What Is Human Resources (HR)? Description, Duties, and Jobs

A human resources (HR) department performs human resource management functions, such as finding, hiring, training, and supporting new employees. As a result, HR departments are responsible for such important tasks as reviewing resumes, keeping track of employee information, and ensuring a company complies with labor laws and employment standards.

Learn more about what HR is, what human resources departments do, and some of the jobs that define the field. You can also explore cost-effective, flexible solutions to help you gain the job-relevant skills you’ll need to excel in an HR career.

If you’re ready to explore this career field, consider enrolling in the free course The Manager’s Toolkit: A Practical Guide to Managing People at Work from the University of London.

What is HR?

Within a company, HR is responsible for screening, recruiting, and training employees and implementing employee processes. In effect, HR departments are responsible for managing a company’s entire employee experience, from when an individual applies to a position to when they begin working at the organization and, finally, when they leave it.

In some companies, HR also administers compensation benefits. HR departments exist to add value to an organization by providing objective guidance to managers and employees on people-related matters. You’ll achieve this through a combination of day-to-day support for employees, project work, and long-term strategic planning. A well-managed HR department finds the right people for the job and does what it takes to keep them content and productive.

What does HR do?

HR’s primary activities include:

• Recruitment 

• Administration 

• Compensation and benefits 

• Training and development

• Employee relations 

• Performance management 

Take a look at each of these responsibilities in more detail.

Recruitment

Recruitment includes all aspects of hiring, from sourcing candidates to onboarding. You may work with hiring managers to determine the needs of a particular role and then find candidates that meet those requirements. You will typically use job boards, career websites, social media, employee referrals, and more to find potential candidates. You may interview HR candidates or work alongside department managers to assess whether the applicants are a good fit for the position. 

After choosing a candidate, you’ll work with them through the onboarding process. This includes collecting payroll and benefits administration paperwork, such as W-4s, I-9s, direct deposit forms, and any other documents your company needs. In addition, you may prepare new hire materials, such as orientation packets or company handbooks outlining company policies.

For ideas on how to conduct interviews as part of the recruitment process, as well as understand interviews from a candidate’s perspective, watch this video:

Administration 

One key role of HR is keeping track of documents, including employee records related to attendance, vacations, medical leave, and other employee data. This helps demonstrate that the company complies with labor regulations on working hours and conditions. It also helps make sure that employees receive the correct salary and benefits based on their employment status, working hours, and pay rates. 

Compensation and benefits

Compensation and benefits work involves ensuring your company takes care of its employees by offering competitive salaries and a satisfactory benefits package. Your job as an HR professional may include seeing that employees receive the correct salary and access the benefits they want. You may process payroll or work with an accounting department or third-party company that distributes paychecks.

If you have a management position within human resources, you may analyze the benefits offered by competing companies in your geographical area and industry. Your work can help managers make compensation decisions for current and future employees. When you make changes, you might administer new company policies on benefits, such as health insurance or retirement plans.

Training and development

Training and development help employees to continually update their skills and improve their job performance. Whether you develop the training in-house or contract with another group, it’s essential to establish an inventory of the training and development opportunities available within your company. This also can include outside sources that provide the information and skills employees need.

When developing a training program, you’ll consider mandatory and voluntary opportunities. Laws may require some training, such as sexual harassment education. Other training may focus on individual career goals or the company’s needs. Your objective is to ensure that all employees have access to the tools they need to succeed and become more valuable to the company.

Employee relations and performance management

Employee relations include everything a company does to create a healthy work environment and encourage positive employee relationships. This may consist of facilitating conversations about employee policies such as compensation, working conditions, and dispute resolution.

In HR roles, you must be a company culture ambassador. You might work with the company’s management to develop an organizational structure and culture that supports the company’s goals. You’ll also act as a liaison between employees and managers to ensure that appropriate communications exist between all parties.

Watch this video on the importance of performance management:

How does HR support employees?

As a human resources professional, you support employees by providing continuing education, training, and support for health and well-being. Adequate human resources are essential to maintaining employee satisfaction and morale. While the way HR supports employees may vary from one company to another, your HR department can provide support to employees in the following ways:

Providing a career path within the organization

As a human resources professional, you support employees by offering a career path within the company. Your department can offer clearly defined avenues for advancement, promotions, and transfers to other departments or divisions. This helps to encourage employees to stay with the organization rather than seek outside opportunities when they’re ready for new challenges.

Offering continuing education opportunities

HR may oversee continuing education programs that benefit both the employer and the employee. This could be professional development, tuition reimbursement for courses, or certifications. Giving employees opportunities to enhance their skill sets and industry knowledge can boost morale and incentivize workers to continue working for the company. Education assistance programs often work well as recruitment and retention tools.

Training and supporting managers

You may work with department heads and managers as a human resources professional to improve their knowledge and skills. By training leaders in the company, you’ll help employees throughout the organization. Your training may focus on staff motivation, effective feedback, disciplinary issues, diversity, technical skills, and compliance with the law.

