HR Fundamentals Course Summary

Quick Summary

• Provides an overview of the role and responsibilities of Human Resources (HR) within organizations.
• Explores the employee life cycle stages: attraction, recruitment, selection, onboarding, engagement, development, retention, offboarding.
• Emphasizes HR activities such as drafting job descriptions, conducting interviews, applying legal compliance, and using digital HR tools.
• Covers recruitment strategies: internal vs. external sources, proactive recruitment, and candidate sourcing channels.
• Teaches how to craft effective job advertisements and define clear person specifications.
• Details interview techniques, including question types, pitfalls, and structure of assessment centers.
• Explores legal requirements in recruitment and employment law in France.
• Introduces HR administrative procedures, digital management systems, and performance management.
• Highlights collaboration between HR and operational managers, emphasizing communication and joint activities.

Concepts and definitions

• HR Management: The strategic, operational, and administrative management of people at work, recognizing individual autonomy.
• Employee Life Cycle: The journey from attraction to exit, including all stages of employment.
• Job Description: A document outlining duties, responsibilities, and working conditions of a role.
• Person Specification: The qualifications, skills, personality traits, and experience required for a candidate.
• Recruitment Process: The systematic steps from identifying a need to onboarding a new employee.
• Employment Contracts: Legal agreements (permanent, fixed-term, on-call, apprenticeship) defining employment terms.
• Legal Compliance: Adhering to laws such as employment law, anti-discrimination, and data protection (GDPR, CNIL).
• HR Digital Tools: Systems like HRIS, payroll management, and performance tracking software.

Formulas, laws, principles

• Employee Rights: Rights tied to non-discrimination, equal opportunity, and proper contractual procedures.
• French Employment Law: Legal frameworks governing contracts, working hours, leave (annual, sick, maternity, parental), and termination.
• Legal Limits: Max work hours per week (e.g., 35 hours standard in France), maximum daily hours, and mandatory rest periods.
• HR Law Principles: Transparency, consent, data protection, and non-discrimination requirements.
• Workplace Safety and Hygiene: Standards such as HACCP and safety protocols for food and workplace environments.
• Employee Monitoring: Must adhere to proportionality, transparency, consent, and security in monitoring practices.

Methods and procedures

1. Identify HR Needs: Analyze seasonal demand, staff turnover, and growth forecasts.
2. Source Candidates: Utilize internal promotions, referrals, online job portals, social media, schools, agencies, and job fairs.
3. Proactively Recruit: Plan ahead, build relationships with educational institutions, and develop talent pools.
4. Draft Job Advert: Clearly define role, company background, candidate profile, contract terms, and legal considerations.
5. Conduct Interviews: Use structured, semi-structured, or panel interviews with standardized questions; avoid biases.
6. Assessment Tests: Implement cognitive, personality, situational, technical, and work sample tests aligned with job needs.
7. Legal Checks: Verify references, diplomas, criminal records if necessary, and ensure compliance with laws.
8. Make Job Offers: Negotiate salary, contract type, benefits, and set expectations.
9. Onboard New Employees: Implement socialization plans, orientation, training, and regular progress meetings.
10. Follow-up and Evaluation: Monitor performance during probation, provide feedback, and adjust development plans.

Illustrative examples

• Job Advertisement Example: A detailed ad for a restaurant manager including title, company background, role responsibilities, qualifications, contract, and benefits.
• Interview Question Design: Open-ended questions to assess soft skills, technical knowledge, behavioral patterns, and situational judgment.
• Legal Compliance Check: Ensuring employment contract, employee record, and leave management align with French Labor Law obligations.

Pitfalls and points of attention

• Bias in interview and testing processes, leading to unfair discrimination.
• Inadequate legal adherence, risking penalties or lawsuits.
• Poorly drafted job ads that attract unsuitable candidates or misrepresent roles.
• Neglecting employee rights, such as work hours, leave, and data privacy.
• Over-reliance on informal or "person in the pocket" recruitment, risking bias and lack of transparency.
• Misclassification of contract types affecting legal compliance and employee security.
• Insufficient onboarding leading to disengagement, turnover, or performance issues.
• Lack of transparency and consistency in assessments or decision-making.

Glossary

• HR Management: Strategic and operational handling of organizational personnel.
• Employee Life Cycle: Phases of an employee's journey within the organization.
• Job Description: Document specifying role responsibilities.
• Person Specification: Preferred qualifications and traits of a candidate.
• Recruitment: The process of attracting, evaluating, and hiring candidates.
• Employment Contract: Legal agreement defining employment terms.
• HRIS (Human Resource Information System): Digital platform managing HR data.
• Compliance: Adherence to laws, regulations, and standards.
• Assessment Center: A process using simulations and tests to evaluate candidates.
• Offboarding: Formal process of employee exit, including knowledge transfer and feedback.