Stay in touch with the employee after the hiring process so they feel like a valued member of the team from day one.

Then, don’t just bring them in on the first day, show them their desk, and turn them loose. Ease them into it, help them get to know the team, and make sure they have what they need to be successful.

Your HR department plays a key role in this process.

For more information on onboarding new-hires effectively, take a few minutes to read these articles from Sling:

4) Workforce Management

One of the primary human resources functions in any business is workforce management.

Workforce management is a combined set of integrated processes and practices that your HR department uses to track and improve the productivity of your employees.

It includes:

Scheduling
Time tracking
Forecasting
Real-time management
Budgeting
Employee performance monitoring

With a successful workforce management program in place, human resources functions as a way to gain control over aspects of your business that you once thought to be out of your reach.

For more on workforce management and optimization, check out these helpful articles from Sling:

5) On-The-Job Training

employee learning human resources functions on laptops

On-the-job training provides a host of benefits your business can’t find anywhere else.

Your team members will better serve your clients and customers. They’ll perform their job with greater competency. There will be fewer mistakes. And your business will run smoother than ever before.

Your human resources functions to bring this on-the-job training to life and to ensure that every employee receives the instruction they need to perform at their best.

6) Employee Appreciation

Another key human resources function that’s important for your team’s morale and engagement is recognizing and rewarding employee accomplishments.

Unfortunately, employee appreciation has a reputation for being difficult and expensive. But with the right frame of mind, and a little creative thinking, your HR department can come up with rewards that won’t break the bank and that everyone will enjoy, such as:

Doughnuts for breakfast
A new coffee machine for the breakroom
Pizza party
Lottery tickets
A prime parking spot for a week

For more great ideas to stimulate your employee appreciation program, check out our articles:

7) Employee Satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is the extent to which your employees are happy or content with their job, their responsibilities, the work environment, the company culture, and the leadership.

Measuring and maintaining or improving employee satisfaction is another addition to the list of human resources functions.

One of the simplest ways to gauge how your team feels about their jobs is through an employee satisfaction survey.

Questions such as, “How meaningful is your work?”, “Do you feel connected to your coworkers?”, and, “Do you have the tools and technology you need?”, go a long way toward revealing ways you can improve employee satisfaction in your business.

For more on taking the pulse of your team, check out our articles:

8) Employee/Employer Relationship

female business owner discussing human resources functions

Chief amongst your human resources functions is maintaining a good employee/employer relationship.

With a healthy relationship in place, your business can enjoy increased productivity, stronger employee loyalty, and streamlined conflict resolution.

There are many variables that affect your employee/employer relationship, such as:

Team diversity
Frequency of performance reviews
Availability of employee development plans

Your HR department plays a large role in making those variables a significant part of your business.

9) Compensation And Benefits

Compensation and benefits are an essential part of every business and your human resources functions as a conduit between management and employees for all things monetary.

In many businesses, it’s the HR department’s responsibility to set wage and benefits packages so your company can remain competitive in a fast-paced market.

For more information on compensation and benefits, take a few minutes to read these helpful articles from Sling:

10) Labor Law Compliance

Employment laws and regulations differ from city to city, county to county, and state to state.

Along with taxes, labor law compliance is one of the most complicated areas of your human resources functions.

The problem is, when you don’t comply with these laws and statutes, your business can suffer from fines and even lawsuits.

That’s why it’s imperative that your HR department does everything possible to ensure that your team and your company are operating within the laws where you live.

When you comply with these and other employee-related issues, you won’t have to worry about running afoul of local, state, or federal legislation.

The best way to maintain your business’s labor law compliance is to consult an attorney versed in your industry, but for more insight into a small portion of the topic, take a few moments to read this article from Sling: Statutory Employee: Definition, Examples, And Management Tips.

Scheduling: The Cornerstone Of Human Resources Functions

Sling scheduling feature

The cornerstone of human resources functions is scheduling and communication.

Whether it’s creating schedules for your various teams, organizing training, or keeping everyone in the loop, it’s vital that your HR department use the right tool for the job.

We developed the Sling app to be the solution to all your scheduling and communication needs.

Sling is a suite of integrated tools that makes scheduling, tracking labor, finding substitutes, assigning tasks, and keeping everyone informed extremely simple. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

For an all-in-one solution to help you improve your workforce management and implement the human resources functions mentioned above, incorporate the Sling suite of tools into your workflow.

Features include:

Powerful and intuitive scheduling
Comprehensive time-tracking (with geofencing)
Dynamic reporting
Time-saving payroll processing
Customizable communication (e.g., location-specific or team-wide)
Effective budgeting
Productive labor-cost optimization
Helpful overtime control
And much more…

Add to that Sling’s onboard artificial intelligence and you’ve got an extremely beneficial and flexible set of tools that will help you manage your team, increase morale, and improve the way they work.

For more free resources to help you manage your business better, organize and schedule your team, and track and calculate labor costs, visit GetSling.com today.

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This content is for informational purposes and is not intended as legal, tax, HR, or any other professional advice. Please contact an attorney or other professional for specific advice.

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