If you’ve chosen a career in HR, you probably know that it is a multi-faceted and fast paced field, and despite having the potential to be a highly rewarding path, can at times be very challenging. If you’re considering going for an entry-level position in human resources,it’s useful to know exactly what these challenges are and to consider whether you’d be able to contribute a solution or to if needed.
Employee Progression
Employee progression, or a lack of, is a challenge faced by many businesses. It is usually the reserve of those companies who have been very successful and can therefore afford to invest in their workforce in order to increase its value and the contribution that their current employees are able to make to its future.
However, most businesses struggle to find the time or resources to make this a priority as they already have so much to juggle in order to make ends meet, which is especially the case for young companies. It is an incredibly valuable source of growth and is often underestimated in this sense,so it should therefore be a priority for all HR departments,no matter what stage the business is at.
Time Management
Another of the major challenges faced by human resources departments is time management. As an HR officer you have a multitude of different responsibilities; designing job roles, writing job adverts and carrying out interviews, keeping employee records up to date; handling welfare complaints, training new members of staff; performance reviews and handling legal issues to name just a few.
This is a lot to juggle so it’s important to have an efficient system in place that enables you to cover every base. Part of this is integrating new technology wherever possible to help streamline your HR operations. To make things easier for you, it might be worthwhile using things like The Together Platform which is a software designed to create a mentoring system in the workplace. Mentoring is a great way to minimise the HR workload as it allows employees to discuss and find solutions to issues together without needing HR.
Creating a Diverse Workforce
As time goes by, diversity is becoming more and more of a concern in the workplace. It is important that all members of society are given an equal opportunity to find work, rather than unfair assumptions being made by those in positions of power. This only creates a one-dimensional workforce with a limited skill set.
It is not only important to ensure that as an HR department you do not differentiate between different backgrounds, ethnicities, genders and ages, but that you also nurture a welcoming an inclusive environment for all employees. You should have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to hostile behaviour.
The main challenges facing human resources departments today are a lack of focus on employee progression, a considerable workload thanks to a large range of responsibilities, and workforces that are not as diverse as they should be. Make employee progression a priority, no matter what stage the business is at, as it can be one of the best investments you can make.
Streamline your operations and integrate new technology to handle a busy schedule, and make sure your hiring process does not take into account gender, age, background or ethnicity. Abcrnews.com has even more advice for businesses, such as financial planning tips for when you are stuck in a monetary rut.
