More than often enough, most HR professionals didn’t specialise in the field of Employment Law. However, it is still a huge benefit that they have a working idea or more so be knowledgeable within this particular field. Our article goes further into the topic of whether human resource professionals should understand employment law or not.
Simply put HR pros should seek to be very well acquainted with various employment laws. This is another way for them to be much more compliant and effective when it comes to dealing with sticky situations and employees all in one. As such, most HR functions are generally governed by law with the inclusion of policy development, employee relations, health and safety, recruitment, managing benefits and even compensation plans.
True professionals will make it their business to go through the proactive route in order to properly mitigate risks all while engaging the workforce and being fully dedicated.
Additionally, HR managers should seek to have a solid background when it comes to being completely effective. And they play a huge part when it comes to knowledge and expertise. Since the laws are constantly changing an HR pro should aim to keep on top of the current policies and laws and ensure that they are properly implemented within the organisation. They should also seek to constantly expand their current level of knowledge by networking, attending Employment Law seminars and even reading publications.
When your HR pro stays on top of his or her game, it adds value to your organisation as you both mitigate the risks involved. And they will also be confident in providing advice when need be. Additionally, your organisation should seek to have an employee handbook since it is extremely essential. As such, your HR pro should be the one in charge of keeping the employee handbook updated with all the relevant legislation.
However, handbooks are typically based on expected behaviour, culture and performance for both employees and managers alike. And it goes on to create guidelines and rules that should be reviewed in the event of any disputes. Additionally, it is also a plus for managing risks. As such, when the employment laws are not followed, they can create several risks for your organisation as a whole.
As we conclude we have just looked at the topic of whether HR managers should understand Employment laws or not. Simply put, they should be able to for many reasons as stated above. And it is also a huge deal when it comes to conducting internal audits and preventing liabilities during such. Hence HR managers should understand Employment Law!
David Philip Harris is a recognised employment solicitor with over 10 years of experience in advising employees and employers on employment law matters. He is a frequent contributor to BBC Radio Berkshire and People Management Magazine. David has represented individual and corporate clients in the employment tribunal as well as the High Court and County Court. David is a member of The Law Society and The Employment Lawyers Association (ELA UK). To contact David, visit the Contact Us page. For media enquiries: info@dphlegal.com.