How to Become a Better Human Resource Manager: 3 Ways to Further Your Career

« Back to Articles

Human resource (HR) management is a job that entails not only hiring the right people for specific positions, but also maintaining a healthy workforce within a company. As such, HR managers have the power and responsibility to engage employees, making sure they’re motivated and productive.

Of course, HR does more than that.

If you want to further your career in this department, you need to be progressive in developing your skills and performing your duties. Beyond taking HR training courses, you must also seek ways to create a more significant impact on your organisation.

In this article, you will learn how to start a career as an HR manager and what it takes to become better at work.

Starting a Career as a Human Resource Manager

Before starting a career in HR, you must first learn the roles you’ll have to play and the responsibilities you need to handle. These include:

• Recruiting personnel
• Managing company payroll
• Designing and disbursing employee benefits
• Keeping company policies updated, particularly those that affect the workforce
• Maintaining employee records. Monitoring individual and team performances
• Planning and executing training and other career growth activities
• Resolving conflicts and disagreements within the team    
• Disbursing incentives and rewards based on performance and other factors
• Distributing information about the company and getting feedback from employees

This already-extensive list can still go on and on, making the HR department seem like it has more things to handle than the rest of the company.

Given the extent of their responsibilities, HR managers must have had the appropriate education and training to perform their duties.

Depending on the role level, the department staff members may need to have a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree. Besides HR management degrees, organisations may also prefer those with a background in psychology because of their knowledge of human behaviour.

On top of that, an HR also needs to train more even after graduation because they need to be well-versed in a number of specific topics, such as:

• Labour laws and legal compliance
• Compensation and benefit trends
• Training and development
• Advanced staffing strategies
• Workplace safety and employee well-being

3 Ways to Become a Better HR Manager

Now that you know the basic requirements of becoming an HR manager, you may be wondering what else you can do to progress in this career path. To help you out, below are three strategies you can try to be a better HR manager:

1. Learn to handle difficult conversations

One of the responsibilities of HR professionals is to handle conflicts within the company. This is not only limited to simple arguments related to work, but also changes that may affect the entire organisation.

HR managers should learn how to handle difficult conversations through open and positive communication.

Employees will be affected, no matter what kind of change or transition the company will go through. To reduce – if not eliminate – any negative consequences, HR must serve as a bridge to keep communication lines between the management and the employees always open.

Of course, this doesn’t just apply to transitions. Communication must remain unhindered during daily operations. This way, you’ll know what potential issues may arise and be prepared to manage them well.

Here are some other tips for becoming a better communicator:

Copy a speaker you admire. Emulate a person you know to be a good communicator. Practice speaking aloud. When it’s time to gather the employees, stand up and speak up about the stuff your team has been doing.
Be the voice of the company culture. Focus on your company’s values and use them as a guide when crafting all of your communications within the organisation.
Change how HR is perceived. In many cases, workers perceive a call to the HR office as daunting. This happens when HR managers act like school principals and talk to people only when they need to warn or reprimand them about something. If you are to handle difficult conversations well, you must change this attitude.

2. Look for ways to boost employee motivation

Keeping employees motivated and productive is perceived as one of the more challenging roles of human resources professionals. But with the right attitude and willingness to adapt, you can accomplish this in a heartbeat.

Employees will appreciate more human contact, so make sure to be there for them. Leave your desk and go to their workspaces. Inquire about how they’re doing and listen to their ideas.

If you show your support as the HR manager, you’ll inspire a better working environment.

You should also try to make things personal. Take into account their age, goals, preferences, and personality in your communications.

And don’t forget to give them a vision of a better future. To do that, you need to design a growth map that will inspire employees to become better versions of themselves.

Not sure how to do all this? An employee motivation training course could equip you with the tools and knowledge to accomplish the task.

3. Be a strategic thinker and open up to innovations.

HR professionals play a crucial role in company growth, but not all are given a seat at the table. If you are to progress further in this career path, you must make sure the importance of human resources is known and accepted in your organisation.

To do that, you need to become a strategic thinker. Be that HR leader who aligns employee policies to the organisation’s goals.

For example, if management wants a leaner but more empowered team, you can use tools that can automate some of the processes and supports the department’s core function.

For HR, seek out apps or other tools to allow employees to input and retrieve their own information and transactions related to HR. This self-supporting system allows you more time for other things that could help improve the work environment and give employees a sense of empowerment.

Technology has changed the world for the better. As an HR professional, you need to stay on top of innovations in your field, especially those that help you perform your responsibilities better.

Grow in HR

Like most sectors, growth in human resource management comes with facing both challenges and innovations. Use your degree as a foundation for your career, but don’t be afraid to face change and learn more things through training. This way, you can continue growing in your chosen field and become a better HR manager.

Author Bio

Jerrin Samuel is the Executive Director at Regional Educational Institute (REI) in Abu Dhabi. Since 1995, REI has been at the forefront of education by delivering quality corporate training courses in the UAE, helping many businesses and organisations achieve greater productivity and higher customer satisfaction levels.