The difference between HR roles between companies

Exploring the difference in HR roles between organizations of different size and industry

Different companies have different needs across the board depending on their size or industry. One of the most obvious differences is that in a company that employs a large number of employees there has to be processes to manage such a large workforce. This automatically means that the structure of the HR has to be different versus a smaller company and vice versa.

The difference in the HR processes is also affected by the industry. Different responsibilities for HR workers and different policies that need more focus. Companies of different industries have to focus on making sure they operate within the different laws and regulations that are relevant for that industry.

While roles and responsibilities may differ between companies, the fact that HR is about people remains the same. People skills and emotional intelligence are valuable skills for anyone working in HR anywhere. 

Figure 1. 10 Functions of Human Resource Management.

https://upraise.io/blog/10-functions-of-human-resource-management/

How the size of the company affects the roles?

The cliché of smaller companies being more ''hands on'' is true when comparing the responsibilities of HR management. There will not be as many departments as there would in a larger company and therefore more HR duties will fall onto the managers. Large companies will then in comparison have more roles for HR. For example HR-assistant is a role seen in job vacancies for larger companies but not very relevant for smaller companies. Assistance is needed when managing such a large amount of employees. Smaller companies might not have the need or even the ability to hire people for specialized roles in HR.

How the industry affects the roles?

While the core value of being people orientated remains consistent across HR everywhere, there are some areas of difference in the HR processes when it comes to different industries. For example in performance management to be more specific. Companies working in different industries have different expectations for all of their employees. An example of this could be related to compliance. Performance expectations could be heavily focused on adhering to laws and regulations in addition to internal policies. In companies that have to work with their customers personal data there has to be strict expectations to ensure the customers privacy. Any mishandling incidents would be resolved by HR. This is just an example of how HR should always familiarize themselves with the different caveats of the specific industry.

References:

Michael Alexis. 03.04.2024. 22 Ways HR is Different in Small Companies vs. Large Companies.

https://teambuilding.com/blog/how-is-hr-different-in-small-companies

Jennifer Ernst Beaudry. 18.11.2021. When It Comes to HR Jobs, Does Industry Matter?

https://lattice.com/library/when-it-comes-to-hr-jobs-does-industry-matter

Manish Dudjarejia. 08.06.2024. 4 ways HR is different for small businesses than for large organizations.

https://keap.com/small-business-automation-blog/business-management/human-resources/how-hr-differs-from-small-to-big-biz