What Does a Human Resources Advisor Do?

A human resources advisor helps a human resources department with a variety of tasks, including the wide range of activities that go into employee processing. The human resources advisor serves as a consultant as well as an assistant in implementing established programs, from hiring and firing to dealing with employees on a daily basis. Because so much of this work entails interpersonal interactions, the best human resources advisers are people-oriented and can deal with interpersonal stressors with ease.

Part of a human resources professional’s job entails dealing with long-term employees or personnel in departments where turnover isn’t an issue. The human resources advisor may spend a significant amount of time meeting with employees at various levels of the organization informally to obtain feedback on everything from production to workplace environments. The purpose of these meetings could be to uncover human relations issues or worksite issues, as well as to train others in people skills and conflict resolution.

One of these human resources advisers may also have hands-on responsibilities that are unrelated to conflict resolution or employee morale. A human resources advisor, for example, could write an employee newsletter or assist in the production of other periodicals. Websites and other online resources, such as application guides or hiring information, are in the same boat. As part of regularly scheduled work skills meetings, these advisers may present information to departments.

A human resources advisor’s other major responsibility is to assess how businesses can provide value-added training in order to produce more skilled workers. Individuals are screened for advanced training sessions in a variety of skills ranging from technical production to public relations. It could also entail creating a curriculum or format for these trainings, or locating outside trainers to provide these services to the company. The advisor may organize training at the corporate headquarters or go on the road to reach departments that are dispersed across a country, region, or even internationally.

In general, the human resources advisor is an important member of the HR department. This professional effectively improves the human resources department’s operations by organizing a variety of activities on a daily or longer-term basis. Lower turnover, more skilled workers, a safer workplace, and better competition within a field or industry are frequently the end results.