HR professionals often deal with many aspects of a company’s business. From staffing and employee relations to the areas encompassing compensation and benefits to training and information systems, they generally lead a very full work life. In larger organizations, several HR people may work on each of any of these functions, further subdivided into specialty areas—for example, the comps and benefits staff may include specialists in fields such as payroll, health insurance, and 401(k) plans. In smaller organizations, the HR person may also wear many hats, but one thing remains true; almost every company in the country has somebody on board to handle HR issues. The following article will give you a general background on what is expected of the typical HR manager in today’s work environment, as well as some useful resources for further information.
In a small organization, a human resources manager may handle all aspects of human resources work, requiring a broad range of knowledge. The responsibilities of human resources managers can vary widely, depending on their employer's needs. In a large corporation, the top human resources executive usually develops and coordinates personnel programs and policies. These policies are usually implemented by a director or manager of human resources and, in some cases, a director of industrial relations. In an effort to improve morale and productivity and limit job turnover, they also help their firms effectively use employee skills, provide training opportunities to enhance those skills, and boost employee satisfaction with their jobs and working conditions. Although some management jobs in the human resources field require only limited contact with people outside the office, dealing with people is an essential part of the job.
Familiarity with health benefits is a top priority for employee benefits managers and specialists, as more firms struggle to cope with the rising cost of health care for employees and retirees. In addition to health insurance and pension coverage, some firms offer employees life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, disability insurance, and relatively new benefits designed to meet the needs of a changing workforce, such as parental leave, child and elder care, long-term nursing home care insurance, employee assistance and wellness programs, and flexible benefits plans. Benefits managers must keep abreast of changing Federal and State regulations and legislation that may affect employee benefits. Training specialists plan, organize, and direct a wide range of training activities and can provide necessary training for health insurance, as well. Trainers respond to corporate and worker service requests about health insurances and generally consult with onsite supervisors.
In a departure from prepackaged HMO or PPO plans, some major companies are offering employees a chance to tailor their health benefits as they would auto- or homeowners-insurance policies, going through a step-by-step decision process and getting much more involved in the details.
Employees with customized benefits, at their most elaborate, can choose among as many as five deductibles, five co-insurance levels, broad or narrow doctor and hospital networks and several prescription-drug options. Each decision ultimately affects an employee's monthly payroll deduction for their benefits.
All of the choices can mean one plan can have as many as 100 different variations, though employers typically limit the options to closer to 40, says Tom Beauregard, a consultant at Hewitt Associates, a human-resources consulting firm that has about 20 clients among Fortune 1000 companies that are offering customized benefits.
Customized plans are being developed as health-care costs continue to soar and many companies shift more of the financial burden to their employees by raising their premium contributions, co-payments and out-of-pocket limits. The idea is to make the employee's heavier expense for coverage more palatable by transferring over more decision-making power. Choosing higher deductibles or co-payments, for instance, would mean getting a lower monthly premium.
This truly depends on the size and type of organization. When a few staff members manage a multitude of tasks, often some duties aren’t as well managed as others. And in small associations, the myriad tasks involved in human resources can eclipse duties more closely aligned with the organization’s mission.
Some organizations look externally and hire professional employment organizations, or PEOs, which are enterprises that handle human resources responsibilities for small companies employing as few as five and as many as 200 people. PEOs, a new and fast-growing industry, perform the kinds of tasks that generally fall under accounting and human resource umbrellas, freeing those internally to focus time solely on providing healthcare benefits.
In addition to health insurance and pension coverage, some hr professionals may also have to deal with life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, as well as disability insurance. There are also relatively new benefits of which they must be familiar, in order to meet the needs of a changing workforce. These include parental leave, child and elderly care, long-term nursing home care insurance, employee assistance and wellness programs, along with flexible benefits plans.
A local search can find many for you via the online channels and search engines. However, while almost all brokers are on the level, some may not present policies fairly. They may offer a computerized search that purports to compare all policies on the market, but favors the broker’s pet policies. Be wary of this and ask for references when interviewing one.
Sometimes. While large companies can opt to hire a big accounting firm to shop health plans for a fee, smaller businesses are brought, primarily, to the plans through brokers paid by commission. Most companies navigating managed care plans have neither the money nor the time to devote to careful plan evaluation. Brokers act essentially as an outside employee benefits manager, shopping rates and defining the quality of care available, which could cost a company some cash up front, but possibly saving a great deal more in the long run.
There are many online sources of information, as well as offline. One good place to start is the ERI distance learning center, where many HR continuing education courses are offered for free or for nominal fees. Visit http://www.eridlc.com/ for more information. You can also try the HR Training center at http://hrtrainingcenter.com.
There are many active blogs and online resources available at one’s fingertips, 24/7. Check out ERE Recruiting’s HR blog by visiting: http://www.erexchange.com.
One place to start is with the Society for Human Resource Management. Visit http://www.shrm.org/hrresources/ for more information.
There can be many, depending on the state. Two common issues are the state-specific Family Medical Leave Act and the facets behind Health Savings Accounts.
There is, and a lot of it. From benefits and claims management to workers’ comp, there is something for just about everything an HR professional can use. A simple Google search for “HR Software” yields approximately 109 million results.
Two helpful sites we found were the Thompson Publishing Group and HR Powerhouse.
