Human Resource Management is important for any company with employees. If you’re just a small company, you might manage HR yourself, while most large corporations have whole divisions dedicated to finding and retaining the right staff. It’s a job that requires tact, dedication and organisation. Like any sector of business, managing HR has its ups and downs, but most problems can be solved fairly easily with the following tips:
Stay organised
When it comes to the management of HR, it’s imperative that everything has its place, because lost items and files can be of great importance down the track. For large corporations, it’s especially important to have HR intranet software in operation these days as very little is done without the Internet, or at least an intranet portal. Keep things neat and tidy and they can be found when needed.
Being organised also helps when there are lots of things to manage at once. Multitasking is the important word here, and it’s one of the main things that a HR manager should be good at. There are potentially lots of issues staff can have and very often they all need to be dealt with simultaneously.
Have as much clarity as possible
In many cases, HR managers have to deal with situations that are vague. Was it sexual harassment? Discrimination? There’s a lot of pressure to decide an outcome when there’s a grey area, and it’s important to know when to make an assertive decision yourself, and when to ask colleagues or managers for help. In these cases, it’s helpful to hone skills of negotiation and mediation and to learn how to manage conflict because not every case is easily resolved or accepted by all parties.
Obviously, the goal is to make both/all parties happy with the outcome, and it’s not always easily achieved. A good attitude and problem solving ability come with the need to negotiate – it’s important that everyone, while they may not (and probably won’t) all like each other, at least manage to be civil. That’s HR’s job, and it’s not always an easy one.
Be discrete, tactful and always ethical
Managing Human Resources can be a bit of a balancing act. At times it’s important to protect the individual while other times it’s essential to put the company first. HR Mangers are meant to listen to concerns of employees but are also required to enforce company policy.
Being a bit tough is the name of the game and when employees need boundaries, it’s important they are firmly encouraged to stay within the parameters of the company. Having said this, they need to know that their opinions are safe and what is said to HR is taken seriously.
Always be in communication
One of the most important skills to have in HR management is communication. HR managers need to report to higher up managers, other department heads, their own staff, other department staff, bosses and potential and even past employees because keeping everyone on the same page is vital in this area of business.
A constant juggling and balancing act, HR management is a demanding job but hopefully these tips will help bring you success in this ever changing and very important business role.
