Invest in Company Culture With Smart Human Resources Hires
When you run a business, you spend a lot of your time crunching numbers and balancing budgets. With so many financial details to attend to, it can be easy to neglect the more abstract aspects of keeping your company afloat. However, if you want your business to thrive, you need happy employees and a stellar company culture.
Your human resources department is critical to the well-being of your entire company. When they do their jobs well, your other employees will feel the difference and perform accordingly. Here are five qualities and qualifications to look for when hiring your human resources personnel.
- Trained in Conflict Management
Each of your employees is an individual person, which means that conflicts are bound to arise between them. The successful management of these conflicts is one of the keys to the healthy growth of your business. Your HR staff is responsible for helping employees arrive at comfortable agreements and then continue working together.
The ability to mediate conflicts is not merely a personality trait. For the best results, your HR employees should have formal training in this discipline. In fact, ACU offers a master’s in conflict management. When interviewing potential HR workers, be sure to ask them about their experience on this front.
- Degrees in Social Sciences or Social Work
When reviewing resumes for possible hires, look for candidates with degrees in the social sciences or social work. According to Case WesternReserve University, people educated in these fields are well-equipped for human resources careers because they are skilled in such disciplines as project management, relationship navigation, and strategic relationship development. These skills are useful not only for daily interpersonal interactions, but also for executing long-term strategies that promote the growth of your business.
- Comfortable Explaining Benefits Packages
Every company’s benefits package is different, and many people do not fully understand the terms of their benefits. However, muddling through is not acceptable for human resources personnel. They have to know your plan backward and forward in order to be able to answer all the questions that the rest of your staff might have. They should also be willing to help their coworkers find the optimal medical providers for their personal health. Furthermore, if the time comes for your company to alter the benefits it offers, your HR department will be instrumental in picking and implementing the new plan.
- Amiable Personality
Some jobs are not contingent on personality, but in the field of human resources, personality practically is the job. If you encounter a candidate who looks good on paper, but simply does not have an engaging personality, then it is better to wait for someone who is up to the task. Ideally, HR workers should be social, helpful, and industrious. Your other employees need to feel comfortable approaching your HR staff with concerns. In turn, your HR staff must not only be willing to respond to these concerns, but also be enthusiastic about providing the necessary assistance.
Your Success Is Fueled by People
Your business needs to look out for its people, because people keep it moving. By putting a well-chosen staff in charge of mediating conflicts, navigating benefits, and cultivating company culture, you will ensure that your employees flourish and that your company flourishes along with them.