Supporting health and wellness

Your HR department will likely support employees by managing health plans, employee assistance programs, retirement planning, and disability benefits. These programs can help employees resolve conflicts and manage stress outside of the workplace that could otherwise interfere with their work. In some companies, these program benefits extend to the immediate family.

You also may assist managers with creating employee wellness programs that include fitness challenges, healthy eating guidelines, and stress reduction practices. Healthy employees tend to use fewer sick days, which can improve the company’s productivity. Some employers offer these on-site, while others collaborate with outside vendors to provide services. 

What are the educational requirements for HR?

Most positions in HR require a bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, or a related field. In addition to your degree, you can learn the skills you need to start an HR career with the Human Resource Management and Leadership Specialization. This program covers leadership theories, motivating teams to innovate, enabling organizations to meet objectives, and more.

Human resources jobs

Types of jobs in HR range from administrative support roles and HR generalist positions to human resource management (HRM) and specialist jobs like benefits coordinator and labor relations specialist. Potential human resources jobs include the following.

*All annual base salary data is sourced from Glassdoor as of August 2024 and does not include additional pay, such as commission and benefits.

Benefits administrator

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $58,477

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 7 percent [1]

As a benefits administrator, you will assist new employees as they select benefits when onboarding. You will also help current employees when they update their selection. In this role, you will process applications, keep track of employee information, and help companies understand the policies they can choose from. 

Employee relations manager

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $101,927

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 6 percent [2]

In the role of an employee relations manager, you’ll help leaders build relationships with employees, address employee concerns, and resolve disputes between employees and company leadership. You will help shape company culture and develop programs that encourage employee wellness. 

Human resources assistant

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $46,106

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 8 percent [3]

As a human resources assistant, you will support HR management in administrative tasks like recording information, processing documents, and communicating with employees about their applications for benefits and other programs. You may also coordinate employees for onboarding and other training opportunities. 

Human resources director

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $114,381

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 5 percent [2]

In this role, you will supervise the HR department. You’ll oversee orientation and training programs, develop HR policies, and monitor compliance with labor laws.

Human resources generalist

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $68,295

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 6 percent [3]

As a human resources generalist, you will manage or supervise a company’s HR operations, including hiring and onboarding new employees, overseeing compensation and benefits, and maintaining compliance. In this role, you will manage a lot of different aspects of human resources without specializing in one specific task. 

Human resources information system (HRIS) analyst

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $72,448

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 8 percent [3]

In the role of a human resources information system analyst, you will manage and monitor technology and data the HR department uses, including payroll, employee surveys, exit interviews, and more. Using the data you collect, you’ll help the company make strategic decisions about human resources policies. 

Recruiter

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $62,371

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 8 percent [3]

As a recruiter, you will find qualified candidates to fill open positions at your company or at companies who hire your services. You will locate and screen clients, sometimes participating in initial interviews or salary negotiations.

Training and development specialist

Average annual salary in the US (Glassdoor): $75,505

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 6 percent [4]

In this role, you will develop and conduct training programs for employees. You’ll assess the training needs of your team and create or acquire training programs tailored to their needs and to company goals. 

The size of your company can dictate how many people will be involved in each HR specialism. In larger organizations, entire teams might focus on one aspect of HR, with each team member having specific skills and knowledge in their respective field. If you work in a smaller company, you’ll find more general roles, and HR professionals will do a little bit of everything.

Read more: HR Entry-Level Job Guide: Jobs, Salaries, and Strategies to Get Hired

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What skills do you need to work in human resources?

To work in human resources, you need a combination of workplace and technical skills, such as communication and talent management systems. The specific skills you need may vary depending on the job you want, but the following list gives you an idea of the types of skills valued in HR jobs:

• Active listening: You will likely find it beneficial to practice active listening skills, as it can help you pay attention to important details and show employees that you value their time and perspective.

• Analysis: HR professionals often use data to evaluate recruiting methods and employee performance. Being able to interpret this data can be helpful.

• Administrative: Good organization, data entry and analysis skills, and a capacity to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously can serve you well in an HR job.

• Communication: In an HR role, you spend a considerable amount of time talking to people in interviews, training sessions, and conversations. You also will likely write many emails, handbooks, and other documents.

• Training: You may need to develop and deliver training sessions for adults, including new and existing employees.

• Technical skills: The specific technical skills you need depend on the company you work for, but being able to use a computer and operate word-processing documents, spreadsheets, and databases tend to be helpful in most companies.

Read more: Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: What’s the Difference?

Work toward your HR goals with Coursera

Human resources is an important part of any business, serving as the point of contact for potential new hires and as an advocate for current employees. If you want to pursue a career in HR, consider taking a Specialization through Coursera to gain job-relevant skills today. In the University of Minnesota’s Human Resource Management: HR for People Managers Specialization, discover how to become a better manager of people by developing strategies and skills for hiring, managing performance, and rewarding employees. With Macquarie University’s Leading: Human Resource Management and Leadership Specialization, meanwhile, you can build the skills to lead teams in an ever-changing global environment.