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The Importance of HR Administrative Assistants – 7 Factors to Consider

Introduction 
In any organisation, the Human Resources (HR) department plays a pivotal role in managing the most valuable asset of a company - its people [3]. An HR Administrative Assistant is a key contributor to the smooth functioning of the HR department. This article will delve into the importance of an HR Administrative Assistant and the factors to consider when thinking about this role. 
 
Table of Contents 
1. What is the role of HR in an organisation? 
2. What is the role of a HR Administrative Assistant? 
3. What duties does a HR Administrative Assistant perform? 
4. How much does a HR Administrative Assistant cost? 
5. Can you outsource HR Administration? 
6. Should you outsource HR Administration? 
7. How much does it cost to outsource a HR Administration Assistant? 
8. Conclusion 
9. About Us 
 
1. What is the role of HR in an organisation? 
The HR department is responsible for managing people, policies, and procedures. It ensures that the organisation is staffed with the right talent, and that employees are satisfied, productive, and engaged [3].  

HR plays an essential role in an organisation by overseeing staffing, establishing policies and addressing employee concerns [3]. A well functioning team is vital to the long-term success of any business, its profitability and customer service capabilities.  

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2. What is the role of an HR Administrative Assistant? 
An HR Administrative Assistant supports the wider HR department or the HR Manager by performing a variety of tasks that ensure the department operates efficiently [9]. Their role includes observing labour laws and employment legislation across the entire company, supporting and organising recruitment, selection and promotion processes, and preparing job descriptions [4]. 

An HR Administrative Assistant performs much of the back-office work involved in HR. Much of this work is of a more basic and time-consuming nature including managing data and electronic information and files, storing and profiling HR related emails to personnel files, preparing templates and other correspondence, scheduling performance reviews, completing checklists and other general administrative duties to support the HR department or HR Manager.  

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3. What duties does an HR Administrative Assistant perform? 
The duties of an HR Administrative Assistant can vary widely depending on the organisation. However, common tasks include maintaining employee records, assisting with payroll processing, and coordinating HR projects such as training and development initiatives [4]. They also assist the manager with employee relations, including facilitating mediation of disputes and dealing with issues like bullying and harassment [4]. 

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4. How much does an HR Administrative Assistant cost? 
The cost of hiring an HR Administrative Assistant can vary depending on factors such as the level of experience required and the location of the business.  

Being an administrative role, the average cost for a full-time HR Administrative Assistant in Australia is around $75,500 including superannuation. However, it's important to remember that the cost is not just the salary, but also includes benefits, overhead costs, and potential recruitment costs [6].  

The average salary of an HR professional in Australia is roughly $97,516 [1]. Thus, hiring an HR Administrative Assistant is important in reducing costs within an HR department. The Assistant can perform the basic and time-consuming day-to-day duties at a lower cost to free up the more senior and qualified HR team members to focus on higher value tasks and management functions.

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5. Can you outsource HR Administration? 
Yes, HR administration is one of the functions that can be easily outsourced [5]. Outsourcing can provide access to expert knowledge and can be a cost-effective solution, especially for small and medium-sized businesses [5]. 

Most of the duties performed by a typical HR Administrative Assistant can be performed remotely. This means that outsourcing this role is easy to achieve and should be considered by all businesses. It allows the HR Manager to gain support in basic and repetitive work tasks while keeping the overall cost structure to its lowest level.  

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6. Should you outsource HR Administration? 
The decision to outsource HR administration should be based on a number of factors, including the size of your business, the complexity of your HR needs, and the cost-effectiveness of outsourcing versus in-house management [5]. 

As the HR Administrative Assistant role is easily outsourced, businesses should focus on the cost savings available as a primary decision-making factor.  

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7. How much does it cost to outsource an HR Administration Assistant? 
The cost of outsourcing an HR Administration Assistant can vary widely depending on the services you require and the provider you choose [2]. However, it can often be a cost-effective solution, especially when you consider the time saved on HR tasks that can be spent on core business activities [2]. 

The cost savings available can be up to 40% when compared to hiring an on-site HR Administrative Assistant on a full-time basis. For small businesses, these savings can be very compelling and allow the business to spend these savings on other areas of the business such as marketing, advertising or simply to provide more resources to the owners.  

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8. Conclusion 
An HR Administrative Assistant plays a crucial role in any organisation. Whether you choose to hire in-house or outsource, it's important to consider the factors discussed in this blog post to make the best decision for your business. 

Outsourcing the HR Administrative role can be a great way to reduce the costs in your HR function and free up the time of your more experienced HR team members to work on more value-added tasks.  
 
9. About Us 
International Outsourcing Group provides Bookkeeping Services, Marketing Services and Administration Services to businesses across Australia. 

Our costs for a full-time HR Administrative Assistant are $52,850 per annum. This represents savings of around 40% when compared to a full-time on-site employee. 

You can select the hours you need each week from as little as 1 day a week. Visit our website at internationaloutsourcinggroup.com to find out more and you can also use our free pricing calculator to obtain a free quote.   

 

References
  1. https://au.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/what-is-human-resources 
  2. https://www.beepo.com.au/blog/hr-outsourcing-the-statistics-you-should-know 
  3. https://www.beepo.com.au/staff/admin-support/administration-assistants 
  4. https://hrprofilingsolutions.com.au/blogs/aus-blog/what-are-the-7-functions-of-hr/ 
  5. https://liquidhr.com.au/ 
  6. https://www.seek.com.au/career-advice/role/human-resources-administrator/salary