To ensure smooth operations, asset protection, and employee satisfaction, businesses of all types and sizes rely on the specialized skills of human resources experts. Human resources is divided into several divisions in many larger corporations, including accounts payable and receivable, hiring and training, benefits, and payroll. A human resources director is in charge of all divisions’ operations and works with management to improve policies and procedures.
Interviewing and training new employees, establishing pay rates and benefit plans, and balancing a general ledger are all responsibilities of a human resources director in a small business. A director might conduct research into other businesses to determine fair and competitive wages, and then launch a recruitment campaign to recruit new employees. In small businesses, directors frequently meet with employees to discuss a variety of issues.
Human resources responsibilities are usually divided among several departments in large corporations to ensure accuracy and efficiency. A human resources director supervises and evaluates operations in close collaboration with each department. He or she may observe training sessions, assess manager performance, and assess the efficacy of company policies.
Managers from each human resources department meet with the director on a regular basis to update him on current events and offer suggestions for how to improve things. A hiring manager, for example, may inform the director that more time is required to train new employees. The director would assess the validity of the concern and bring it to the company’s executives’ attention. He or she would tell the executives that if trainees were given more training, productivity and quality would improve.
A bachelor’s degree in human resources management or industrial relations is typically required to become a human resources director, though some large corporations require master’s degrees or higher. After demonstrating proficiency through several years of experience, many employers internally promote human resources specialists and department managers to the ranks of human resources directors. A prospective human resources director in the United States can improve his or her chances of landing a job passing the Human Resources Certification Institute’s certification exam (HRCI). Professional certification is usually offered institutes or boards similar to the HRCI in other countries.
An experienced and certified human resources director can usually find work in a variety of settings, including corporations, medical hospitals, and schools and universities. Some successful directors move up the corporate ladder to executive and management positions. Others may opt for different career paths, such as starting consulting firms or becoming professors at business schools.