Human resources managers plan, coordinate, and direct the administrative functions of an organization. HR is one of the fastest-growing fields in the United States. If you’re considering a career change, you might be wondering if a career in HR will be rewarding or if it’s going to be a worthwhile pursuit.
A career in HR provides the opportunity to do impactful and meaningful work for organizations and professionals through the creation of a better and more inclusive work environment. HR professionals are employed in nearly every industry. Moreover, there is an increase in demand for HR professionals as organizations navigate new working conditions post-covid; thus, HR professionals enjoy great career prospects. Furthermore, a career in HR is stable as HR professionals are least likely to be replaced by technology advancements.
A career in HR is challenging yet rewarding, and it’s a great time to be making a transition. Here are the reasons why:
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1. HR Work is Meaningful
Being satisfied with the work that you do goes beyond how much money you make or what extra perks your job might come with.
Finding meaning in the work that you do day in and day out is very important but is sadly mostly overlooked for the appeal of a “fact check.”
Doing meaningful work will always keep you motivated and interested in your job. Human resource professionals, on average, find their work to be meaningful and are hopeful about the career prospects available to them.
Between January and March 2020, the people professional survey carried out one of their surveys on about 5,000 professionals with careers in Human resources and some other related fields to find out how many of these professionals actually felt like their work mattered.
95% of the surveys participants had high meaningful work scores. These scores were determined by asking the participants if their work made them happy and if they felt like other people also benefited from the work that they do for them as HR professionals.
When it comes down to aiding the success of an organization, Human resource professionals have such an important role to play.
HR professionals are responsible for procuring the talents an organization will require to achieve its objectives through recruitment, selection, placement, induction, and training.
They manage employees, help them develop healthy work cultures, and resolve any work conflicts that may arise.
HR professionals manage strategies to ensure business effectiveness while also contributing to the managerial decision-making process of the organization. They also contribute to the growth of the company by strengthening employee satisfaction and productivity.
In summary, without Human Resource professionals and the management skills they bring with them, organizations would not be able to effectively procure and train employees, strengthen and grow their business, and maintain a conflict-free and healthy work culture and environment.
2. Fulfillment from Helping other Professionals
With the societal discourse of the world shifting towards equality, diversity, and inclusion; Human Resource professionals have found themselves responsible for making sure all employee voices and concerns are heard and attended to.
The recent “anti-work” and “free from work” movements, which have highlighted the unfair treatments, long working hours, and low wages a lot of workers have to deal with, has also brought to light the importance of having good and effective Human Resource professionals can have on the well-being of employees and the success of employers.
This is because most HR professionals in companies are responsible for planning compensation strategies and negotiating pay and compensation benefits for employees.
Human resource professionals establish healthy work environments and cultures that create enthusiastic workers who excel in their roles and, in the long run, whose efforts will be seen in the growth and success of their organization.
HR professionals have a lot of impact on how people feel about their work. They help people find meaning in their work by performing meaningful work themselves.
Good Human Resource professionals do not aim to reach the companies goals by stepping on and exploiting other employees. They are meant to bridge the gap that normally exists between employers and their employees.
A good HR professional rather is satisfied by achieving the company’s goals while simultaneously promoting the health, welfare, and well-being of everyone they manage by advocating for a good work-life balance.
When talking about the ways HR can help employees, their support is not only limited to conflicts, issues, or discrepancies at work. HR can also help employees navigate their personal or life problems too.
Employees may need help dealing with and navigating anything from mental health, debt, physical health issues, child support, pregnancy, and a lot of other possible life occurrences. These are all opportunities that HR can step up and help.
3. Multiple Career Opportunities.
During the first lockdown, HR job listings took a very significant plunge. This was most likely because most businesses were either on a hiring freeze until restrictions were lifted or had to downsize their workforce.
However, as the economy continues to recover and improve from the COVID-19 lockdown, Human Resources has seen a large boom of demand in the job market. With lockdowns and restrictions being eased worldwide, employers are once again hiring professionals.
HR job listings on Job board websites like indeed alone are reported to have gone up to about 87% since the beginning of the pandemic. This increase started in about February 2020 and has been steadily increasing ever since. This increased demand for HR professionals makes it a great career to pursue.
