Human resource management is crucial for any organisation because the employees drive its growth and development. Without their active contribution and loyalty, no establishment can move forward. This way the HR department is given much importance, and in many modern companies, the heads of this unit share space with the top brass. The HR department must possess a variety of people management skills to face the challenges they face in executing their work.
Before we look at what skills these officials must possess, we must know why they need them. Only when we know the challenges they face is it possible to understand the need for various skills. One can know more about the job of a human resource department official by joining our Post Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management. A visit to our website will enlighten you on the course details.
Challenges Faced By The HR Department
Engaging The Workforce
One of HR personnel’s most difficult jobs is engaging the workers. While these professionals hotly discussed it just before the pandemic, they had to seek new strategies when the disease struck. The man management professionals had to acquire new people management skills to keep the staff members engaged even when they were working from their homes. Intentional and deliberate communication aimed at showing workers the role they played in the company’s progress helps a lot in engaging employees.
Finding The Right People
As new companies from both within the country and abroad open shop, employees are finding more opportunities. At this time, it is not easy for the HR department to attract good talent to the firm. An image that the organisation is friendly to workers can help get talented candidates. Another important aspect the management must consider is having strong values and sticking to them. Many look at the company’s policies about various aspects before attending an interview. The HR officials must possess the necessary people management skills to engage prospective employees and lure them into joining the firm.
Managing Workplace Relationships
A healthy relationship between the staff members helps in better productivity. When they understand each other and cooperate, more work gets done, and this helps the company progress quickly. But it is not easy maintaining such warm relationships when there are people from different social and educational backgrounds. It is especially true with the hybrid working model implemented after the pandemic. HR officials must strive to build healthy relationships between employees and ensure a good working environment. Here again, there are special people management skills that will help the human resources department to build good working relationships.
Training And Development
Employees want to advance in their careers swiftly. But they may not possess the necessary capabilities to take up higher responsibilities. It is the HR department’s duty to ensure that they are given regular training to upskill them. Technology progresses faster than one can keep pace with it. Employees must equip themselves with the latest technical skills in a changing workplace. Another challenge that the workforce management team faces is teaching soft skills to the workers. Good people management skills help formulate the best training programmes. Such transferable qualities are necessary for leadership development.
Employee Retention
Retaining employees is an important issue today. Many companies see a high attrition rate. This doesn’t just increase their expenses. It also makes the firm’s progress slow. New recruits take time to settle and contribute their full potential. It also takes them time to get accustomed to the new environment and their colleagues. All of these make it difficult for companies to grow at a pace they would like. HR personnel should develop people management skills like good communication to interact with employees and discover why they leave the firm.
Building Diversity At The Workplace
Achieving diversity, equity and inclusion in the office are very important today. Many youngsters want to work for organisations that value diversity and offer everyone a sense of belonging. Only such companies can attract the best people when new vacancies arise. But it is not something that is easy to achieve. There are many employees in the firm who may not favour such a diverse environment. There are possibilities of discrimination against certain groups of people. The human resource department must acquire new people management skills to convince existing staff members and ensure that the DEI status is achieved.
Accept Change
Change is inevitable in a world where technology is moving very fast. The pandemic has brought in various changes much earlier than companies were ready. Remote working has given employees a lot of freedom that they expect even as they return to the office. It is necessary to listen to your staff members in a labour market that is not overflowing with skilled people. Companies must bring changes in their HR policies that will make them more friendly to the workers. HR officials must learn the necessary people management skills to help them bring changes without causing much disturbance to work.
Improving Employee Well-Being
The pandemic has not only brought a lot of changes in workplaces. It has also created a lot more health issues than those seen earlier. These are both physical and mental illnesses. Employers must take note of these and ensure that the health and well-being of staff members are taken care of. It is not just the changes in medical benefits that are required. Companies must also offer better working conditions to ensure that employees are not stressed. There must be flexible working hours and more paid time off. Bringing such changes requires HR workers to acquire more people management skills.
The above are the common modern challenges that HR officials face when trying to execute their work successfully. Becoming part of our Post Graduate Certificate Program in Human Resource Management can teach you how to handle these challenges. Our website will give you more details about the course and how it will help you succeed at work.
