Human resources is an essential part of every business. Not only do they manage the hiring process, but they also oversee the current employee satisfaction and productivity. HR professionals can serve a variety of roles within an organization, including compliance advisor, employee relations counselor, benefits administrator, recruiter, and safety coordinator.
It’s important to build and train an HR team that you can trust to keep your organization running smoothly and efficiently. At HR Education Network, we provide your HR team with efficient and effective professional development to help your entire business thrive.
Building a Human Resources Department
Most small businesses start with the business owner serving in the human resources role. As the business grows, oftentimes some HR responsibilities will be handed off to other employees. While this structure may work for a short time, it’s not recommended as a long-term solution.
Your HR team is responsible for the well-being and productivity of your company’s greatest asset: your employees. HR professionals are trained to specialize in the multiple facets of their role, including payroll, tax withholding, legal compliance, employee benefits, recruitment, interviewing, mediating disputes, and managing personnel complaints. These responsibilities have a tremendous impact on the well-being of the company as a whole, which is why it’s so important to have a highly qualified HR team.
As you start to build a dedicated HR department, their focus will depend on the current goals of the company. For example, if the organization is growing quickly, you’ll want to hire capable HR professionals who specialize in recruitment. However, if your organization is dealing with high turnover rates, you’ll want to build an HR team that will focus on employee retention and satisfaction.
Hiring the Right HR Professionals
As you begin to build your HR department, it’s best to start with an HR manager. Look for HR professionals with extensive experience in developing and executing HR plans and procedures that specifically pertain to your current business goals. HR managers typically have a bachelor’s degree in a related field, in addition to a master’s degree in human resources or a senior HR professional certification, such as the SPHR or SHRM-SCP.
In addition to extensive experience, you’ll want to look for individuals with the qualities that make for an incredible HR professional who can expand their skills to fit the needs of your business. These include:
- Strong organizational skills
- Decision-making skills
- Integrity
- Patience
- Formal authority
- Leadership capability
- Good communication skills
- Empathy
Once you find the perfect HR manager, they will be able to offer strategic support in building out your HR department, identifying key objectives that support your business goals, and training your HR team.
Training and Continued Education for Your HR Team
Even the best HR professionals need ongoing education to expand the capabilities of the team and stay up to date on current best practices. Now more than ever, HR professionals must excel in a variety of roles that support the financial well-being, security, and productivity of employees. Furthermore, HR professionals are required to stay up to date on new laws and regulations that affect employers.
Fortunately, many online education resources provide high-quality training in a variety of HR disciplines. Below are a few training areas that your HR team could benefit from:
- Business strategy
- Communication
- Benefits and compensation
- Critical evaluation
- Employee and labor relations
- Ethical practice
- Cultural effectiveness
- HR development
- Leadership
- Relationship management
- Risk management
- Workforce planning and employment
At HREN, we offer online courses and group training to help your team develop expertise in a variety of HR disciplines. These courses can apply to your HR staff’s recertification credits, allowing your entire team to maintain HR professional certifications through HRCI or SHRM, two of the most well-respected HR certification providers.
If you have HR team members who are not yet certified, we offer HR certification test prep for a variety of skill and experience levels. Visit our course catalog to see which options are best for your team or contact Jessica Vieira at jessica.vieira@hreducationnetwork.com to register a group of HR professionals.