This increase in demand has put Human Resources in competition with other sectors, such as construction and food manufacturing, in terms of job growth and future prospects. If you’re seriously considering pursuing HR as a career, there has never been a better time than now.
As more and more employees leave their previous work from home arrangements and return to the office, HR professionals will continue to see an increase in demand for their skills and talents.
While businesses continue to recover and grow their workforce, HR professionals and their leadership qualities will be pivotal in both growing the business and its personnel.
HR has evolved past carrying out administrative tasks and is now more focused on strategic management. This evolution is facilitated by the evolving needs of organizations and by technology.
In the United States, Human Resource ranked 35th out of about 800 professions surveyed in the US based on new employment projection data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Even in the United Kingdom, HR job listings are reported to have gone up about 4%.
4. Training and Development Opportunities
Another important factor for career satisfaction is the potential for growth. Moving up the corporate HR ladder also secures an increase in pay. What are the prospects for starting a career in HR and securing promotion in both title and pay?
Some organizations will have a small number of Human Resource professionals depending on their business structure and number of employees.
However, most large-sized organizations have different variations of the Human Resource department responsible for handling and managing all things employee performance-related.
There is a lot of growth potential for HR professionals depending on the type of organization they work for.
Entry-level HR assistants can progress into mid and subsequent higher-level roles like HR administrator, recruitment manager, benefits and compensation manager, or even Human Resource manager or director.
Regardless of their rank, most HR professionals choose between working in either a general role or a specialist role.
Generalist HR professionals perform a broad range of duties. They handle personnel recruitment, hiring, training and development, and compensation. HR assistants, HR managers, and chief HR officers are some of the job titles included under generalist roles.
On the other hand, specialist HR professionals have higher levels of skills applied in more specialized areas. A professional may specialize in employee and labor relations, risk management, or even workforce planning.
Risk management specialist, labor relations specialist, and workforce planning specialist are some of the job titles included under specialist roles.
Depending on what role you decide to work in, a typical HR professional’s career path may look something like this.
After a few years of gaining more experience, an entry-level HR assistant can move on to become an HR administrator or coordinator.
HR administrators/coordinators who perform exceptionally can be promoted to an assistant HR manager position. An HR manager can still climb up the corporate ladder and become an HR director, depending on the size of the organization.
An assistant HR manager can progress upwards some more and bag an HR manager title.
5. Job Satisfaction and Financial Reward
When it comes to HR, the reward of job satisfaction can be defined in so many ways. A lot of professionals feel satisfaction from knowing that the work they do matters.
Between January and March 2020, the people professional survey carried out one of their surveys on about 5,000 professionals with careers in Human resources and some other related fields to find out how many of these professionals actually felt like their work mattered.
95% of the surveys participants had high meaningful work scores. These scores were determined by asking the participants if their work made them happy and if they felt like other people also benefited from the work that they do for them as HR professionals.
Satisfaction from pursuing a career in HR also comes from knowing that your work is helping so many people. Seeing how your job positively influences and changes the lives of individuals by supporting them in achieving their dreams provides a sense of meaning and pride.
The impact HR professionals have on employees in an organization, and the subsequent success of the organization is huge.
As an HR professional, how you carry out your work will determine the work culture and experience for all employees in the organization. Your planning and management will also be a determinant for the organization’s success.
In terms of pay, Human Resource professionals are also well compensated for the value that they provide. According to payscale, the average Human Resource Professionals annual salary is about $56,289. Namely’s database of over 1,000 businesses reveals that the average HR salary is $98,048 across all levels of experience.
The HR Pay largely depends on the size of the company.
While small businesses pay less than large businesses, the sweet spot for the most competitive HR compensation looks to be between 101 and 300 people. Surprisingly, HR earns 3% more in companies with 101-300 people than in companies with more than 300 employees.
Conclusion
There are many reasons to change to a career in HR. The potential benefits literally outweigh the costs. HR is a stable and rewarding profession with a continuously growing demand in the job market.
HR professionals have such an important role to play in achieving the well-being of employees and the success of organizations. HR provides many opportunities for training, development, and professional growth.
If you are considering a career change and the reasons in this article appeal to you, Human Resource may be the right choice for you.
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