Top 11 Skills Needed For Human Resource Personnel to Succeed
- Hiring And Recruitment
This is probably one of the topmost people management skills that every HR professional must possess. New vacancies keep arising in companies, and they must place the right people in these slots. It is not enough to read the resumes or look at the qualifications of the candidates. A good human resource professional knows how to analyse resumes and find the one that is most suitable for the firm. During interviews also, the officials must be able to see beyond what the prospective employees speak. They must know the intentions and aspirations of the person.
- HRIS Skills
HRIS stands for Human Resource Information System. Such software programmes help automate various basic tasks of the HR department. There are a variety of such packages, and a good man management professional must select the one most suitable for the firm. These programmes help save a lot of time that you can use to find innovative solutions for major problems. Being familiar with such solutions is highly valued by employers. One must also know how to work on payroll and attendance software. These are useful people management skills that help make your work easy.
- Analytical Skills
Problems keep arising in every company, which is true for the workforce management department too. HR managers must be able to interpret the problems and find the best solution for them. Analysing available data helps to come up with unique solutions. For this, you must possess the necessary skills to collect the required data. It is necessary for you to be familiar with data analytical skills that help to interpret the existing data and come up with solutions. Mathematical modelling is one of the other people management skills that every HR professional must possess.
- Teamwork
Teamwork is essential in all departments of a company. But it is even more essential in the HR department as they must work with their teams and with those from other business units. Teamwork is a necessary skill that human resource personnel must develop if they want to be successful in their jobs. Working with others cordially helps in getting work done and gathering information. Indulging in various team sports like football, cricket, etc., help to develop this necessary capability. It is one of the important people management skills that will help in managing and guiding diverse teams in the firm.
- Advising Skills
As an HR official, you will be required to advise and guide the workers in a factory on various issues. People from all departments reach the workforce managers to seek suggestions on both work and personal problems. Listening to them actively and helping them with correct advice helps you become highly valued by everyone in the firm. Developing the skill to hear out people is the beginning of gaining advising skills. This is one of the people management skills that is highly sought after by employers.
- Coaching Skills
Apart from organising training programmes for the staff members, HR officials are also tasked with coaching them on various matters. It is the job of these professionals to teach workers how to maintain a cordial relationship at work. They must also coach them on inclusivity. Employees must learn how to value the opinions of all sections of workers. HR officials must also tell the staff members about the need to be inclusive and not discriminate against any particular group of people. It is one of the important people management skills that help HR officials remain valuable to others.
- Performance Assessment
There is a regular need for employees of a firm to be assessed and rewarded. Without this, nobody will stay in the company for long. All HR professionals must have the skills to develop assessment methods for different teams. They must also know how to use these methods to analyse the performance of individual employees. Only with proper appraisals can workers be rewarded, and only this will retain them in the organisation. It is one of the people management skills that help in employee retention.
- Understanding Different Cultures
This is one of the crucial people management skills that HR officials working in large corporations must possess. Such firms have employees belonging to different ethnicities. India has diverse cultures, and all these people work in the same company. It is the HR department that must ensure a peaceful working atmosphere. For this, a good understanding of different cultures and these peculiarities is crucial.
- Reporting Skills
Reporting is part of every HR department. These must prepare various reports that are sent to department heads, employees, and the top management. These professionals must be able to create accurate reports that help in making important decisions. They must also be able to read reports sent by various departments and take necessary action on them. Familiarity with HRIS helps you master this important people management skill.
- Handling Work-Related Injuries
Injuries can happen in the workplace. These can be more frequent where there are large machines or hazardous materials. One of the important people management skills is to know how to handle such situations and make sure the employee gets prompt treatment. In addition, you must also know the insurance and compensation policies that companies should adhere to.
- Time Management
As HR professionals handle multiple jobs at any time, it is necessary to have excellent time management skills. It will help you complete all your work and also have time to look at what improvements can be made in the firm with regard to human resource management.
Conclusion
Being in the HR department requires you to handle a variety of responsibilities. It means that you must possess various people management skills that will help in the successful completion of your work. Before you take up human resource management as a career, it is better to enrol in our Post Graduate Certificate course in Human Resource Management. It is an excellent way to equip yourself with the essential skills needed for the job. Visit our website to know details about the course.
