Human Resources
Human resources is the branch of business that deals with employees and the best ways to attract, motivate, and keep them at a company. Someone working for human resources helps with the administrative duties of a company that relate to its employees, such as helping interview and hire new workers, answering health insurance questions, and providing a link for communication between upper management and the personnel. He or she also plans and executes training and personal development opportunities for employees to increase their job satisfaction and productivity.
Human resources managers are trained in how to help keep workers happy and on task, how to evaluate the effectiveness of the work environment, and how to manage the administrative side of the business. They are needed in virtually any workplace, and are found at financial institutions, hotels, schools, government agencies, restaurants, hospitals, labor unions, manufacturing companies, employment agencies, nonprofit organizations, and many more office settings.
Careers: Human resources is a broad term that encompasses many more specialized jobs. These include positions such as recruitment specialists, work-life managers, compensation managers, recruiters, occupational analysts, employee benefits managers, training specialists, and labor relations managers, among others.
Salary: While salaries depend on a person's training and experience, the median yearly pay in 2008 was $86,500, while the highest 10% earned over $147,050. Human resources professionals working in management and computer services tend to get paid more, while those working in the fields of education and government tend to earn slightly less.
Because human resources is the connection between a business and its employees, it is necessary that anyone working in this field possess both business and interpersonal acumen. Coursework therefore includes work in both of these areas. Classes you can expect to take in a degree in human resources include:
- Speech Communication
- Information Literacy and Research Methods
- Business and Management
- Psychology
- Finite Mathematics
- Macroeconomics
- Business Ethics
- Accounting
- Computer-Based Systems
- Human Resource Management
- Employment Law for Business
- Labor Relations
- Business Finance
- Marketing Principles
- Organizational Behavior
Skills: A successful human resources manager is a “people person” – someone who relates well and easily to others, talks comfortably with a wide variety of people, and enjoys helping others resolve problems. Because the job centers on these interactions, strong communication and critical thinking skills are important. A solid knowledge of computers as well as the ability to speak in front of groups in presentation settings is also helpful.
Article Resources:
Albion University
Ferris State University
Portland State University
University of Maryland University College
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics