How Does a Human Resources Manager Spend a Workday?

Hiring

The human resources manager is the first line of defense between a company's resources and an employee who may put those resources in jeopardy. The human resources manager is the person put in charge of hiring new employees, firing current employees, and engaging in paperwork related to employee concerns ranging from health insurance to vacation leave time. If the company is large enough, the manager also does the work of a recruiter, such as placing ads in the paper and online job sites.

Dealing With Service Providers

The human resources manager is not just in charge of the employees. Although the actual duties of the manager depend on the size of the company, in most cases a good portion of the day is spent on the phone with wholesalers, health care professionals, banking representatives and suppliers. Another related task is attending meetings to discuss the results of this aspect of the job.

Dirty Work

Firing employees is not the only dirty part of the job of human resources manager. It is the manager's job to inform employees that they cannot take a long-scheduled vacation because there is too much work to be done, or letting them know that an expected bonus won't be coming. In addition, the human resources manager is expected to mediate any dispute between employees as well as employees and management. Any official reprimand of an employee goes through the office of the human resources manager.