We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.

Advertiser Disclosure

Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

How We Make Money

We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently from our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.

What Does a Human Resources Administrator Do?

By Christine Hudson
Updated May 17, 2024
Our promise to you
WiseGEEK is dedicated to creating trustworthy, high-quality content that always prioritizes transparency, integrity, and inclusivity above all else. Our ensure that our content creation and review process includes rigorous fact-checking, evidence-based, and continual updates to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

Editorial Standards

At WiseGEEK, we are committed to creating content that you can trust. Our editorial process is designed to ensure that every piece of content we publish is accurate, reliable, and informative.

Our team of experienced writers and editors follows a strict set of guidelines to ensure the highest quality content. We conduct thorough research, fact-check all information, and rely on credible sources to back up our claims. Our content is reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity.

We believe in transparency and maintain editorial independence from our advertisers. Our team does not receive direct compensation from advertisers, allowing us to create unbiased content that prioritizes your interests.

Business administration is one of the most popular fields for education and employment opportunities in many areas. One essential position within any successful organization is that of human resources administrator. This position usually requires excellent organizational and administrative skills, as well as an ability to listen and relate to other interest groups and individual employees. Working as a personnel administrator may prove to be a rewarding and challenging career path for some individuals. A human resources administrator is basically responsible for being the mediator between company management and employees.

Any business that deals with multiple employees or a large public client base will typically require an individual to fill the position of human resources administrator. Even smaller businesses will commonly need at least one person experienced with coordinating employees and clients and dealing with issues related to payroll and salient legal concerns. Having someone to fill this position within a company may help to ensure the smooth daily operations of said company and will help guarantee that every individual involved with those daily operations has someone to whom they may direct questions and concerns.

Payroll organization and distribution are general duties. Each company, however, may have different duty specifics outlined for its human resource employees. While one administrator may be in charge of payroll, vacations and raises, another may be in charge of employee complaints, public relations and company-wide changes.

A human resources administrator will ideally be an individual with excellent multitasking and organizational skills. Generally, requirements will include knowledge of budgeting and payroll administration, a history of leadership roles within company departments and reliable employee supervision. Extensive and current knowledge of laws pertaining to labor laws and laws specific to their particular industry is also a great asset for most administrators. In other words, ideal candidates for the position will have equally extensive theoretical and practical knowledge of all human resources issues.

Most companies looking to fill the personnel administration position will be looking for an individual with solid training in the fields of business administration and possibly accounting and payroll. They will give preference to individuals with demonstrated leadership skills. Most colleges and universities offer courses in the above-mentioned fields, which include not only theoretical discussion, but also hands-on training within the industry. Having a degree from a reputable post-secondary institution on a résumé is often a minimum requirement when applying for a position as a human resources administrator.

WiseGEEK is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Discussion Comments

By poppyseed — On Jul 17, 2011

I have seriously thought about going into human resources administration, but I have many concerns before jumping right in.

You see, I am a little gun shy because I know just how this suffering economy can rob a job from you that just a few years ago was super secure.

Take for instance all of the teachers who have lost their positions, among others.

I think that the ideal of becoming a human resources administrator is great for me, but I hate to waste a lot of time, money and energy pursuing a dream that is about to disappear before my eyes.

Does anyone feel as though they can offer any insight? It sure would be helpful.

By tlcJPC — On Jul 17, 2011

Human resources is an incredibly popular field of study and one that many people are pursuing careers in.

However, the world of the human resource administrator is changing. Those who want to continue on this path need to be willing to get flexible!

I have heard in many different places just recently that many companies are now outsourcing their human resources positions to specialized companies who do only that.

It’s sort of like the human resources company handles all of those kinds of issues from multiple companies, and that is all that they do.

As a result the administrators who work with them might be responsible for handling many different organizations human resources issues rather than just one.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.