What does a human resources supervisor do?
A human resources supervisor is an individual responsible for developing and administering human resources programs so that the company can achieve efficient operations. Human resources supervisors coordinate all stages of the hiring process, such as checking all candidates' backgrounds, conducting interviews, and drug screening. They address conflicts among employees, investigate employee problems, and work with management to administer employee discipline or corrective action. The human resources supervisor also develops training and development programs for their salaried employees.
Human resources supervisor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real human resources supervisor resumes:
- Manage and lead service team initiatives/special projects (i.e., ADP conversion, corporate mergers, and teamwork events).
- Manage HRIS database system and provide monthly reports to executive management.
- Manage job-reclassification project, conducting occupational research to determine if job titles are synchronized with FLSA norms.
- Utilize KRONOS and ADP to import and process payroll.
- Review all exempt positions to determine classification and conduct audits to ensure FLSA compliance.
- Maintain all company leave of absence (including work-relate injuries, non work-relate leaves and FMLA, etc .).
- Serve as liaison and ensure regulatory compliance in the areas of wage and hour, EEOC, ADA, and FMLA.
- Conduct staffing, occupational classification, management relations, and HRIS automate systems.
- Provide safety expertise to front line supervisors in areas such as incident investigations and adherence to OSHA regulations.
- Assist with annual merit and performance review process including supervisor training and SharePoint website development promoting a paperless process.
- Establish, organize and supervise the maintenance of department records, ensuring complete accuracy and confidentiality including conducting I9 audits.
Human resources supervisor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 22% of Human Resources Supervisors are proficient in Customer Service, State Laws, and Payroll Processing. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Organizational skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Human Resources Supervisors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 22%
Performed customer service management producing excellent results in sales, purchasing and receiving, customer relations, and effective problem resolutions.
- State Laws, 9%
Assure consistent application of HR policies, practices, procedures and compliance with federal and state laws and regulations.
- Payroll Processing, 5%
Managed Human Resources Information System, administered benefits, and payroll processing.
- Personnel Actions, 4%
Analyzed problems and reviewed consolidated reports, statistics, applications, and prepares recommendations for personnel actions to higher headquarters.
- HRIS, 4%
Trained 20 managers and supervisors on the HRIS database providing an understanding of documentation requirements and better construction of goals/objectives.
- ISO, 3%
Assisted Human Resources with ISO 9000 certification / Quality Management System implementation.
Common skills that a human resources supervisor uses to do their job include "customer service," "state laws," and "payroll processing." You can find details on the most important human resources supervisor responsibilities below.
Leadership skills. One of the key soft skills for a human resources supervisor to have is leadership skills. You can see how this relates to what human resources supervisors do because "human resources managers must coordinate work activities and ensure that staff complete the duties and responsibilities of their department." Additionally, a human resources supervisor resume shows how human resources supervisors use leadership skills: "provided leadership and professional development to newly assigned members and several us civilian employees on personnel operations. "
Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform human resources supervisor duties is organizational skills. Human resources supervisors responsibilities require that "human resources managers must be able to prioritize tasks and manage several projects at once." Human resources supervisors also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "assured new employees were informed and knowledgeable of organizational policies and equal employment opportunity (eeo) government policies. "
Interpersonal skills. human resources supervisor responsibilities often require "interpersonal skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "human resources managers regularly interact with people, such as to collaborate on teams, and must develop working relationships with their colleagues." This resume example shows what human resources supervisors do with interpersonal skills on a typical day: "offered consultation to employees, supervisors and managers on interpersonal business relationship issues and conflict resolutions. "
Communication skills. Another common skill required for human resources supervisor responsibilities is "communication skills." This skill comes up in the duties of human resources supervisors all the time, as "human resources managers need strong speaking, writing, and listening skills to give presentations and direct their staff." An excerpt from a real human resources supervisor resume shows how this skill is central to what a human resources supervisor does: "assist with communication and translation of company policies knowledgable of aap. "
The three companies that hire the most human resources supervisors are:
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Compare different human resources supervisors
Human resources supervisor vs. Human resources administration manager
A human resources administration manager performs multiple roles, one of which is to maintain and review all human resources, administrative systems, and procedures. They give guidance on HR to the office. They also oversee the development and monitoring of processes that involve recruiting and retention of individuals, compensation, benefits, training, and employee development. They essentially take charge of administrative functions.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, human resources supervisor responsibilities require skills like "customer service," "state laws," "payroll processing," and "personnel actions." Meanwhile a typical human resources administration manager has skills in areas such as "process payroll," "financial statements," "human resource functions," and "health insurance." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that human resources administration managers earn slightly differ from human resources supervisors. In particular, human resources administration managers are 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a human resources supervisor. Additionally, they're 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Human resources supervisor vs. Director of human resources
A human resources director is responsible for managing the overall operations of the human resources department, ensuring smooth operations while meeting the company's goals of successful profitability and services. Human resources directors' duties include providing staff consultation, addressing staffing concerns, managing compensation and benefits plans, reviewing plans for training and development programs, and reporting future actions to the management. A human resources director must have excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills to help lead the business to its growth and development.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real human resources supervisor resumes. While human resources supervisor responsibilities can utilize skills like "personnel actions," "iso," "powerpoint," and "corrective action," directors of human resources use skills like "employee engagement," "organizational development," "oversight," and "workforce planning."
Directors of human resources earn a higher average salary than human resources supervisors. But directors of human resources earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $105,626. Additionally, human resources supervisors earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $69,170 annually.In general, directors of human resources achieve similar levels of education than human resources supervisors. They're 4.6% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for human resources supervisors in the next 3-5 years?
Denise Barton
Senior Professor of Human Resources, Wake Technical Community College
Human resources supervisor vs. Senior human resources consultant
A senior human resources consultant specializes in recommending solutions to optimize a company's human resource operations. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing procedures, devising strategies to attain the best employment practices, and developing programs for the benefit of employees. They may also implement the company's policies and regulations, creating new ones as needed. Furthermore, as a senior human resources consultant, it is essential to lead and encourage junior consultants and managers to accomplish goals in adherence to the vision and mission of the company.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from human resources supervisor resumes include skills like "customer service," "state laws," "payroll processing," and "personnel actions," whereas a senior human resources consultant is more likely to list skills in "healthcare," "employee engagement," "workforce planning," and "payroll. "
Senior human resources consultants earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $86,984. Human resources supervisors earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $69,170.senior human resources consultants typically earn higher educational levels compared to human resources supervisors. Specifically, they're 7.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Human resources supervisor vs. Regional human resources manager
A regional human resources manager is in charge of overseeing a company's local human resource (HR) operations. They mostly identify the hiring needs of different branches, devise compensation and benefits programs, and determine the HR needs of every area, ensuring to develop strategies to meet them. It is essential to monitor all issues and resolve them promptly and professionally, organize training activities, and manage the regional budget. Furthermore, as a regional manager, it is crucial to ensure that all HR teams adhere to labor laws and company policies.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between human resources supervisors and regional human resources managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a human resources supervisor might have more use for skills like "customer service," "payroll processing," "personnel actions," and "iso." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of regional human resources managers require skills like "payroll," "employee engagement," "employment law," and "workforce planning. "
In general, regional human resources managers earn the most working in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $90,367. The highest-paying industry for a human resources supervisor is the manufacturing industry.In general, regional human resources managers hold similar degree levels compared to human resources supervisors. Regional human resources managers are 3.4% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of human resources supervisor
Updated January 8, 2025
