Human resources departments have undergone extensive changes throughout the years. Coming from times in which they would handle simple aspects such as hiring and payrolls, we’ve reached an age in which human resources departments contribute a great deal to the accomplishment of a company’s goals and objectives by working with things such as performance management, employee wellbeing and motivation, organizational development, training, and many others.
With the help of modern technology, human resources department are now the core of all organizations, no matter their industry, size, or structure. A company is as good as its employees, and its employees are hired, trained, organized, kept safe and satisfied by human resources. Therefore, a great human resources department is of the utmost importance.
Planning the Structure of Your Human Resources Department
One of the most pressing matters all companies face when it comes to planning and developing the structure of their human resources department is figuring out how many internal HR employees to have. And although the 1 HR person to 100 employees is a rule the corporate environment still abides, it is an outdated approach to what human resources departments mean in our times. Based on research from the Society of Human Resource Management, the number of HR professionals needed differs based on a company’s size and organizational needs. Sometimes, small companies might decide to only make use of human resources software and not have an internal department specialized on HR alone. Also, the need to hire more HR professionals decreases as the employee size increases. Regardless of structure or needs, when hiring a human resources professional, all companies need to base their process on a hiring strategy tailored to their needs, but also on a list of qualities all human resources employees should possess.
Qualities of a Great Human Resources Professional
When it comes to hiring great human resources professionals, a lot of businesses rely on the misconception that all it takes to be good in this niche is to have knowledge and expertise of human resources. Although this is indeed a core quality to look after, it is not the only aspect that needs considering when making a decision. Aside from being able to work with and process all human resources queries based on guidelines, rules, and procedures of regulating authorities, let’s see what other qualities a great human resources professional must have in order to meet the challenging needs of the HR industry.
Great Communication Skills Specifically Tailored to a HR-targeted Audience
With our current corporate environment constantly improving itself, there is not a single department or sector out there that could survive without its employees having a wide array of external, internal and crisis communication skills. This is also true for human resources departments, even more so since they are handling both communications with employees on behalf of the company, and communications with the company on behalf of the employees. Human resources departments carry a special weight within an organization, which requires their staff to always have great communications skills and constantly acquire new ones specifically tailored to a HR-targeted audience. A great human resources professional needs to be trusted by all employees especially since they will be dealing with a lot of confidentiality-related aspects.
Great Ethics and Conflict Management Skills
A human resource professional is a trusted with confidential information all the time, thus making it imperative to possess great ethics and handle that information with care and in full accordance with current legislation. Also, the human resources department is in charge or setting and promoting all ethical standards in the workplace. Alongside great ethics, a great human resources professional also needs to have conflict management skills which will allow them to negotiate solutions for all internal conflicts by gathering all necessary information, identifying the problem, and coming up with a solution all parties agree upon.
Great Organizational Skills
All professionals working in human resources department handle diverse and complex duties, such as hiring, firing, payments, dealing with conflicts in the workplace, keeping databases and office records, training employees, and many others. This comes with a need for strong organizational skills and the ability to both work within a team, but also take the lead when needed. Aside from all internal duties, a great human resources professional needs to also stay informed on the perpetually changing rules and regulations within the HR industry.
Great Training and Mentoring Skills
Another important quality of a great human resources professional which is oftentimes overlook by the majority of companies is having a great skill set when it comes to training and mentoring employees. All businesses need to keep its employees up-to-date with anything related to performing their jobs at optimal standards. This is where HR professionals take the lead by training and mentoring employees with the purpose of enhancing their professional knowledge and improving their performance. This compliments both the employee’s career but also the growth of the organization.
Being Objective and Impartial
Objectivity and impartiality are two essential qualities in all human resources professionals, regardless of the size and industry of the organization they are working for. Being able to remain neutral in all situations is mandatory for a human resources professional, as the job requires them to not make use of a personal opinion or bias towards one of the parties involved. This is an aspect that mostly arises in a negative situation, when human resources professionals need to find a positive solution to an internal conflict. Therefore, it is also of utmost importance to master being objective and impartial no matter the environment or nature of the situation.
If you have implemented the above aspects and qualities in your company’s human resources hiring strategies, but also in the plans you will be developing to train and improve your HR department, positive outcomes are highly likely to arise. No matter what your strategy is, looking out for these qualities when hiring a human resources professional, and also making sure that all HR personnel has a deep understanding of human psychology will help both the personal and professional growth of your employees, but also help your business progress.
