If you are opting for a career in the growing field of HR, then conquering the following skills would get you to speed up your career as a good HR manager.
1-Leadership
It’s the duty of an HR professional to lead the workforce. All employees look up to HR for help, support, and guidance. Thus, HR managers must have adequate knowledge about the company which enables them to take the lead with independence and confidence. Despite having formal authority, a good HR manager would always remain kind and humble while addressing the employees. This would create a comfortable and friendly work environment rather than a hostile workplace. Nonetheless, an HR must have the ability to modify leadership style from servant to autocratic when the need arises.
2-Team Work and Conflict handling
A good HR manager is equipped with excellent conflict resolution skills that enable him/her to sort out conflicts among employees in the best possible way. For that, the HR manager should carefully analyze the situation, take stances of both the conflicting parties, come up with a win-win solution, and convince both parties to agree to that solution. In this way, the HR manager promotes teamwork and takes everyone along.
3-Professionalism
Professionalism is crucial for any position in an organization, but it is considered a primordial characteristic in an HR manager. This is so because they are workforce leaders and all employees follow in their footsteps. A professional HR manager would make unbiased and ethical decisions utilizing expertise and upholding courtesy.
4-Coordination and Communication
Coordinating between employees of different departments, management and owners is the responsibility of the HR manager. To accomplish this, HR must possess excellent communication skills to convey the information in a clear, concise, concrete, and courteous way. Any buffers in communication can have serious consequences like conflicts and reduced organizational productivity. To be an effective communicator, HR should develop connections at a personal level with the employees as this creates comfort and reduces communication barriers. Regular feedbacks can also help HR improve ways of communication.
5-Strong understanding of HR Practices
A successful HR must have sufficient knowledge of the HR field. HR managers should have a stronghold overall HR practices, including recruitment & selection, compensation & benefits, training & development, payroll, labor laws, legal and compliance, employee satisfaction, etc. In addition to this, HRs should focus on continuous learning and upgrade their policies as market trends are changing dynamically. Further, HR should have abundant knowledge of non-HR company-related information and practices as this helps in better conflict handling and coordination.
6-Decision Making
A few years back, people mistakenly believed that HR only has to follow the rules set by the top management and does not have any role in this regard. But now, the role of HR in decision-making is acknowledged widely. HR plays an undeniable role, from choosing the right person for the right job and deciding on promotions and layoffs to devising suitable solutions in conflict handling. Hence, a good HR must possess strong decision-making skills.
