Skip to the main content.
FAQs

Frequently asked questions.

Videos

Instructional videos about Horizon and working with our solutions.

Downloads

Helpful downloads and eBooks to empower your business.

Tax & HR Alerts

Helpful tax and HR alerts to help keep your business compliant.

Forms & Documents

Payroll and tax-related forms and documents.

Blog

Horizon's blog provides valuable insight into payroll, compliance, human resources, and more.

Success Stories

See our client success stories for a case study on how we can help your business.

Featured blog post

How Long Should Employee Onboarding Take

Featured blog post

Tips For Success With Seasonal Employees

Our Team

Payroll and HR strategy requires intelligent technology, personal attention and specialized expertise in the needs and nuances of your business. 

Clients & Industries

We provide payroll and tax processing services for businesses from 1 to 1,000 employees or more. Today, we have nearly 1,000 customers in 40 states.

HR Support Guide

Whether you are looking to develop an entirely new HR team for your company or simply want to ensure the one you have is running efficiently, working with a company that knows the ins and outs of human resources is a must!

A human resource professional’s role is to ensure each employee’s productivity, safety, and legal rights are conducted on a professional and appropriate level. Any company could suffer tremendously without a knowledgeable staff and the proper tools and resources for them to work.

While many people see the human resource department as the place to go for a paycheck or to request a little time off, the duties stretch far beyond those tasks. So, what is HR support, and how can you improve the overall success of operations from within this team? Let’s take a look.

 

HR-experts-for-small-businesses

 

What is HR (Human Resources)?

Human resources (HR) is a business division responsible for all things to do with employees and employee-related areas. It is up to the human resource department to implement a progressive, positive, and professional work environment.

In larger companies, the HR department can utilize the assistance of multiple professionals, while small businesses might only have one. Either way, all businesses need an HR department utilizing best practices in order to keep the inner workings of a company running smoothly.


Offering Resources to a Company's Employees

It is the role of HR departments to recruit new employees into a company and provide them with all the resources they will need to be successful at their job.

These professionals are often handed administrative assignments but are required to wear many hats to take on various responsibilities within the company. Most of these tasks directly relate to working with employees to ensure they are offered tools and assistance for optimal performance in the workplace.

Common Roles of Human Resources

The role of a human resource professional can look a bit different depending on the company you work for. However, the overall job description remains the same across the board. Many jobs HR is tasked with can be demanding and challenging but require professionalism and a lot of responsibility!

Hiring and Recruiting

First and foremost, it is the responsibility of the human resource administrator to look for new hires and recruit them for the job.  

This is not simply choosing from a pile of resumes and selecting the one that sounds the best. First, you must advertise the open position; this can be done in several ways. 

  • Job boards (Zip Recruiter, iHire.com, etc.) 
  • Networking sites (LinkedIn, Quora, etc.) 
  • Social media advertisements 
  • Employee referrals 

Once the resumes start rolling in, it is the HR department’s job to sort through everyone to recruit the best candidate for the job. 

That means reviewing their information, confirming their job history and references, and ensuring the provided information is accurate and relevant to the available position.  

 

man-sitting-computer-hr-support-chat

 

Screening and Training New Hires

Once a new hire is brought aboard, they are required to go through the screening process, fingerprints, background checks, etc. An HR professional typically heads this process.

Finally, when the new employee starts work, it is up to the HR department to provide them with the right tools and resources to ensure they can be successful and productive in their new role.

 

Managing Benefits for Employees

It is up to the HR team to provide and manage employee benefits packages. This includes medical insurance, 401K, PTO days, etc.

An HR representative should have complete knowledge of every benefit provided to the employees and be prepared to assist if any questions arise. Managing benefits also requires the HR team to provide a complete employee handbook that details what the new recruit can expect (and what is expected of them!).

 

Maintaining a Budget and Payroll

Most HR professionals are often in charge of managing the company’s finances when it comes to hiring and the employment process.

This requires a strong understanding of payroll and diligent record keeping. 

  • Each employee’s wages 
  • State, local, and federal taxes 
  • Child support and wage garnishment
  • 401K 
  • FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) 
  • Medical insurance payments 
  • Overtime, Holidays, PTO 
  • Bonuses 
  • Commission 
  • Reimbursement 
  • Union Dues 

 

satisfied-employees-smiling-woman

 

Ensuring Employee Satisfaction

Happy employees lead to a successful business, which means someone has to play the role of an advocate for your workforce. It is up to the HR team to provide employees with the assistance and guidance needed to ensure employees are satisfied during their workday.

