October 1, 2020 Become a Successful HR Manager

Simple suggestions on how you can become a successful HR manager.

Working in HR isn’t just a job, it’s a vocation. You’re always learning and developing, you’re juggling a huge amount of responsibility and ultimately, keeping the business you work for running smoothly.

You’re a people person at heart, which is probably what attracted you to the industry, you have years of experience and you’ve been faced with some pretty tough and challenging scenarios. You have familiarity with the role and the responsibilities that come with it, but is that really enough to make you a successful HR manager?

Maybe not. As someone who thrives in Human Resources, you’ll understand that there’s always room for personal improvement! Here we’ll explore how you can become a successful HR manager with these simple suggestions.

Invest in better software

One of the most controversial areas of HR and often where many professionals find their personal growth stunted are the systems and support (or lack of) from their current software package. Thankfully these days HR software choices have improved and are much better suited to the demands and requirements of a busy HR manager.

You can help keep your organisation connected and have everything you need including payroll, recruitment services, learning portals, analytics and other dashboards all available on one user-friendly package. Freeing up more time to dedicate to other demanding and time-consuming areas of HR. The better your software, the better your personal performance.

Don’t forget your current employees

HR means headhunting the latest talent and welcoming them into the business with a glossy and highly polished onboarding process. It’s easy to get swept up in all this, which means many HR managers forget to focus on other employees.

Remember to continue to focus on your current employees with plenty of feedback meetings, providing growth and career opportunities and plenty of reward and recognition sessions to let them know that your attention is just as focused on them as it is the new recruits.

Remember it’s not always about the jargon

Being part of HR means knowing legislation and employment law like the back of your hand. As important as this is, it can often make you come across as cold and robotic, especially when you’re dealing with the same scenarios and employee issues time and time again.

Try to remember that you’re representing the employees. You’re there to help them. And try to focus on why you wanted to work in HR in the first place. Being more human will help you overcome your stiff work-related responses and instil confidence in the employees you represent.

And finally, remember that human contact is essential

As mentioned above, being viewed as “human” rather than someone who reels of legislation and rules all the time can help you progress in your HR career and be more successful in the role.

Instead of hiding away in your office and summoning employees to you (something which can be quite intimidating for some employees) be a recognised presence in the workplace. Show support, ask questions, meet and greet regularly and don’t be afraid to strike up conversations that aren’t HR related. Doing so will create much better communication between departments and HR.

Subscribe to Industry Today