What is it Like to Be an HR Representative?

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Because there are so many different branches of human resources and duties included, the experiences can be vast. Human Resources deal with all types of people and their needs within a company. They deal with the needs of the company itself. This can be administrative personnel needs; bookkeeping, scheduling, and planning conferences and meetings, or payroll and benefits. It also includes critical thinking and problem solving within the company and its employees.

According to U.S.News, the human resources department is not there to be the employee’s advocate. Furthermore, it states that they are there to serve the needs of the company. While this is definitely true, there are certain policies that do protect the rights of the employees.

Overview

An HR representative is not obligated to keep what you tell him or her confidential. They will also have knowledge of certain things that they will never tell you. That said, they do mediate and resolve conflict within the company confines between the employees. They provide and help employees by giving them information that pertain to benefits, higher education, training and even illegal behavior at the workplace.

Their loyalty is to the company and its best interests. Being an HR representative can involve recruitment, office support, accounting, finance work, and development and training. They are there to insure and stabilize the overall organizational activities while recording and keeping in sync with laws, regulations, and compliance policies within the company.

For much larger companies, the HR department might be delegated into different branches—of which one person might only handle one particular activity, such as grievances and conflict. In this instance, the HR representative would serve as a mediator with critical thinking and problem solving skills to resolve issues between workers at hand. It would also be their decision to reprimand, relocate, and even terminate an employee when called for by protocol. They are required to report illegal activities and other instances when the need arises.

Stress and the Ultimate Rewards

This can be stressful for some representatives. Payroll problems can be complex and also truly emotional at time. When you are entering financial data for each employee and trying not to miss a deduction or overtime addition, it is critical that all data is accurate and accountable.

Working in any HR position can be stressful; however, it can also be truly rewarding. You are meeting the needs of those in the company and you are enriching skills continuously. You may sometimes get to travel when requested and the variety can be enlightening. The pay can also vary depending on how large the company is, what the demands are, and what skills are required within the job description.

It is theoretically possible to land an entry level HR position without any formal education, but more education always helps to put you at the top of the “list” of qualified applications. Education, experience and skills will play a role in determining the salary you qualify for, while your experience and the size of the company will determine the pay scale.

Be ambitious. Go to college and go for the bigger paycheck!