People often steer away from acquiring a career in human resources. That is because HR departments and HR managers are tainted with a bad reputation.
This reputation is brought by false beliefs that people hold against them. But is there any truth to those beliefs?
Well, today we will debunk the 7 most common myths about HR.
1. HR Just Hire And Fire Employees
From meeting managers to recruiting to conducting employee training programs; HR professionals wear many hats in an organization. They’re responsible for the entire life cycle of an employee.
If they don’t work with managers to understand employee needs and business goals; before choosing a potential candidate, the organization suffers.
In short, HR professionals do more than just recruiting and terminating. Their role is so important and comprehensive, companies resort to using HR softwares.
One such software is the Bizneo HR – check it out and take your human resource management to the next level.
2. HR Cannot Be Strategic
HR managers have total control over employee data, and their involvement in the decision-making process helps organizations tremendously. They use analytics to transform the workforce and devise strategies that’ll cut labor costs, retain employees, boost productivity, give insights about profit leaks, and more.
HR professionals are the core of an organization, and by using their strategic reasoning and insights, an organization thrives.
3. HR Don’t Understand The Business
The most common HR myth, they work independently and don’t understand the organization’s needs. But if HR is unaware of each department’s business goals and needs, they can’t hire employees effectively.
Thus, this myth is totally baseless. For a competent HR department, they must know the business goals and interests of all departments across the organization.
4. HR Works Solely For The Company
HR professionals are often misunderstood as the company’s agent that isn’t here to support their workers. This, however, is not true. The HR department is liable to meet the requirements of the company and its workforce.
They act as a bridge that protects the interests of employers and employees. As for employers, they maintain employee relations and identify steps to reduce labor costs. And for employees, they protect their rights, ensure employers operate within the extent of employment and labor laws.
Thus, HR isn’t a mere company tool, their end goal is to promote a positive work environment through effective employee-employer relations.
5. HR Works Alone
Yet another baseless myth is that an HR professional is a lone wolf. Just as we discussed above, HR professionals perform a myriad of functions.
They devise strategies to build healthy relations between employers and employees, they’re involved in the decision-making process, they handle employee grievances, execute plans to boost employee productivity, and more.
With all these functions, how can one expect HR professionals to work alone? HR managers have to collaborate with different organizational departments to plan and execute effectively.
6. HR Must Train Employees
This myth is partly true. Yes, HR professionals are responsible for planning, executing, and evaluating employee training methods. But that doesn’t mean they’re in charge of the training process.
Some organizations have employee training and development in the HR department. Whereas, some organizations have a separate department for training and development. Thus, HR may or may not be solely responsible for training employees.
7. HR Departments Operate Similarly
No two HR departments operate in the same manner. Each department has a distinct identity and approach.
This is defined by the organization’s size, company culture, department needs, business goals, employee requirements, and more. What works for one HR department may not work for others.
We hope that we’ve cleared some of the myths about the most misunderstood department in any organization. A career in human resources can be incredibly rewarding and such wrong beliefs shouldn’t hold you back to pursue it.
