Many small organizations try to fill in one person for more than one role for economic reasons and the best example of this is the role of an HR cum Admin. In many organizations, there is just a single person handling both the positions with the management not willing to invest in another person. Though the reason for not doing so is financial, it can be harmful for the company in the end.
- Both are very different profiles
The job of an HR goes beyond just calling and lining up candidate for hiring. While admin is involved in day-to-day activities of the organization, when a single person does both the jobs, there will be justice done to neither positions. There will be an unnecessary burden on the person and wrong expectations and targets set.
- Harmful if the company grows
Having a single person handling two positions is an operational hurdle for a growing company. You cannot expect the HR cum Admin to dedicate time filtering out best candidates while filling the position of an Admin. Those are two big shoes to fill in for one person.
- Choke up during Payroll Processing
Payroll processing is crucial for any company and if only HR cum admin is working on the payroll; expect other processes to be choked up. Calculating leaves, deductions, taxes, etc. do take up a lot of time and efforts. Further, it can become extremely daunting and tedious if all the payroll work is done manually and not with the help of an HR software.
- A less fun office
HRs normally are credited with making an office a livelier place by hosting regular activities, games, festive celebrations, etc. However, that again is the strong forte of an HR. Your HR cum admin is so loaded with work that they might not find time to do any activities in the office. Expect a less fun filled office in that case and a dull environment wherein there will be no looking forward to anything exciting.
- Lesser Employee Engagement
An HR’s top priority is to always keep employee engagement central to his / her focus. This involves activities surrounding hiring, safety, exit and overall employee welfare. All this goes for a toss if there is no dedicated person on the job. Office will feel less comfortable and more formal for everyone.
- Undue pressure on employee
Talking from the employee’s perspective, he / she might feel undue pressure. If the pay and appreciation is not up to the mark, the person might not get the motivation to work efficiently. Usually, a person in this position is taken for granted by everyone heavily undermining his or her work. Hence, it is dangerous in the end for the company to work on the HR cum Admin model.
Keeping in mind the complexity of such a position and the tangible as well as intangible effect it has on a company, it is unadvisable for a company to employ a single person to do a two-person job. The company not only needs to separate the two positions, but also make use of automated systems like HRMS and Payroll software to lessen the burden on the HR and help create a more HR friendly environment in the office.
