Law Professional Corporation

How Does A Human Resource Management Service Help Businesses?

Author / Sukhi Dhillon Alberga
Posted / January 22, 2025

The role that human resources services play in an organization is a critical aspect to its success and growth.

Whatever method of HR service delivery a business chooses to use, whether through a traditional HR department, outsourcing to third-party service providers, hiring HR consulting services, self-service portals, automated human resource shared services, a decentralized human resource service centre or using a cloud-based or virtual system, there is no denying the fact that the function of such services adds value to a company by providing essential support to improve workplace efficiency and employer-employee relationships.

Canadian HR Services For Employers

The primary focus of human resource services is managing and improving people processes within a company. This comprises several activities from recruitment, managing compensation and benefits, performance measurement, training and development and all the way through to offboarding or retirement of employees. Across the entire employee lifecycle, HR practices center around shaping the employee experience so that each person is skilled, engaged and aligned with the organization’s vision and goals. 

Here are several ways HR services can help businesses.

Maintaining compliance with employment laws

In Canada, labour laws and regulations are very strict. The country is known for having some of the most comprehensive and up-to-date laws and regulations related to employment management. There are laws for discrimination like the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA), laws for privacy protection such as PIPEDA, as well as laws that govern employment standards at the federal level such as the Canada Labour Code (CLC) and at the provincial level, including the Employment Standards Act (ESA), 2000, a key provincial law for Ontario and The Employment Standards Code, which is Alberta’s primary legislation.

Human resources services help businesses stay up to date with federal and provincial labor laws, including minimum wage laws, overtime pay requirements and workplace safety regulations in order to uphold employees’ rights and reduce the risk of legal disputes and penalties.

Managing conflicts, grievances, and disciplinary actions

An integral part of human resource management services is ensuring that conflicts, grievances, and disciplinary actions are handled fairly, confidentially and in compliance with the law. To ensure effective management in such situations, HR processes basically include the following:

  • Setting up and enforcing clearly communicated and well-documented policies to prevent and resolve them at an early stage and avoid escalation.
  • Provide support and counseling to ensure the well-being of parties involved.
  • Conduct investigations thoroughly, objectively, and impartially to establish legal grounds.
  • Intervene to mediate and facilitate to help parties reach an understanding and a resolution.
  • Consult with legal advisors and take preventive steps to minimise exposure to lawsuits.

As an example, an HR service can provide vital assistance for employees who are falsely accused of harassment in the workplace in Canada. HR can provide support by initiating an investigation to determine if a claim has merit and ensure that the process is fair, unbiased and in line with Canadian laws. 

If you are defending yourself against false accusations at work, HR services can facilitate access to legal representation and refer you to third-party legal resources such as harassment lawyers or employment law lawyers who specialise in sexual harassment or wrongful dismissal cases. HR can also direct you to Employee Assistance Programs, if your company has one, to obtain legal advice or a referral to a sex harassment attorney as well acquire access to 24/7 support, confidential counseling and consultations with other licensed professionals if necessary.

Managing payroll services 

For many established companies in Canada, payroll processing and benefits administration are key functions of HR that are best delivered by human resources shared services as they involve 

time-sensitive, high-volume repetitive tasks that require careful attention to detail in order to achieve a high-level of accuracy and consistency at all times. 

By using a centralized HR service delivery model, payroll and benefits functions are consolidated into one single location where all the information can be located in one place. The automated platform also reduces the manual workload resulting in reduced errors and ensuring a high rate of accuracy and timely payment to employees. 

Employee onboarding and offboarding

Onboarding and offboarding is the entire employment lifecycle that starts from the moment the new hire decides to join the company up until when the employee is about to depart. The two processes are main HR functions that are best delivered through the use of a human resource service centre as they involve multiple administrative steps and complex paperwork that can be standardized and automated for efficiency. From hiring to resignation, termination or retirement all employee data needs to be accurate and consistently updated. Compliance and privacy laws also require protecting sensitive information, such as medical records, performance evaluations, and personal contact details. HR services are especially important when dealing with employee positions with specialized knowledge such as software engineers or developers, medical professionals, research scientists or brand strategists to ensure that security requirements are in place to protect the company’s interests. Using human resource shared services ensures proper management of all this data and helps set up a well structured onboarding and offboarding process which enhances the overall employee experience as well as ensuring compliance with labor laws.

Staff training and development

Another critical area where human resource services can help businesses is in developing and managing training courses and programs that can help employees accelerate their careers, develop leadership skills and inform and educate in areas like harassment prevention, workplace safety, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Human resources consulting services are often acquired to develop and implement training programs particularly if they require specialized knowledge and expertise which the in-house HR team may not have. HR consultants can provide relevant and updated information on complex HR issues such as recruitment, compensation, compliance, employee relations, and organizational development.

Many businesses hire HR consulting firms to help them create and improve diversity and inclusion programs. HR consultants create courses and assessments and provide strategic guidance when training employees. They also bring a fresh, unbiased perspective that is vital in helping businesses cultivate an inclusive and diverse work environment. 

Looking for HR Services in Ontario

A human resource management service offers key elements to help businesses manage their people resources effectively and efficiently. They hire the best people with the right skills to meet business needs. They provide training and development opportunities to ensure that employees are on track to meet the organization’s goals. They seek fair and equitable compensation benefits and make sure that employees are motivated and invested in their work. They hold employers accountable to federal and provincial laws and regulations to ensure employees are treated equally regardless of gender, race or social background. Whether your company is small, medium or large sized or whether it’s just getting started, beginning to grow or in the process of change, human resource services are essential to promoting a productive and engaged workforce that will drive its success. 

Tap into our expertise today! Our dedicated HR consultants will help you align HR strategies to your business goals and help you maintain a productive, efficient and innovative workforce. Contact us and schedule a free 15 minute consultation.

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