AF_AG01_ Recruitment and Professional Development
Unit 1: Human Resources Department an overview
Unit 1: Human Resources Department an overview
The objective of this unit is to show what a Human Resources Department is and the most
importantly why it is necessary.
The unit is divided into three parts.
Part 1: Why is the Human Resources Department important?
Part 2: Functions and organizational structure of HR department.
Part 3: What does outsourcing mean? When is it justifiable that companies decide to use it?
1.1. Why is the Human Resources Department important?
As you know a Human Resources department is a recent concept in our companies. At the end
of XIX century and the beginning on XX century the owners of the companies believed that they
did not need a specific department. They used to think that the workers were only a cost that
they should keep as low as possible.
It was in the seventies or eighties of twentieth century when the managers of the companies
saw the need to create a specific department to deal all matters related to the worker.
However, it was not until the nineties and early twentieth-first century when it was understood
that HR department was part of the strategic direction of the company.
Of course, the importance of HR department within the company will depend of the size of it.
Not all departments have the same importance or carry out the same functions a Human
Resources department of a large company that a SME.
But first of all, let’s see in the following website, the definition of Human Resources Department.
Humana resources definition
Activities
1) This part of the unit shows you the importance of HR department. The article:" Ten
Reasons Why the Human Resources Department Is Important" by Ruth Mayhew,
Demand Media, explains 10 reasons why HR Department is important.
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The following activity are ten small texts that appear in the article, you must choose the most
appropriate title among those proposed..
Titles
a) Human Capital b)Employee
Value
Satisfaction
c)Conflict
Resolution
d)Corporate
Image
f) Cost Saving
h)Performance
Improvement
i) Training and j) Budget Control
Development
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2
3
4
5
6
7
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g)Steadfast
Principle
e)Sustaining
Business
Workplace conflict is inevitable, given the diversity of personalities, work styles, backgrounds
and levels of experience among employees. A human resources manager or a staff person
specially trained to handle employee relations matters can identify and resolve conflict
between two employees or a manager and employee and restore positive working
relationships.
Human resources develops performance management systems. Without a human resources
staff person to construct a plan that measures performance, employees can wind in jobs that
aren't suitable for their skills and expertise. Additionally, employees whose performance falls
below the employer's expectations can continue on the payroll, thereby creating wasted
money on low-performing employees.
The cost to hire new or replacement workers, including training and ramp-up time, can be
exorbitant for employers, especially small businesses. With a well-constructed recruitment
and selection process, the human resources function can minimize expenses regarding
advertising job postings, training new employees and enrolling new employees in benefits
plans.
Human resources conducts needs assessments for the organization's current workforce to
determine the type of skills training and employee development necessary for improving skills
and qualifications. Companies in the beginning or growth phases can benefit from identifying
training needs for existing staff. It's much less expensive than the cost to hire additional staff
or more qualified candidates. In addition, it's a strategy that also can reduce turnover and
improve employee retention.
Having an in-house human resources function is important. An in-house human resources
staff or a human resources expert on staff can increase the understanding of how important
human capital is to the company's bottom line. For small businesses, in particular, human
capital is critical because so many smaller firms have employees who perform crossfunctional duties. With a smaller workforce, if just one person leaves, it leaves the company
with a huge gap to fill and a potential threat to the company's profitability.
Businesses want to be known as the "employer of choice." Employers of choice are the
companies that receive recognition for the way they treat employees; they are the companies
for whom people want to work. Becoming an employer of choice means human resources
balances recruiting the most qualified applicants, selecting the most suitable candidates and
retaining the most talented employees.
Human resources specialists usually are charged with the responsibility of determining the
level of employee satisfaction -- often an ambiguous measurement at best. With carefully
designed employee surveys, focus groups and an exit interview strategy, human resources
determines what underlies employee dissatisfaction and addresses those issues to motivate
employees.
Human resources ensures the workforce embraces the company's philosophy and business
principles. From the perspective of a small business, creating a cohesive work environment is
imperative. The first opportunity human resources has to accomplish this is through wise
hiring decisions that identify desirable professional traits, as well as orientation and on-
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boarding programs.
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Human resources curbs excessive spending through developing methods for trimming
workforce management costs, which includes negotiating better rates for benefits such as
health care coverage. In addition, human resources ensures competitive and realistic wagesetting based on studying the labor market, employment trends and salary analysis based on
job functions. As some small businesses have budget constraints, this human resources
function is especially helpful.
10 Through succession planning that human resources develops, the company identifies
employees with the promise and requisite capabilities to eventually transition into leadership
roles with the company. This is an important function as it can guarantee the organization's
stability and future success.
In pairs, answer the following questions:
a) Do you agree with the article? Why or why not?
b) Do you want to add a new reason?
Share your answer with the rest of the group.
1.2 Functions and organizational structure of HR department.
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
Functions
There are a lot of functions that HR Department can develop. It will depend on the size of the
company. However, you have to know all the functions and then decide which ones to carry out
in a small, medium or large company.
a) Human Resources planning, recruiting and select: the main objective is finding the correct
worker for each workplace and in the right moment.
b) Personal administration: Responsible for all administrative procedures with employees.
c) Employee and labour relations: the aim is to achieve good relations between employer and
employee.
d) Occupational Health and Safety: this function is related to the security must be guaranteed in
the workplace as well as in the diagnosis and prevention of occupational disease
e) Remunerations and compensation: the aim is to achieve a competitive wage policy that is to
say, to attract good employees and retain them.
f) The role of social benefits and service to workers: the company should implement some
policies to improve the life of its employees.
g) Development of human resources. this is one of the most difficult functions in HR department.
The goal is to motivate their employees to get the best of them.
h) Social responsibility. This function is to develop the company's commitment to its employees
and the social environment.

