10 Things that HR Managers Do and Should Know
Today’s employers face significant challenges recruiting, hiring, and training new employees. With the Covid-19 pandemic, companies need to make decisions about when and if they should bring employees back into an office, whether vaccines will be required, and how to fill lots of job openings in a competitive marketplace. If you’re thinking of entering the Human Resources (HR) field, you’ll need to learn about recruiting, compensation and benefits, and training and development. And you’ll need to be ready to pivot when life is turned on end by whatever is next on the horizon.
Here are the 10 specialties of HR you’ll need to know to help make your company and your career a successful one:
1. HR Managers Recruit New Employees
With a shortage of qualified workers in many industries, finding new employees is job number one for you. There were more than 10 million job openings in July 2021 and Americans are quitting their jobs in record numbers as competing employers poach workers with raises, bonuses and perks. Your recruiting skills will be critical for your organization. You’ll need to develop connections in your industry and learn how to effectively utilize online companies such as Indeed, college outreach opportunities, in-person hiring events, and even print advertising.
2. HR Workers Hire and Onboard Employees
Once you’ve found good recruits, you need to hire them. Candidates need to be screened and interviewed with the participation of appropriate current employees. Special software is often used called Applicant Tracking Systems to help screen job applicant resumes. Once an employee is hired, as an HR manager, you’ll need to ensure they are trained for their job responsibilities and how to fit in with the organization.
3. Determine Compensation and Benefits
It is important to keep track of what similar industries pay their employees at all levels. As a Human Resource professional, you also must ensure there is no salary discrimination based on gender, race, disability, or sexual orientation. Your ability to design a benefits package that might include health insurance, retirement savings, and vacation time will also help keep your company competitive with other employers.
4. Set Performance Management Standards
Every employee should have a written performance review at least once per year. You need to facilitate the process and make certain it occurs in a timely manner, maybe even testing out software to ensure accuracy and efficiency. And if your employees don’t measure up, you need to help establish and enforce procedures to terminate their employment.
5. HR Managers Implement Training and Development Programs
Training and development doesn’t just take place when an employee first joins the company. As an HR manager, you would make sure all employees have access to ongoing training and development opportunities to increase their skills and maintain ethical behavior while on the job.
6. Ensure Health and Safety
All employers must follow the federal Occupational and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations to ensure the health and safety of all employees. There may be industry-specific rules they need to follow or local ordinances, too. As an HR manager in this specialty, you would conduct audits and inspections of all work areas, file necessary reports, and make sure your company is always compliant.
7. Establish Policies and Procedures
It is important for every company to have written policies and procedures to avoid misunderstandings and to defend itself in court if ever faced with a lawsuit. The processes and files you maintain as an HR Manager could be critical to your organization’s long-term health and financial stability.
8. HR Staff Are Involved in Labor Relations
Whether or not your employees are unionized, as an HR manager you will need to work with them to improve the work environment and handle any grievances. If your company is unionized, you would help negotiate new contracts with union representatives to include compensation and benefits.
9. Implement Organization Structure and Design
One of your responsibilities as a Human Resources manager might be to implement a corporate reorganization to decide which departments will report into which divisions of upper management. You would play a key role to define job responsibilities and decide who will report to whom.
10. Develop Team Building/Employee Satisfaction Activities
Today’s employees want more than just to show up for work and do their job. HR managers help implement fun team building activities at the workplace or offsite, and also suggest employee engagement opportunities such as working for a charity or doing other volunteer work.
According to the?U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,?HR Managers earn a median salary of more than $100,000 and demand is expected to grow much faster than average through 2029. Does this sound like the career for you?
National American University offers an online BS in HR Management degree, in addition to HR certificate programs. Call 365体育官网 or click the Learn More button now to get started on the path to this rewarding career.
