Key skills needed to succeed in HR February 20, 2019

Key skills needed to succeed in HR

The human resource department is important for a business success whether it is a big or small company. It is a common misconception that the HR department only hire and fire employees of the company, they are usually responsible for a lot of different things. They are the heart of the company and a middle person between the employees and management. This department will help to develop the company strategy and handle all the employee related activities.

They are fully trained through different human resource courses and HR managers would have completed further HR management courses.

The HR department is very important in the company because the also deal with the budget of the company. They are responsible for trimming the costs associated with the workforce management. They try to curb excessive spending to ensure the company money goes further, these methods will include negotiating better rates for employee benefits such as healthcare. They also look into the employment trends, the labour market and salaries to offer the best salary to their employees. The HR department is also important because sometimes they are asked to adhere to such a strict budget particularly with small businesses.

There are many different skills required to succeed in HR such as:

Maths is very important in HR, you might think that they both don’t go hand in hand but they do. You don’t need a big understanding in maths as you would with accounting; compliance work requires a solid understanding of maths and statistics. You might be asked to create turnover reports, set salaries and speak confidently with business people regarding numbers. This is usually taught on HR courses.

The HR department are expected to show compassion to their employees, they might be asked to listen to their problems. They are not therapists but will need to act like one from time to time. Employees might be having issues with their department or a fellow colleague and come to you for some sort of resolution.

HR managers are not the company lawyers nor do they need to be a lawyer. They need to have a good basic understanding of basic employment law which is critical to succeed In HR. The HR department is sometimes faced with on the spot decisions that can have legal consequences. A skilled HR manager knows when they are out of their depth and when it is time to call in the lawyers to deal with a matter.

In most companies the HR department is responsible for many different things at the same time which means that they need to be able to multitask. You might need to switch back and forth at a moment’s notice if a crisis arises.

The HR department might not have anyone that directly reports to them but they still need to understand how to manage people. You will coach and act as a confidant to the managers, mostly helping them to manage their people. In some companies you will act as a de facto manager for many people even if you don’t write their annual performance reviews.

Need help with building the key skills needed to succeed in a HR department? Contact London TFE to find out more about the human resources courses we have available.