Do you know the essential skills all Human Resource Managers should have?
Human Resource Managers are normally in charge of employees. They look for certain qualities in applicants when hiring the right person for the job. But what should you look for when hiring a Human Resource Manager?
Below are 8 essentials skills every Human Resource Manager should have.
Skill #1: Organization
HR management requires strong organization skills. Between organizing files, meeting with employees, and a string of other on going responsibilities, the ability to stay organized is key to HR effectiveness.
Skill #2—Handling the “Gray Area”
A surprisingly large percentage of the issues HR managers face are in “the gray area.” Is it discrimination? Is it sexual harassment? What’s a “reasonable” accommodation for a disability? HR managers have to be able to act with incomplete and “best available” information, and they have to know when to seek the professional help of colleagues, attorneys, and other experts.
Skill #3—Discrete and Ethical
HR professionals usually have access to an over abundance of confidential information on employees, applicants, and the company. As you serve the needs of top management, you also monitor their actions toward employees to be sure that policies and regulations are followed. You need to be able to push back when they aren’t in order to keep the firm on the straight and narrow and you must be sure to follow all ethical policies in place while handling confidential information.
Skill #4—Negotiation
When dealing with employee, co-worker, managerial, and supervisor issues, there are often two or more opposing views, and the successful HR pro can find an acceptable middle ground. Remember, the goal of negotiation is to end up with two parties that are satisfied with the outcome, and that’s not often easy to achieve.
Skill #5—Communication
HR professionals have to communicate up to management, over to supervisors, out to potential employees, and down to all levels of current employees. And they have to do it in writing, while speaking to large and small groups and, increasingly, through social media. They have to be convincing, caring, and believable, while keeping what is best for every party and the company in mind.
Skill #6—Multitasking
On a typical HR day, an HR professional will deal with an employee’s personal issue one minute, an intermittent leave question the next, and a recruiting strategy for a hard-to-fill job the minute after.
In HR, if it’s not one thing, it’s another. Priorities and business needs move fast and change fast, and manager A who needs someone hired doesn’t much care if you’re already helping manager B who needs someone fired. You need to be able to handle it all, all at once.
Skill #7—Dual Focus
Human resources professionals have to advocate for employee concerns, yet must also enforce top management’s policies. The HR professional who can pull off this delicate balancing act wins trust from all concerned.
Skill #8—Conflict Resolution and Problem Solving
As always, tensions will arise between employees and coworkers and sometimes individual’s personal issues will come into play. High productivity demands that people work together at least civilly. HR has to find ways to allow that to happen.
