Human Resource Management II

Duties of an assistant in the

human resource office
Maintain a database of personnel
• File appraisal and employee work history or
service forms
• Issue sick leave-absence forms for completion
by the employee n their return from sick
leave
• Update annual vacation records
 Prepare for interviews
• Booking a suitable room
• Liaising with the interviewees with regard to
the time and place of the interview
• Photocopying the applications for the
members of the interview panel
• Ensuring that the interview room is ready
with enough chairs and sufficient quantities of
relevant stationery
 Attend to staff welfare
• Arrange for a health and safety expert to
assess office furniture if, for instance, an
employee is experiencing health problems
• Process the registration of each employee for
a new subsidised health insurance scheme
• Arrange for an employee with personal
problems to see a counsellor
 Assist with the functions of the human
resource management office
• Assisting the manager in work that relates to the
strategic planning role of the department
• Answering the telephone
• Responding to applications in writing
• Conducting surveys on job satisfaction and
analysing responses
• Assisting with staff welfare and appraisal activities
• Compiling documents and maintaining records
Attributes
 Confidentiality
• Discretion is paramount for an HR official
• HR assistant will know the personal details,
medical history and earnings of staff in the
organisation – this information must not be
discussed with other people either inside or
outside the company
 Patience

• The clerk in the HR department need to

interface with the public – in person or by
telephone, and by all levels of personnel in the
oorganisation
• Patience must be demonstrated when there
are pressing deadlines and the need to obtain
or disseminate information
 Tact
• This is needed when persons are pressing the
assistant for information
• Being diplomatic and not making thoughtless
comments that could upset someone who is
under stress or pressure
• The clerk may need to explain certain facts in
such a way that it causes the least problems
possible
Types of personnel records
 Contract of employment
• A formal agreement about the job that states
the terms and conditions that will apply.
• Once it is signed by both employer and
employee it becomes legally binding and both
parties have to abide by its terms
 Terms in a contract of employment
• Name of employer and employee
• Date when employment began
• Job title of brief job description
• Hours and place of work
• Pay, and how often payments will be made
• Holiday entitlement
• Entitlement to sick leave and sick pay
• Pension and pension schemes
• Notice required by employer and employee to terminate the contract
• Reference to disciplinary and grievance procedures and any trade
union agreements that relate to the employee
 Service records
• Work details and experience with the current
and previous employers
• These are important because they include
details of an employee’s history with the
company, including training courses attended,
qualifications achieved, and promotions
applied for and gained.
 Appraisal forms
• Appraisals are normally carried out by a
person’s supervisor or manager.
• These forms summarises the actions that the
employee has agreed to take before the next
appraisal
• They will form the basis for discussion when
the next appraisal interview is held
 Personal history/records
• Work details and experience with previous
employers will be listed here
• Other documents include: training records,
medical certificates, completed appraisal
forms, applications for leave of absence,
references provided, disciplinary or grievance
records.
Types of Leave
 Vacation leave
• Employees have the right to annual leave with
pay for a minimum of three weeks for one
year of service according to the Holidays with
Pay Convention (NO. 132 of 1970)
 Emergency leave
• Varied provisions exist to provide for short
periods of emergency leave. Some may be
bereavement leave- in the instance of death
of an immediate family member.
 Maternity and paternity leave
• Time given off with pay for pregnant women
and new fathers.
 Sick leave
• Time given off for illnesses that is supported
by a medical certificate.
 Study leave
• Time given to employees to gain a job-related
qualification
 Employee turnover
• This is the rate at which people enter and
leave an organisation.
• If this rate is high it can cause problems and
give a bad impression of the business.
Issues created by a high labour turnover
• The recruitment process is expensive – paying for
advertisements
• Training new staff will also cost money as resources
were used
• Disruption for employees who have to do extra work
until the leavers are replaced
• The departing worker takes valuable knowledge and
skills to a competitor
• Customers lose confidence as they know and depend
on the employee
Internal factors that contribute to
employee turnover
 Working Conditions
An employee might choose to leave if there is an
organisational climate of mistrust, hostility or
disrespect. Other reasons include high noise
levels, hazards or stress, monotonous work,
holiday entitlement and physical environment
(temperature, ventilation and space per worker)
 Low Salary
• All organisations should know the pay rates
offered by their competitors for similar jobs.
• Other aspects of compensation include
housing, transport, retirement benefits, health
insurance, employee discounts, bonuses, paid
vacation and sick leave.
 Lack of job satisfaction
• This refers to the individual’s general attitude
towards the job.
• Most people need to be stimulated and
interested in their work
• Boring work is tedious, so is having little to do
• Feeling unappreciated and receiving no
support is also demotivating
 Lack of training opportunities
• Training is an important part of staff
development.
• Loyalty increases when workers perceive an
organisation as being willing to invest money
for staff training and development
 Redundancy
• Fewer workers might be needed because of
changes in the workplace, such as the
introduction of automated systems.
• This also occurs when the business does not have
enough work for employees to do, or is relocating
or closing down and has to dismiss staff
• The organisation must follow an agreed procedure
to make sure that all dismissals are fair
External factors
State of the economy