9 Ways to Become an Excellent Human Resource Manager

By Emily Wilson

HR managers are a vital part of every company. They work with both sides – employees and employers. They have to balance everything out and make sure everybody is happy and treated fairly. It’s a difficult job, but also a very rewarding one. Here are some tips to help you become the best HR manager you can be.

1. Work on your communication skills

For everyone in HR, this should be a no-brainer. Your main responsibilities are all about communication. You need to be able to communicate easily and, above all, clearly. You need to be able to explain to your new team members what their duties are and what is expected of them in clear and precise terms.  You will sometimes need to be a mediator in employee conflicts, so you need to make sure that both parties understand their positions completely. You this area of business, you need to communicate a lot, so it's important to make sure that you can do it efficiently.

2. Develop your organizational skills

Because of the many duties of a Human Resources Professional, your organization needs to be impeccable. The responsibilities of the position include dealing with office conflict, hiring and firing employees, educating your team, maintaining office records, and a mountain of paperwork to boot. Obviously, without good organization, it’s easy to lose track of everything that needs to be done. Because of that, it’s vital for you to organize well and be disciplined.

3. Stay updated

Staying up-to-date is important for every job. You can use various RTO materials to improve your existing knowledge and gain new qualifications. Alternatively, you can check up on the newest developments on the sector by subscribing to blogs that deal with that area of business. If you prefer blog posts and other web content as a way to stay updated, consider using RSS, as it can save you a significant amount of time. Time is money, and if you can open one news feed instead of 15 different blogs, why would you waste a second?

4. Don’t let your ethics be questioned

One of your primary responsibilities in a company if enforcing the rules of the said company. In order to do so, you need to lead by example. You cannot enforce the rules that you don't respect yourself, can you? If you don't respect the rules you want others to respect, you will come across as hypocritical and you'll lose the respect of your co-workers. This leads to you not being able to do your job well (or at all), and it can endanger your position in the company. Therefore, your morality should never be questioned by anyone. You need to be fair and you cannot give special treatment to anybody, without regard to their position and influence. You need to be the embodiment of business ethics in your company.

5. Work on your conflict management abilities

Conflicts among co-workers can be a tricky business. If they are not dealt with fairly and in a timely fashion, they can get blown out of proportion before you can say “conflict resolution”. One of the most important jobs of an HR professional is resolving such conflicts. It’s not an easy job. You need to be fair and objective, listen to all sides of the story and try to consider the situation from their perspective. You need to be aware of all the laws and all the rules of the company, but you need to also consider the situation at hand before you decide on the best course of action.

6. Create a positive employee experience

Recent years have seen the rise of awareness of the importance of a compelling employee experience. In order for your company to prosper, you need to acquire the best team you can find. However, thanks to the market demands and the rising expectations, talented and highly trained employees can choose where they want to work. That means that you need to make sure that you're the company that the employees want to work for. This includes improving the benefits and making sure your team is as satisfied as you can make them. Remember, it’s not about simply keeping the talents, it’s about making them enjoy the work and love working for you.

7. Invest in employee wellness

The unhappy employees aren’t as productive as the happy ones. It’s a simple truth and there is no way around it. This is why you need to dedicate your time and resources to maintain their health and well-being. Of course, that involves all sorts of things, from including gym memberships in benefits packages to taking care of their financial wellness. Your job is to find out what do your employees need, and then work toward providing that for them.

8. Focus on individual and team development

Even though focusing or individual development of each of the team members is one of the best ways to improve their job satisfaction and, with it, your business, it’s not the only important thing to consider. Development of the team is equally important. Teams are the units that bring the best results, so it's important to spend time on developing good teamwork among your crew.

9. Create an inspiring workplace

As an HR professional, one of your responsibilities is working with the Real Estate to create an inspiring workplace. The thing is, most of the workplaces today are made in such a way as to appeal to the extroverts in the workforce. However, there are just as many introverts there, so it's important to make them feel comfortable as well. It goes even beyond that – not all people like the same environment when they work. Some like office desks and chairs, others prefer comfortable cushions. One of your responsibilities is promoting company culture but also making sure that the employees are engaged and productive. Therefore, consider the premises and the best ways to make them comfortable for every type of employees.

Being an HR professional is a challenging job, but also a highly rewarding one. You can see your work pay off in a very short time, and knowing you’ve done something to improve the position of the employees and the company, you can feel incredibly proud of yourself.

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