These professionals should be personable, reliable, and have the ability to hold back their own feelings and emotions to approach each situation in an unbiased manner.

Help Implement Company Culture

The culture of a business is crucial to its success. These are the workplace’s attitudes, beliefs, standards, and values.

A company’s culture reflects how a business behaves and how colleagues work together. Upon hiring a new employee, the HR team must inform them what to expect from others and what type of behavior is expected of them.

A company’s culture is typically implied in its values statement, providing a guideline for long-term goals all employees can refer to at any time. A good company culture can lead to future success for the entire staff and bring them together, working well side-by-side!

 

 

Support for Building an HR Department

When putting together an effective and strong HR department, it is critical to have the proper support, services, updated systems/programs, and other tools in place to grow a successful business.

Set A Time To Chat

man-talking-to-payroll-advisor-on-phone

Essential Building Blocks of Human Resources

There are a few essential building blocks of human resources that should never be overlooked. These elements provide associates with the ability to work smarter, not harder, saving time, energy, and money in the process.

Company-Wide Staffing Plans

Working in the HR department requires you to identify every open position your office currently needs to fill. You will also be required to determine where established employees need to be moved (or even removed).

Creation of an HR Budget

The Human Resources department is responsible for creating an efficient and effective budget. This means becoming familiar with budgeting basics, systems, and operational costs in your company.

HR professionals are required to forecast costs, assess, and manage budget gaps, and create appropriate and achievable timelines.

Payroll and Attendance Systems

The payroll and attendance systems in your company serve to efficiently keep track of important information in a business, such as an employee’s income, deductions, taxes, performance management, and an employee’s work hours.

This software makes the day-to-day business a lot easier to maintain and manage, so HR personnel can spend their time doing other more important things.

Writing Clear Job Descriptions and Documents

Ensuring every employee in the company has a clear understanding of their role in the company is a must. This will keep everyone organized and on the same page. Without clear instructions on what an employee’s job is, it can be easy for things to overlap or get overlooked.

The same thing can be said for necessary documentation and company paperwork. HR is responsible for keeping crucial documents written out clearly and precisely.

 

hr-support-restaurant-employees

 

Selection and Implementation of Benefits Packages

There is an abundance of benefits packages available for employers to provide for their employees today. A human resources professional is typically the one in charge of sorting out the options, choosing the best packages for the company, and implementing them for each employee if they qualify. 

Benefits packages can include an array of offers such as: 

  • Health insurance 
  • Dental 
  • Vision 
  • PTO (1, 2, or 3 weeks depending on the length of employment) 
  • Matched 401K 
  • Paid higher education 
  • Childcare services 
  • And more! 

Create an Employee Handbook and Safety Procedures

While many employees do a quick once over and then toss the papers to the side, these employee handbooks are extremely important. These handbooks are for the protection of the employee and employer, ensuring both understand the rules, regulations, and internal workings of the company.

Not only is it a part of HR’s job to create the best employee handbook for the company, ensuring every aspect of the job and expectations of the company are covered, but they also must create a safety plan for the workplace as well. These safety procedures must follow OSHA standards, keeping everyone in the work zone prepared, aware, and protected from dangers.

Collection of Administrative Records

Administrative records are an organization’s documents that contain the policies, procedures, critical decisions, operations functions, transactions, and all other information that notes the agency’s activities.

Keeping clear, concise, and easy-to-locate records is a must since these types of things may be asked for by the state at any given time to ensure the company is operating under their rules and everything is handled professionally and legally.

Promotion of a Healthy Work Environment

Keeping a healthy work environment doesn’t stop at a clean and organized workspace. It is also the responsibility of the HR worker to ensure employees are mentally and physically healthy. 

This includes but is not limited to: 

  • Keeping sick employees at home 
  • Taking sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace seriously 
  • Staying vigilant with employee mental health 
  • Offering information regarding mental health in the workplace 
  • Requiring all employees to watch sexual misconduct and safety videos once a year, keeping them informed on what is not acceptable in the workplace 
  • Reprimanding anyone not conducting themselves appropriately

 

 

How to Manage Human Resources for Your Company

A human resources professional is an integral part of a successful company and requires diligent, challenging, and time-consuming work. To ensure your organization is running at optimal performance, solidifying a professional and knowledgeable human resource team is a must!

