HR Area of a Company (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what the human resources area of a company is, what its functions are and some examples of its tasks.

Human resources area of a company

The human resources area (also called HR) deals with organizing human factors and maximizing their performance within the company.

The term “human resources” does not refer to assets, but to people considered active and proactive agents, endowed with skills. Therefore, it is important that this area remains aligned with the organization's strategies to accompany its process and evolution along with the human value that makes it up.

The term “human resources” began to gain popularity in 1910, after the Second Industrial Revolution. Employees were considered a kind of capital asset, that is, they can generate even more profits for the company and not just be a person who fulfills a task.

Just as the company optimizes the use of technological resources or machinery to obtain the highest performance, in a similar way it began to consider employees so that they provide their maximum performance.

Functions of the HR area

Among the main functions of the human resources area are:

Recruitment and selection It refers to identifying the company's needs to define the professional profiles that need to be incorporated, publishing job offers, conducting job interviews and analyzing the results for the selection and hiring of candidates.
Hiring It refers to the integration process of the new candidate chosen to be part of the organization (from the signing of the contract to their proper insertion into the job). The human resources area must accompany and supervise this process.
Training and training. It refers to facilitating access to knowledge and tools (documents, training, courses, etc.) necessary for employees to improve their performance in their tasks and be able to reach other positions within the organization.
Control of the work climate It refers to establishing rules of coexistence, avoiding rumors and maintaining open communication with all staff (through bulletin boards, internal emails, team meetings, etc.), so that they contribute to maintaining a good relationship between employees and with the organization.
Management of dismissals and dismissals It refers to the administrative management related to an employee who will stop providing their services to the organization, either due to temporary licenses, leaving the company permanently or due to layoffs.

Examples of tasks in the HR area

HR area of a company training functions — The HR area identifies which employees must access specific training.

Some tasks performed by the human resources area are:

Determine staff needs so that they can carry out their tasks in the best way and to improve their experience within the organization. For example, they require training on how to use billing software.
Identify and incentivize the most efficient employees for example, by facilitating access to training for professionals that allows them to reach higher positions within the organization.
Monitor compliance with working conditions by employees, for example, confirming that they comply with the entry and exit times stipulated by the company.
Communicate the terms and conditions of the company directed at employees, for example, the announcement of privacy policies and other usage specifications for accessing the organization's cloud storage.
Avoid discrimination among employees and from the organization to its employees. For example, hiring women to occupy hierarchical positions is a way of not discriminating based on a person's sexual condition.

Success stories from human resources areas

Some multinational companies stand out for the work of the human resources area, which improves their institutional image and generates greater interest among people to be part of the organization. Some examples are:

TWITTER

The American company implemented a staff induction program called “from yes to desk” which refers to the good experience that the company offers, from the moment the employee accepts the job (from the moment they say “yes”) until they sit down for the first time at their desk.

The process includes seventy-five steps that the human resources area must follow along with other areas, so that newcomers are not alone during their first day. For example, together with the technology area, they ensure that the new member has their email and computer access activated, and their desk is in order and equipped.