Thinking about a career in Human Resources Management (HRM)? You’d be in for a career that is changing rapidly as more and more companies switch from manual employee operations to online software applications designed to increase efficiency and streamline the process of handling workers’ concerns and day-to-day needs.

The purpose of the HRM department, or sometimes called “Employee Relations,” has evolved significantly over the last decades to extend beyond the basic management of paperwork involved in the hiring and payroll services process.

The HR Department is now typically the key source for staffing, training and development; benefits and compensations; retirement plan management; and working with outside vendors and contracted workers operating offsite, and sometimes making decisions about the selection of new programs for managing employees’ time and attendance.

Years ago, the HR department was considered a place for filing out paperwork and never going back in again unless you had an issue to resolve or were fired or laid off. Today, the HR department of most companies serves as the nucleus for setting the tone for employees’ working environment by outlining and enforcing company policies and procedures and functioning as the chief liaison between employees and their managers.

Here are some of the other key areas you can expect to handle as an HR representative:

• Employee-management relations
• Ethics compliance tracking
• Ergonomic and workplace environmental concerns
• Staff training and development
• Management training on diversity
• Tracking employment law and implementation
• Industry research for pay and benefit comparisons
• Negotiating health care benefits packages