What is HR?

The acronym HR  stands for Human Resources and refers to the division within an organization that is charged with recruiting, onboarding, and taking care of employees. In other words, the HR team is responsible for shepherding each employee throughout their entire lifecycle at a company—from the time the employee is simply a candidate (or desired candidate) to the time the employee departs the company. 

Generally, the HR team is responsible for ensuring that employees are provided with a productive and healthy work environment in which they can thrive. 

What are the various functions of an HR department?

HR departments have a vast and varied set of responsibilities that include: 

• Identifying talent gaps

• Sourcing and recruiting new employees

• Screening candidates 

• Onboarding new employees

• Training employees

• Creating compensation packages

• Managing and communicating employee benefits

• Building and maintaining a positive company culture

• Maintaining a safe and healthy workplace 

• Overseeing performance reviews

• Maintaining compliance with regulations mandated by government organizations (like OSHA and EEOC

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