HR executive staffing for plants and offices that run on documentation.
Attendance, wage inputs, contract worker registers and grievance handling all sit with one person, and when that person leaves the trail goes cold. HR executive staffing decides whether your statutory file is current or reconstructed in a hurry. Godstone Consultech screens for statutory knowledge, payroll input accuracy and worker-relations judgement, employs every worker on our own payroll, and keeps PF, ESI and contract-labour records with us — so the person on your floor is documented, replaceable and accountable from day one.
Site type, headcount supported and role band are enough to shortlist.
Statutory records, payroll inputs and worker relations.
Plant HR and corporate HR are different jobs, and since the four Labour Codes took effect on 21 November 2025 both need people who know the new rules. We screen for the one you need — contract-labour heavy site HR, or generalist office HR — and test statutory knowledge rather than take a CV's word for it.
- ✓Attendance, leave and payroll input compilation
- ✓PF, ESI, contract-labour and Labour Code registers
- ✓Contract-worker coordination and vendor checks
- ✓Recruitment coordination and onboarding
- ✓Grievance handling and disciplinary documentation
HR turnover is where compliance history disappears
The registers are only as good as the person who last updated them.
An HR executive hired on a generalist CV cannot answer a PF inspector's question about contract-worker challans, because they have never handled them.
Registers reconstructed under audit pressure, disputed wage records, and disciplinary actions that fail because the documentation was never done properly.
Statutory knowledge and payroll input testing before an offer, a written handover checklist at deployment, and a replacement bench so a resignation does not orphan the file.
Get a rate card →How we test HR executives before they join your site
An HR executive who cannot prepare a PF return or spot a missing contractor challan is a liability, not a hire. Every candidate takes a practical test on the statutory work the role actually involves, graded against the current Labour Codes rather than the Acts they replaced.
| Test | What the candidate does | What we look for |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Codes knowledge | Answers scenario questions on the Code on Wages, the Code on Social Security, the Industrial Relations Code and the OSH Code — for example, the 50% wage rule, overtime at twice the rate, appointment letters and fixed-term gratuity after one year. | Knows what changed on 21 November 2025 and where State rules are still pending. |
| PF and ESI practical | Prepares a PF ECR and an ESI contribution sheet from a sample payroll, including a mid-month joiner and a worker whose wages cross ₹21,000. | Correct PF wages under the new ₹25,000 ceiling, correct ESI coverage and awareness of the 15th-of-the-month deadline. |
| HRMS and attendance | Imports an attendance file into an HRMS or Excel template, applies leave and overtime rules and produces payroll inputs. | Accuracy on greytHR, Keka, Zoho People, SAP or your system, and a clean audit trail. |
| Contract-labour oversight | Reviews a contractor’s monthly compliance pack with deliberate gaps — a missing challan, a wage below minimum, an unsigned register. | Finds the gaps a principal employer would be liable for. |
| Worker relations | Handles a role-play of a wage-shortfall complaint and drafts a show-cause notice. | Calm, factual handling and documentation that would stand up in a dispute. |
| POSH awareness | Explains when an Internal Committee is needed and what the annual report covers. | Knows the POSH Act 2013 requires an Internal Committee at ten or more employees. |
The statutory calendar an HR executive must own
This is the calendar we hand over on day one, and the first thing we test. Missed dates here mean interest, damages and inspection notices.
| Task | When | Notes for 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Wage payment to employees on monthly wages | By the 7th of the following month | Code on Wages timeline; wage slips to be issued. |
| PF contributions and ECR | By the 15th of the following month | Wage ceiling rose from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 on 17 September 2026 (S.O. 5109(E)); September 2026 is split across both ceilings. |
| ESI contributions | By the 15th of the following month | Coverage up to ₹21,000 gross a month; 0.75% employee and 3.25% employer. |
| Professional tax | Monthly or half-yearly, by State | State-specific slabs — for example Karnataka and Tamil Nadu differ in both threshold and frequency. |
| TDS on salaries | Monthly deposit, quarterly statements | Now under the Income-tax Act, 2025, from 1 April 2026. |
| Labour welfare fund | Half-yearly or annual, by State | Rates and due dates vary by State. |
| Contractor compliance review | Every month before releasing payment | Check wages, PF and ESI challans for contract workers; the principal employer is liable if the contractor defaults. |
General guide as of September 2026 — confirm State-specific professional tax and labour welfare fund dates for your location. Sources: EPFO and ESIC contribution rules, the Code on Wages 2019 and the PF wage-ceiling notification of 17 September 2026; see also our PF calculator.
What a contract HR executive costs, and how the role is run
Move the slider for an illustrative monthly bill at an assumed 12% service fee (your actual fee is set out in the rate card), built on a typical gross wage of ₹24,000 a month for an HR executive with two to five years of statutory experience. Firm rates depend on the band, city and State minimum wage for clerical staff.
What clears before the worker reaches your gate.