Structure.
Not all the HR departments have the same structure as it will depend on the size of the
company. Therefore, each company develops its functions according to its size and objectives.
For instance: a large company can develop all functions but can also decide to stop doing one
of them.
Here you can see the organization in HR department
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Human
Resources
Department
Employee
relations
Compensation
and benefits
Recruiting,
planning and
selection
Training and
development
Health and
safety
Social
responsibility
Activities
1) First of all, make the organization structure of HR department of a company dedicated
to the production of pasteurized egg established in Catalonia.
The department is divided into two parts functions:
Outsourcing: selection, training and medical service.
Performs: planning, administration, remuneration and social responsibility.
In pairs, explain two tasks that you think are carry out in each of this functions. Do not include
outsourcing functions.
2 ) Do you know what kind of administrative tasks are you going do in HR department?
There is an Educational Portal in USA where you can find all the information about the most
important administrative tasks not only in HR but in others departments of the company.
But, firstly you are going to work the vocabulary related with the information appears in the web.
There are 12 words without definition. Please, choose the most appropriate definition for each
word:
A
Duty
1
a time that you have arranged to see someone
B
Resume
2
the activity of organizing and storing all the documents, files,
invoices, etc. relating to a company's or organization's activities
C
Appointment
3
to plan an event for a particular day or time
D
Form
4
something you do as part of your job or because of your position
E
Record
keeping
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plans for how something will happen
F
Scheduling
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a related group of things that are offered together as a single unit
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G
To file
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Formal presentation of a job applicant's education, skills, and
work experience.
H
Arrangement
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to put documents into an ordered system so that you can easily
find them
I
Payroll
9
to add new information
J
Updating
10
a system that helps you arrange information on a computer
screen:
K
Package
11
the total amount of money paid to the people employed by a
particular company:
L
Template
12
a printed document with spaces for you to write information
Compare your answer with your partner. Share them with the rest of the group. Finally make a
sentence with the words given.
3) Now you can read the following information:
Essential Information
Human resources (HR) administrative assistants support management-level staff and perform a
variety of tasks related to employee record-keeping within organizations. They often handle
sensitive employee and company information, which requires that they maintain a high level of
professionalism and confidentiality. HR administrative assistants need a high school diploma.
Job duties for HR Administrative Assistants
Human resources administrative assistants often provide both HR-specific and general
administrative and secretarial support, depending on the size of their company or HR
department. Entry-level positions may require HR administrative assistants to file employeerelated documents, answer department telephones, relay messages and distribute information
to employees. They provide direct support to executives by scheduling meetings and
appointments, making travel arrangements and processing expense reports.
HR administrative assistants with intermediate office skills may be responsible for editing
documents and presentations, entering and updating employee information into company
databases, preparing employment packages, handling benefits information and processing
termination paperwork. These professionals also assist HR staff with specified projects, such as
planning company events.
At the advanced level, administrative assistants in HR create forms, templates and other HRrelated documents. They explain company policies and companies to employees. Supervised
by an HR manager, they may also perform payroll and timekeeping functions. Some HR
administrative assistants handle essential recruitment tasks, including posting job openings,
reviewing resumes, calling candidates and scheduling interviews.
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Please, answer the following questions:
1. What are the task at entry-level, intermediate and advanced level?
2. Would you add any task to entry-level? Why?
3. From your point of view, what is the main difference between intermediate and advance
level?
4. After you have read the information, Do you think it is possible to ascend within HR
Department as an administrative? What do you think are the requirements requested?
5. Would you like to work in a HR department? Why? Write a short paragraph.
1.3. Outsourcing.
The last point in this unit is outsourcing. The outsourcing involves contracting functions that are
typical of the company to be carried out an external companies.
The aim of outsourcing is to allow companies to focus on the processes that are key to their
business and outsource those who do not add value.
A good example of outsourcing the HR department could be payroll. Today there are many
companies specializing in payroll that can do this task more efficiently often than ourselves. for
this reason many times the company decides to outsource this function and devote resources to
other tasks of strategic human resources department
However, the outsourcing process should be well thought out by the managers of the company
because there are costs associated with outsourcing.

