Human Resource Manager - Job Description

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily." - Zig Ziglar, American author, salesman and motivational speaker.

This field evolved as a serious discipline in the business world when it was understood that employees were not mere business units, like machines and automobiles. Instead, they are valuable human manpower and have personal, emotional, and financial needs.

The dynamics of business have become more and more challenging in today's global economy. Employee retention is a crucial factor and firms hire such managers for this vital task. Also, the function of such managers is to work in tandem with all the departments of a firm in order to monitor and decipher the needs of the employees.

The human resource department acts as a bridge between the CEO or the Managing Director of the company and the various branches, like executive, administrative, project management teams, and operations management.

The entire process of recruitment is monitored by the HR managers in a firm. It is one of their primary functions. Their duties consist of job posting, hiring, conducting recruitment exams (if any), and interviewing. Other functions of these managers include maintaining excellent professional relations with educational institutions and recruitment agencies.

Training employees is another important duty of a human resource manager. Why is training so essential? Well, every organization has its specific organizational culture, and it is expected that the employees follow it. Induction and orientation lectures are the initial periods of training, wherein the employees get to know the work culture of the company.

The HR team conducts icebreaker sessions that are conducted to help employees feel comfortable and show active participation in training programs. Effective communication is a tool that these managers can use to connect with the employees and build team spirit among them.

HR managers oversee training programs for employees in areas like project management, where special trainers may be hired to conduct classes and hold exams. They undertake the staffing solutions for the organization, conduct enter and exit interviews, manage compensation structures and other important protocols needed for smooth functioning of the system.

Motivation is a tool which, if used wisely, can trigger remarkable improvement in the performance of an employee. HR managers conduct sessions and lectures that keep the employees aware about the growing competition in the market, and the need to constantly upgrade the skills of the employees.

Since a HRM handles the recruitment process, he/she is more aware about the ability, experience, and skills of the employee, therefore he/she can take better decisions about the salary of the worker. Generally, the HR department works in collaboration with the accounts department in salary-related issues.

Are the employees satisfied with the facilities of the firm? Are there any issues that are causing unrest among the employees? There may be differences in the ideas/opinions of the various employees. Is that creating a conflict? All such matters related to employee satisfaction are handled by the HR manager.

The principles of conflict resolution can be used to resolve differences among the employees. Mostly, HRMs accept the feedback of the employees and this leads to an efficient management of the workers.

A graduate degree in labor laws, social sciences, human resources and industrial laws is needed for entry-level jobs in this field. Many firms require a fair amount of experience before hiring HR managers. So, if you have a Master's degree/MBA in this field, it's better to spend 3-6 years taking professional experience before looking for senior positions.

Even courses related to humanities, like public administration, psychology, sociology, political science, and economics are considered by many firms. Some institutions which offer degree programs in Human Resource Management in the United States are:

• School of Industrial & Labor Relations, Cornell University, which offers Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (MILR), a 2-year professional course.
• School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois, which offers the MHRIR graduate degree.

• The Owen Graduate School of Management of the Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Texas also offers an MBA degree in this discipline.

Apart from the degree courses mentioned above, there are also other courses conducted by several associations in the field of human resource management.

The most prominent of these is the The Society for Human Resource Management. One can enroll in one of the manyProfessional in Human Resources (PHR) certifications on offer by the association.

The various personality traits needed to be an excellent human resource manager are as follows:

• Excellent communication skills and leadership qualities.
• Strong presentation abilities.
• Ability to think out of the box.
• Very good initiation and negotiation skills.

According to the 2017 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual wage and the mean mean hourly wage of an HR manager is USD 110,120 and USD 52.94 respectively. The states of California, New York, Illinois, Texas and Florida offer the highest employment level in this field.

A sector growth of 9% and 12,300 new jobs are expected from 2016 to 2026. Analyzing the job description of HR managers must have given you an insight into the challenges and creativity of the different elements involved in this field.