THE TRIANGLE OF AN HR MANAGER — PART 1

Written By Shannon Weese

What an HR Manager Is Actually Supposed to Do

Let’s get something straight up front:

Most people think HR is the department that hands out paperwork, organizes potlucks, and sends passive-aggressive emails reminding you to fill out your timesheet.

Cute.

Not even close.

A real HR Manager has one mission:

Protect the company. Protect the employees. Keep the place from turning into a full-blown circus.

So let’s break down what HR is actually supposed to be doing — and why it matters more than people realize.

1. Protect the company from its own stupidity

Harsh? Yup.

True? Absolutely.

HR’s first job is to stop the company from accidentally:

  • Breaking labour laws

  • Violating safety regulations

  • Creating liabilities

  • Treating employees in ways that will end up costing thousands later

In other words:

HR keeps the company from setting itself on fire.

2. Keep the company compliant (aka: prevent fines, lawsuits, and grievances)

HR is the built-in compliance engine.

They’re responsible for:

  • Employment Standards

  • Health & Safety requirements

  • Pay transparency laws

  • Record-keeping

  • Anti-harassment legislation

  • ESA/LSA rules

  • Proper termination procedures

Think of HR as the “rulebook police” — but the kind you actually want around.

3. Be the bridge between leadership and employees

When communication sucks, HR is supposed to fix it.

They should be the ones ensuring:

  • Pay structures are clear

  • Policies are communicated properly

  • Info flows from top → down

  • Employees aren’t blindsided

  • Managers deliver the right messages

If the company feels like a broken telephone game?

Yeah… HR dropped the ball — or leadership never let them pick it up.

4. Handle staffing, recruiting, onboarding, and the “people pipeline”

A proper HR department owns the entire hiring ecosystem:

  • Job posting creation

  • Candidate screening

  • Interviewing

  • Offers + hiring

  • Onboarding

  • Training consistency

If employees are confused, untrained, or misinformed?

That is an HR failure. Period.

5. Protect employees and ensure fair treatment

HR isn’t your therapist or your best friend — but they are your safe space.

They’re supposed to:

  • Address concerns

  • Investigate issues properly

  • Ensure fair pay

  • Handle complaints

  • Hold managers accountable

If employees feel ignored or dismissed?

HR either doesn’t care… or isn’t being allowed to do their job.

Either way: red flag.

6. Create structure where managers don’t

Let’s be real — most small/medium businesses run on:

“This is how we’ve always done it.”

Which is another way of saying:

“We have no idea what we’re doing but it kinda works so don’t touch it.”

HR’s job is to bring actual structure:

  • Standardized processes

  • Clear expectations

  • Documented workflows

  • Less chaos

  • Fewer surprises

When HR doesn’t build systems, employees start relying on guesswork — which is exactly how problems start.

7. Support performance management & discipline

This is where HR acts as the balancing force. They help:

  • Coach struggling employees

  • Guide proper write-ups

  • Mediate conflicts

  • Run performance reviews

  • Set behavioural expectations

HR keeps things fair, documented, and consistent — so discipline doesn’t turn into a personal vendetta.

THE ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

HR exists to protect the company, protect the employees, and create structure that keeps everything running without chaos.

If the company feels like a circus?

Either HR isn’t doing their job…

or management isn’t letting them.

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Shannon Weese
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