The Employee’s Ally: The Department of People & Culture
Human Resources (HR): A department focused on the strategic management of the people, culture and work environment of a company.
HR’s duty is to protect the company from violations of law that safeguard employees and in doing so ensures that the rights of all employees are honored and protected. Among many other things, HR is responsible for recruitment, onboarding, maintaining personnel files and resolving internal conflicts. HR is not your enemy, but in fact it’s quite the opposite, HR is the employee’s ally and it is the department that truly stands by the employee for the entire employment life cycle. The department is often referred to as the Department of People & Culture. So what does an HR/People & Culture department really do for employees?
- The HR Department assists employees with work-related issues.
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- If an employee experiences harassment or needs to ask questions concerning their employment, it’s the HR Department that stands at the ready to help explain policies and procedures and to ensure the employee’s needs are being respected and met.
- It’s the job of the HR Department to create and implement employee policies to an exacting standard and to perform compliance checks.
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- Strict regulations exist on the local, state, and federal level that help protect both the company and the employee in practically all work-related situations. The most effective way to achieve this is to keep employee’s best interests in mind thus ensuring a safe, efficient, and productive workplace.
- Cultivating and maintaining relationships with labor unions and their members is another HR function that benefits employees.
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- Maintaining good relations with unions helps the company to identify and resolve potential issues and conflicts quickly.
- One of the most crucial and valued responsibilities of the HR Department is to assist employees when they are experiencing personal and/or medical issues.
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- Problems in the workplace and at home can negatively impact employee performance, productivity, and morale. In times such as these, the HR Department works with the employee and communicates across teams to ensure positive outcomes and to support our employees during some of their toughest times.
The HR Department is a vital part of a company’s growth and success. The team is responsible for more than recruitment, complaints, and compensation. HR helps shape the company’s culture. A company is only as good as its people, and the HR Department is in charge of looking out for those people. In the words of Sir Richard Branson, “Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”
Learn more about the HR/People & Culture team leaders at DFS: Our Team.