12 HR Roles and Responsibilities, From Hiring to Exit

Human resources (HR) roles and responsibilities cover everything a business does for its people. HR hires them, pays them right, treats them fairly and lets them go properly.

Below are the 12 core HR responsibilities, what each one involves, and what the common HR job titles do day to day.

In my view, the HR job that gets noticed least is the one that matters most every month: getting attendance and pay right.

HR Roles and Responsibilities in Brief

Here are the 12 responsibilities, grouped into four parts:

Group	Responsibilities	How often
Hiring	1. Workforce planning, 2. Recruitment, 3. Onboarding	When a role opens
Attendance and payroll	4. Attendance and leave, 5. Payroll, 6. Statutory compliance	Every month
Growing and keeping staff	7. Training, 8. Performance reviews, 9. Engagement and retention	Monthly to yearly
Rules, complaints and exits	10. Policies, 11. Grievances and discipline, 12. Exits	As needed

In a typical month, last month’s wages are due by the 7th under the Code on Wages, 2019. Where Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) applies, last month’s contribution is due by the 15th, as the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) rules set out.

Provident Fund (PF), Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) and Professional Tax (PT) have their own due dates too. The middle of the month suits hiring and training. In the last week, check attendance and approve leave before payroll.

HR Roles and Responsibilities in Hiring

HR work starts with deciding who you need, finding them, and getting them ready for day one.

1. Workforce Planning

HR works out how many people each team needs, and when. A factory in Coimbatore plans for the festival rush; a school in Indore plans before the new term.

2. Recruitment

HR prepares the job description, posts the opening, screens candidates and arranges interviews. A clear job description makes every later step easier.

3. Onboarding and Documents

HR collects documents, runs checks and issues the offer and appointment letters. The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH) Code, 2020 requires covered establishments to give every employee a letter of appointment.

A ready appointment letter format saves time here. On day one, HR also sets up the employee’s code, bank details and attendance access, so the first salary is right.

HR Roles in Attendance and Payroll

This is the monthly heart of HR, and the part with legal deadlines.

4. Attendance and Leave

HR records who worked, who was late and who was on leave. It also makes sure every leave request is approved or rejected before payroll. A hotel in Jaipur with three shifts needs this record every day.

5. Payroll

HR turns attendance into salary: working days, overtime, deductions and the final payslip. It also answers staff questions about salary at month end. A salary sheet template keeps the month’s numbers in one place.

6. Statutory Compliance

HR deducts and pays the amounts the law asks for, where each one applies. These are PF, ESI, PT, TDS and the Labour Welfare Fund (LWF).

HR also keeps the registers the labour codes ask for, such as the employee register, the attendance register and the wage register.

HR Roles in Growing and Keeping Staff

Once people join, HR helps them get better at the job and want to stay.

7. Training

HR plans induction for new joiners and skills training for others. That can mean safety drills on a shop floor or software training in an office. Keeping a simple record of who was trained, and when, helps at review time.

8. Performance Reviews

HR sets up how and when managers review work, and turns the results into raises and promotions. An appraisal letter template records the outcome. A short review every six months can be easier on managers than one long review a year. It also gives staff feedback while it still helps.

9. Engagement and Retention

HR runs recognition, festival celebrations and team activities, and watches why people leave. A retail chain with stores in Andheri and Thane can compare branches to see where staff stay longer.

HR Roles in Rules, Complaints and Exits

The last group keeps the workplace fair, and makes sure people leave on good terms.

10. Policies and the Employee Handbook

HR sets the rules on leave, attendance, conduct and benefits, and makes sure every employee can read them. A leave policy is a good first one to prepare.

11. Grievances and Discipline

HR gives staff a fair way to raise complaints and handles warnings properly.

Under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, an industrial establishment with 20 or more workers must have a grievance redressal committee.

The Code counts only workers, which leaves out people employed mainly in a managerial or administrative capacity, supervisors earning more than ₹18,000 a month (or a higher figure the Centre notifies), and apprentices.

This grievance redressal policy template sets up the process.

For sexual harassment complaints, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, known as the POSH Act, requires an Internal Committee at the workplace. Workplaces too small to have one use the Local Committee in their district.

Women employees can also complain on the government’s SHe-Box portal.

12. Exits and Full and Final Settlement

When someone resigns, HR runs the notice period, the final pay and the experience letter. Under the Code on Wages, wages still owed are due within two working days; other dues, such as gratuity, follow their own timelines.

HR also collects company property and closes system access on the last day. A short exit interview records why people leave.

That covers the 12 tasks. In a growing business, they are split across a few HR job titles.

HR Job Roles and Responsibilities

Here is what the common HR job titles do, and which business usually needs each one:

Job title	Main responsibilities	Usually needed when
HR executive	Attendance, leave, records, joining papers	You have a steady team to look after
HR manager	Policies, reviews, complaints, compliance	Several teams or branches
HR recruiter	Sourcing, screening, interviews	You hire often
HR generalist	A bit of every HR task	One person covers all of HR
HR admin and operations	Records, office needs, HR systems	Paperwork is piling up
HR payroll executive	Salary, deductions, payslips, filings	Payroll takes days each month

A small team may have one person in two or three of these roles. Each title is explained below. This job description template pack includes a ready HR executive format.

HR Executive Roles and Responsibilities

HR executive roles and responsibilities are daily and hands-on. They cover attendance, leave balances, staff files and joining papers. In a factory of 60 people, the HR executive closes the attendance sheet each month and chases missing punches.

HR Manager Roles and Responsibilities

An HR manager owns the policies and the hard conversations: reviews, complaints, warnings and compliance. In a hospital in Pune, the HR manager also plans staffing across wards.

HR Recruiter Roles and Responsibilities

HR recruiter roles and responsibilities centre on hiring. A recruiter finds and screens candidates, schedules interviews and keeps hiring managers updated. Firms that hire in volume, such as a BPO in Noida, often have several.

HR Generalist Roles and Responsibilities

HR generalist roles and responsibilities cover a little of everything on this list. The role suits a business with one HR person and many different needs. In a clinic chain, a generalist might hire nurses on Monday and check payroll inputs on Friday.

HR Admin and Operations Roles

HR admin staff keep records and handle office needs such as ID cards and seating. HR operations staff run the HR software and keep the system tidy so others can rely on it.

HR Payroll Roles and Responsibilities

HR payroll roles and responsibilities sit with a payroll executive, who runs salary, statutory deductions and payslips. The work runs to fixed dates every month, and they answer staff questions about deductions.

Whoever does the work, it is easier to run attendance, leave and payroll from one system than from three spreadsheets.

Which HR Responsibilities Come First?

HR roles and responsibilities run from hiring to exit, but they do not all start at once. Take them in this order:

1. Attendance and leave, because payroll depends on these records.
2. Payroll, statutory deposits and leavers’ final pay, which carry legal dates.
3. Complaint committees the law requires, such as the POSH Internal Committee, set up alongside the first two, not later.
4. Hiring and onboarding, as the team grows.
5. Policies and reviews, once the monthly basics run smoothly.
6. Training and engagement, to help good people stay.

For owners and HR teams who want attendance, leave and payroll in one place, see how Attendo handles them.

Frequently Asked Questions