Human resources duties cover the full working life of an employee: bringing people in, paying and administering them correctly, developing them, handling problems, and managing the exit. In South Africa the function is shaped heavily by legislation, particularly the Labour Relations Act, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the Employment Equity Act, which means HR duties are as much about compliance as about people.
This guide sets out core human resources duties and responsibilities, the daily routine, and how the work changes by organisation size. It sits in the IT Finance Professional duties and responsibilities cluster, part of the wider job duties guide.
What Does Human Resources Involve?
HR runs the employment relationship on behalf of the organisation. That covers recruitment and onboarding, employment contracts and records, payroll input, leave and benefits, performance management, training, employee relations and terminations.
An important boundary: HR usually advises and administers rather than decides. A line manager makes the appointment or the disciplinary decision; HR ensures the process is fair, lawful and documented. Job descriptions that blur this cause real problems later, especially in disputes.
Key Human Resources Duties and Responsibilities
- Managing recruitment: adverts, screening, interview coordination, offers and regret letters.
- Preparing employment contracts and onboarding new employees.
- Maintaining accurate and confidential personnel files and HR records.
- Administering leave, attendance and benefits, and providing payroll input.
- Advising managers on policy, procedure and the applicable labour legislation.
- Supporting disciplinary and grievance processes and ensuring procedural fairness.
- Coordinating performance management cycles and reviews.
- Identifying training needs and arranging training and development.
- Maintaining employment equity records and preparing statutory reporting.
- Managing terminations, exit interviews and final documentation.
- Keeping policies current and communicating changes to staff.
- Reporting on headcount, turnover, absence and other people metrics.
Daily Tasks in Human Resources
- Start of day: check absence notifications, urgent employee queries and anything due to payroll.
- Morning: recruitment activity, screening applications, arranging interviews, preparing contracts.
- Midday: employee queries on leave, benefits and payslips, and manager queries on process.
- Afternoon: file and record maintenance, preparation for hearings or reviews, policy and reporting work.
- Ongoing: monthly payroll cut-off, statutory reporting deadlines and the performance review cycle.
Human Resources Skills and Competencies
- Legislative knowledge: the labour legislation and any bargaining council or sectoral determination that applies.
- Confidentiality: salary, medical and disciplinary information handled tightly and consistently.
- Record keeping: documentation that will stand up at the CCMA if it has to.
- Advisory communication: explaining what a manager may and may not do, clearly and early.
- Impartiality: handling grievances and disciplinary matters without taking sides.
- Administrative accuracy: payroll and leave errors damage trust faster than almost anything else.
Human Resources Duties by Workplace or Industry
Small Businesses
One person usually covers everything: recruitment, contracts, payroll input, leave, discipline and policy. The role is broad and practical, and external labour advisers are often used for serious matters.
Large Organisations
HR splits into specialisms: recruitment, HR administration, payroll, learning and development, employee relations and reward. Duties narrow but deepen, and the HR business partner model puts advisers alongside specific departments.
Unionised Environments
Duties add engagement with shop stewards and union officials, application of collective agreements, and participation in consultation forums. Procedural steps are more prescribed and the documentation burden is higher.
Public Sector
Recruitment, grading and conditions of service follow prescribed frameworks and departmental procedures, leaving less discretion than in private employment but requiring precise compliance with the process.
Human Resources Duties for a CV
Give headcount supported, systems used and the parts of the cycle you owned. Use the duties for a CV guide for the method.
- Provided HR support to a workforce of 240 across three sites, covering recruitment, records and employee relations.
- Administered the full recruitment cycle for 60 appointments a year, from advert to signed contract.
- Maintained personnel records and employment equity data, and prepared annual statutory reporting.
- Advised line managers on disciplinary procedure and prepared documentation for hearings.
Related Job Roles and Responsibilities
- Payroll Administrator duties and responsibilities: the payroll processing side of the function.
- Administrator duties and responsibilities: general administration that often includes HR support.
- IT, finance, HR and professional duties: the full directory of roles in this cluster.
- Job description duties and responsibilities: for HR teams writing job descriptions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Human Resources Duties
What are the duties of HR?
Recruitment and onboarding, employment contracts and records, leave and benefits administration, payroll input, advising managers on policy and labour law, supporting disciplinary and grievance processes, performance management, training coordination, employment equity reporting, and managing terminations.
What are HR duties in a small company?
In a small company one person typically handles the whole cycle: advertising and interviewing, drafting contracts, keeping personnel files, capturing leave and payroll input, maintaining policies, and managing discipline with external advice on serious matters.
Does HR make the decision to dismiss someone?
Usually not. HR advises on procedure and ensures it is followed and documented, while the decision itself normally sits with the line manager or the chairperson of the hearing. Structures differ, so check your own organisation’s policy and delegation of authority.
What qualifications do you need for HR?
Employers commonly ask for a diploma or degree in human resource management or industrial psychology, plus practical experience. Administrative HR roles are often open to candidates with matric and relevant experience, while advisory roles expect formal qualifications and knowledge of labour legislation.
This page is general information about the role, not legal advice. Labour legislation, bargaining council agreements and your employer’s own policies govern what HR may and must do, and professional advice should be taken on significant matters.
Last reviewed: 1 September 2026