Having someone inside your main company location is still an efficient way to maintain a viable human resource department, but it is no longer the only way.

View Our HR Support Solutions

woman-HR-Support

Building Your HR Team in House

There are many benefits to keeping your HR team “in-house.” This keeps these employees easily accessible and allows a company to maintain control over primary and essential tasks, such as new recruit hiring, training, and management from the administrative side.

In short, keeping your HR team in-house provides companies with more confidentiality and control over the inner workings of their business.

Outsourcing for HR Support

Outsourcing for HR Support is becoming much more acceptable and accessible these days. While it doesn’t give organizations the same control over many of the operations HR is responsible for, there are still plenty of benefits to consider.

Outsourcing some or all of your HR work can save a company a lot of time and money dealing with day-to-day hassles. It will free up employees who can be doing more productive work while not being held back with more mundane tasks and paperwork.

Explore Our Resource Library

Horizon's vast library of payroll and HR resources serves to help business owners get the most out of their workforce while providing a healthy and supportive work environment.

 

Check Out Our Resource Library

HR-support-ebook-cover

 

Horizon Payroll Offers Best-in-Class HR Support

HR is an essential bridge between employees and management. So, ensuring your HR team is functioning at its highest level with quality and professional care is essential for every business!

This is where Horizon Payroll steps in. Our company works directly with organizations looking to educate, empower, and manage their human resource employees. Taking advantage of these services is not just beneficial for the employees but will increase overall productivity, attitudes, and output of quality services throughout the business! Contact us today!

Professional HR Consulting

A professional HR consultant can assist companies in several ways, ensuring the HR team is conducting business in a way that best benefits the company. At Horizon, we can train your human resource workers to work effectively and with the best tools available.  

Some services provided include: 

  • Looking at current HR guidelines, procedures, and practices 
  • Recommending ways to improve the operations and HR practices conducted 
  • Makes sure policies are followed uniformly throughout the company 
  • Aid in recruiting, hiring, training, and screening new employees 
  • Creating customized solutions for gaps in HR duties 
  • Ensures practices are legal and follow the rules and regulations set forth by each governing entity 

Our professionals will take the time to guide your HR team to operate at maximum capacity, creating an organized and functional system for your business! 

Custom Handbooks and HR Documents

Another service offered by Horizon Payroll includes well-written, custom handbooks and HR documents.

The handbooks provided are comprised of clean, easy-to-understand guidelines for employees, ensuring they know their responsibilities and what is expected of them each day they are at work.

Each document created will provide employees with engaging written communication that is clear and direct, ensuring all staff in the business understand policy, procedures, company changes, and other critical information.

These custom documents and handbooks are designed by professionals with vast knowledge in the HR world, with expertise in every aspect of the job. They are up to date on laws and regulations required to keep your company on the up and up.

 

tailored-hr-documents

 

Quarterly Harassment Prevention Training

Harassment in the workplace should never be tolerated in any business. While this has always been an ongoing issue in many organizations all over the world, companies are now working harder than ever to keep their employees safe.

The best way to ensure your employees are protected while working is to offer tools and guidance on the topic. And Horizon's team of professionals provides just that.

You can obtain quarterly harassment prevention training for your entire staff to ensure they know there is no tolerance for this behavior and educate them on what harassment is. The best way to keep your company a safe place to work is by staying on top of the behaviors of staff and the environment they work in.

Contact Us for More Information on Our HR Support Services

At Horizon, we are dedicated to helping your company be the most productive, professional, and positive place to work. For more information on our HR support services or to customize the HR solutions for your company, contact us today!

Featured Resources

How To Make Bulk Employee Edits in TimeWorks Plus & WorkforceHub Advanced

How To Bulk Update Employee Records in TimeWorks Plus: "Work with Selected Employees"

“Work with...

2 min
Read Blog +

Ohio Specific Employment Regulations

Every employer in Ohio is governed by employment and labor laws that help protect the rights of employees in the...

23 min
Read Blog +

Illinois Specific Employment Regulations

Labor laws exist to protect both employees and employers, and a crucial part of running any business is maintaining...

11 min
Read Blog +