What are human resources? Or better yet, what should they be about? We know everyone has their own ideas, so we decided to reach out to some HR Managers we know to see what they have to say. What does it mean for them?
Find out what the youngest HR we know had to say about it below.
What I thought HR was…
“If I were to ask myself “what does Human Resources mean?” before I began the road to a career in HR, I would have said an office job, Monday – Friday, filing and paperwork. Looking back now I realise how naive I was.
After deciding I would not be cut out for the world of Veterinary Nursing, I was working in my local Supervalu on the lookout for a new career. An opportunity arose within a Human Resources team at a Security Company, and I jumped at the chance. “What’s the harm?”, I said.
Since then, I have grown a passionate love for my job in Human Resources and all it stands for. While yes, there is still filing and paperwork, the bane of any HR Professionals career if we are honest, Human Resources is far from the Monday – Friday role I originally thought it was.
…what Human Resources really are
Over the past 10 years I have learned what is behind the title of Human Resources and importantly what the Human in Human Resources really means. So, what is this? Well, truly it is in the title – Humane.
During my career, this has remained at the forefront of my mind – compassion. Always stopping to ask myself, how is this person feeling? How would I feel in their shoes? What can I do to make this process better, easier? How can I help? The past 12 months during the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted this more than ever and I believe has shown HR in a new light.
The HR office was once thought of a “last resort” option, a negative place where only disciplinaries happened. I would like to think that now, at least with our own HR office, this is not the case. The office has an open door where people come to ask questions or for help with both work-related and non-work-related matters.
It is not always easy in Human Resources and difficult decisions will always have to be made. However, we can control how decisions are communicated and the manner in which this is done. This is where the Human in Human Recourses lies.”
Our thanks for April Gill Human Resource Manager at The K Club for this article.
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