The human resources office – Part 2

HI, STUDENTS! I hope you have been making notes on the lessons we have done so far. I will continue to look at other functions and the importance of the human resources office:

STAFF WELFARE

Staff welfare is concerned with the maintenance of safe working conditions and the provision of services for employees. These services include – pension schemes, superannuation schemes, medical schemes and safety regulations.

PROMOTION, TRANSFER, LAY-OFF AND DISMISSAL

As organisations change, they have different labour requirements. If a firm is expanding, new jobs are created. On the other hand, if the volume of work is reduced, the workforce declines. These factors usually influence promotion, transfer, lay-off and dismissal.

DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES

It is the employees’ responsibility to familiarise themselves with the organisation’s rules and regulations. Organisations often provide employees with a staff handbook, code of regulations, or other written document indicating the company’s disciplinary procedures. The company, at times, may find it necessary to discipline employees on matters relating to – poor performance, absence or lack of punctuality, gross misconduct, harassment, and misuse of the organisation’s facilities.

STATUTORY PROVISIONS FOR EMPLOYEE PROTECTION

There are statutory provisions for employee protection. Such provisions are legislated and outline such protection conditions as: ■ Employee’s leave rights; ■ Public holidays leave/pay; ■ Sick leave; ■ National minimum wage rate; ■ Maximum work hours.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A CLERK IN A HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICE

The clerk in this office usually carries out duties under the supervision of the human resources manager/officer. Very strict confidentiality should be observed by this person in dealing with personnel matters. The duties include: ■ Writing routine letters, e.g., a letter in response to a request for information on a vacancy; a letter inviting an applicant to an interview; a letter to successful applicant. ■ Arranging meetings for interviews. ■ Maintaining files and records, including confidential records. ■ Sorting various forms, including application, appraisal, etc. ■ Providing information regarding job vacancies, leave, insurance, etc.

CONTRACTS OF EMPLOYMENT

A contract of employment is a document which gives the employee certain particulars pertaining to the conditions of the service. It usually indicates – ■ Date of commencement; ■ Remuneration; ■ Times of payment; ■ Hours of work; ■ Length of holidays; ■ Welfare services and conditions; ■ Name of department in which employee will be located; ■ Length of notice to be given by employer and employee for termination of employment.

SERVICE RECORD

A service record indicates the date of the employee’s first appointment to the particular organisation, the position held, and the length of time served in each post.

LEAVE

Leave may be granted with pay or without pay. The different categories of leave include: study leave, vacation leave, sick leave, special leave, compassionate leave, maternity leave, and no-pay leave. Again, I am going to ask you to make notes on the different categories of leave.

PERSONAL HISTORY

This is usually recorded from the employee’s résumé. When the human resources office receives additional information pertaining to qualifications, training, promotion, marriage, change of address, these details are added to the employee’s personal history.

APPRAISAL FORM

An employee appraisal form is a record of performance evaluation. The appraisal form allows organisations to compare employees, using the same criteria, and becomes part of each employee’s personal file. The completion of the employee appraisal form must be both impersonal and impartial. See you next week.