The HR department is responsible for more than just talent acquisition, payroll, and developing organizational policies. HR Managers are role models that the rest of the organization emulates. Hence, the HR manager needs to be everything the organization stands for. As this would ultimately dictate business success, the role of the HR Manager is quite critical. Shortlyst talked to experts to find out what qualities do successful HR Managers have in common. Here are the top 5 must-haves qualities in an HR Manager that almost everyone agreed upon –
They must be aligned with the organization
An HR Manager needs to understand the business purpose. As they will be the ones involved in the hiring of the resources, dealing with allocation, remunerations, and resource budgeting, among others, they must be clear about the organization’s position in the market and where it is headed. A mere understanding of the mission, value, and vision is not enough. They must be aligned with the business purpose and ensure that it is seen in all their actions. As great leaders inspire by their acts, HR Managers must lead by example so that the entire department and the organization follow suit. This will ultimately reflect in the talent they hire and the organizational culture through the programs they implement.
They must be comfortable with technology
The pandemic has reshaped the hiring, business operations, and every facet of our work. Now, conducting interviews remotely, in digital workplaces, and at times using specialized software is commonplace. Hence, we need HR Managers who are in the know of things. Just an understanding of MS Office Suite does not make the cut anymore. The role calls for experience with CRMs, functional HR software, recruitment suites, and other tools that facilitate the workings of the HR department. Also, they must keep abreast of development, be open to learning new things, and innovate to improve the business perception.
Here is a detailed HR Manager Job Description to help speed up your hiring process
They need to be versatile and adaptable
Gone are the days when people used to move up the ranks based on their tenure. Organizations today are more accepting of change and open to giving a chance to new people who have proven themselves. Hence, HR Managers need to be versatile and adaptable to get results. Flexibility is important to ensure that they meet the demands of the management while ensuring they do not alienate their department or company employees. It is often observed that people with high adaptability usually make for better managers
They must be able to think outside the box
HR Managers are solution-oriented and shrewd negotiators. Resolving conflicts, solving problems, and arriving at a solution that satisfies all parties are some of their KPIs. Thus, this calls for creativity and innovative thinking outside the box. Companies usually prefer individuals with a design-thinking mentality for this role. Also, a proven experience in delivering visible results is highly regarded in HR circles.
They must be transparent and trustworthy
HR Managers perform business-critical roles. They deal with pay and benefits, formulate and uphold organizational policies, and there can even be legal facets to their functions at times. Also, employees may come to them with their issues and conflict resolutions. It calls for a balance between confidentiality and transparency with the upper management. Hence, they should deal be able to tactfully manage this. Also, they need to have excellent listening skills to understand and help the employees solve their issues.
While there are other qualities that organizations may value in an HR Manager, these are some basic behavioral traits that HR Managers can build upon.
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