Loss of control

Impact on the employer/employee relationship

Loss of flexibility

Failure to deliver cost benefits

Legal or regulatory requirements
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
Industrial relations issues
Activities
Today there is much controversy over the term outsourcing. Many small and medium-sized
companies use outsourcing the HR Department because they do not have enough resources to
do it themselves.
However, there are large companies who decide to outsource specific functions to lower costs.
1) Watch the following video:
This is a video made by the company G & A Partners. This company specializes in the
outsourcing of certain functions of the department of human resources in small and medium
enterprises . Watch the video carefully and answer the following questions :
Meet the million dollar employee | HR outsourcing | G&A Partners
Answer the following questions:
1. What kind of company do you think is represented in the video?
2. How does the video justify the need to outsource?
3. Do you think this justification can be found in a large company? Explain.
4. Look for more information about this company, what kind of client does it have? Which
service it offers, etc.
5. Finally, in pairs, make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing. Then share
your conclusions.
If you have any problem in understanding the video click on this link and you will find the text.
www.vidqt.com/id/76NobD3dOIQ?lang=en
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SUMMARY
Having reached the end of the unit you should be able to:
- describe the main reasons why Human Resource department is important in a company.
- identify the functions and organizational structure of HR department.
- consider the importance of outsourcing for the companies and to be able to describe the
advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing.
TO KNOW MORE
-If you have any questions about the functions of HR department please click on this web.
http://www.dineshbakshi.com/igcse-business-studies/people-at-work/revision-notes/850functions-of-human-resource-department
-As you know not all HR departments have the same organizational structure. In the following
link you will see a video showing a clear, and simple structure of HR department. In addition,
you can find the transcript on the website if you have any problem.
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/common-structures-of-hr-in-organizations.html
- As a future clerk it is important to know what kind of tasks are being done in the companies.
Please click on this link where you can find the administrative tasks not only in HR department
but all the company. Moreover, you can find information about the schools where you can study,
the qualifications required for studying and the conditions of your future job.
http://educationportal.com/articles/HR_Administrative_Assistant_Job_Duties_and_Requirements.html
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