HR executive bands and an indicative wage basis
These are indicative starting points from published salary data, not quotes. The band is set by the test result, not the job title on the CV.
| Band | Typical scope | Indicative gross wage basis |
|---|---|---|
| HR assistant / HR coordinator (0–2 years) | Attendance, joining formalities, document files, register entries. | Near the lower end of the Indeed India range (about ₹14,000–₹18,000 a month), and never below the State minimum wage for clerical staff. |
| HR executive (2–5 years) | Payroll inputs, PF/ESI filings, contractor compliance checks, grievances. | Around the Indeed India average of about ₹22,000 a month (3,800 salaries, September 2026). |
| Senior HR executive / plant HR (5+ years) | Owns the statutory calendar, inspections, IR and disciplinary process for a site. | Upper range and metro rates — Indeed India averages of about ₹33,400 in Chennai, ₹36,000 in Bengaluru and ₹41,500 in Mumbai. |
Indicative only. Gross monthly figures before deductions, from Indeed India’s HR executive / HR specialist salary page (average ₹21,953 a month, range ₹14,253–₹33,814, updated 20 September 2026).
KPIs and backfill SLAs for HR roles
HR continuity is the whole point of this role. These are the numbers and terms we suggest writing into the agreement.
KPIs for a contract HR executive
- →Statutory dates met — PF, ESI, professional tax, TDS and wage payment — with no interest or damages caused by delay
- →Payroll inputs delivered on the agreed day with an error rate you track month on month
- →Contractor compliance packs reviewed before every payment, with gaps closed in writing
- →Registers and personnel files inspection-ready at any time
- →Grievances acknowledged within an agreed time and closed with a documented outcome
Backfill and continuity SLAs
- →First shortlist: we aim for five working days from a signed requirement
- →Replacement if the executive leaves or does not fit: we aim to replace within 15 days
- →A named backup identified at contract start for leave and exit cover
- →Written handover of the statutory calendar, registers, portal logins and open cases at every change
- →Notice period served in full, with the handover signed off by your HR lead
Common mistakes when staffing HR roles
Hiring a recruiter for a compliance job
Many “HR executive” CVs are recruitment-only. If the role is statutory, test statutory work.
Still using pre-Code templates
Appointment letters, wage structures and registers built for the old Acts may not meet the Labour Codes — especially the 50% wage rule for PF and gratuity.
Missing the PF ceiling change
Workers earning between ₹15,000 and ₹25,000 are now inside the PF wage ceiling from 17 September 2026. Payroll set-ups need updating.
No principal-employer checks
If your contractor does not pay PF, ESI or minimum wages, the liability can come back to you. Someone must check every month.
Portal logins held by one person
EPFO, ESIC and State portal credentials should be company-owned and handed over, never personal.
Contract HR for the HR head
The person who owns policy, IR strategy and the statutory calendar long term is usually better hired permanently.
HR executive staffing FAQs
Screening, cost basis, replacement and deployment speed.
Get a rate card →What do you test for an HR executive?+
Statutory knowledge across the four Labour Codes — including PF, ESI, contract labour under the OSH Code (which subsumed the Contract Labour Act and the Factories Act) and wages under the Code on Wages — a payroll and attendance input exercise, and situational judgement on worker relations and disciplinary documentation.
Do you supply plant HR specifically?+
Yes. Site HR handling contract labour, registers, gate-level grievances and vendor compliance is screened differently from corporate generalist HR.
Contract or permanent for HR roles?+
Both work. Contract or third-party payroll suits site-based roles and cover periods; permanent placement suits the HR lead who owns the statutory calendar.
How is continuity protected if the HR executive leaves?+
A written records and statutory-calendar handover at deployment, plus a backup identified at contract start, so the file does not go cold with a resignation.
How fast can the role be filled?+
We aim for a first shortlist within five working days and joining in seven to fifteen days for contract roles and longer for permanent hires serving notice.
Do your HR executives know the new Labour Codes?+
That is the first thing we test. Candidates answer scenario questions on the four Codes in force since 21 November 2025, including the 50% wage rule, fixed-term gratuity and contract labour under the OSH Code, and where State rules are still pending.
How much does an HR executive earn in India?+
Indeed India reported an average of about ₹22,000 a month in September 2026, with most figures between roughly ₹14,000 and ₹34,000 and metro averages higher. The State minimum wage is the floor. These are indicative figures, not a quote.
Which HRMS can your candidates use?+
We test on the system you name — greytHR, Keka, Zoho People, SAP SuccessFactors, Darwinbox or an Excel-based payroll. If a candidate has not used your system, we say so and test how quickly they adapt.
Can an HR executive on contract handle our own contractors’ compliance?+
Yes. Checking contractor wage, PF and ESI records every month is one of the most useful things a site HR executive does, because the principal employer can be held liable for a contractor’s defaults.
HR seat empty at a plant?
Send the role, headcount and site city. We aim to send an itemised rate card and deployment date within one working day.