What Is HR Operations?

HR operations is the management of day-to-day activities that support the human resources department. It involves all tasks that fall to HR and is related to the management of people or employees within an organization.

What are the operational functions of HR?

The operational functions of HR include:

• Recruitment and onboarding

• Payroll and benefit administration

• Data management

• Compliance

• Employee relations

These tasks are highly administrative, labor-intensive, and time-consuming, but are critical to running an effective HR department.

Why are HR operations important?

HR operations are important because they support the broad range of functions that impact both employee engagement and organizational risk management. They are critical, task-oriented duties that, while important, have kept HR leaders from taking on more strategic roles within organizations.

What’s the difference between operations and strategy?

HR operations is about the management of tasks on a day-to-day basis. HR strategy, on the other hand, is focused more on long-term planning and the alignment of HR functions with overall organizational goals to drive success. 

While HR professionals have long lamented a focus on operational or administrative tasks over strategic priorities, in truth, the HR function encompasses both.

What skills are needed in HR operations?

Effective HR operations require strong organizational skills, attention to detail, technological proficiency, attention to detail, and communication skills. They’re skills that are not entirely dissimilar to what would be required for a more strategic HR focus. The difference is that operational skills tend to be focused on the “now,” while strategic competencies are more focused on forward-looking activities. 

HR leaders today are fortunate that technology is now widely available to minimize their need to focus on operational tasks, freeing them up for more strategically focused work.

How Visier Supports HR Operations

Visier supports HR teams and their operational needs with technology that streamlines operational processes while driving data-based decision-making. By leveraging Visier's advanced people analytics and operational efficiencies, HR teams can shift their focus to strategic initiatives that drive business success. Visier is not just a tool for managing data. It's a catalyst for strategic transformation—because people impact is business impact. 

Read more on HR operations:    

• Systemic HR: What’s It Mean for HR Leaders?

• 12 Ways to Go From Administrative HR to Business Impact HR

• Scaling Small But Mighty Teams: How SMBs Can Run HR Like Enterprises With Visier Embedded Analytics