HR plays a key role in developing, reinforcing, and changing the culture of an organization. They help improve the effectiveness of an organization. Therefore, HR professionals need to possess a various set of skills such as HR leadership, HR technology, HR strategy, administration, business acumen, nurturing people talent, and coaching.
Without further ado, let’s begin!
Every HR should have these top five skills:
- Effective Communication: HR professionals should be an effective communicator as they act as a bridge between the employees and employer. Moreover, it is imperative to have excellent active listening and writing skills as well.
Stephen Covey once said – “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” Hence, active listening is key. - People Skills: Every HR should have strong interpersonal or people skills which essentially allow them to understand, interact, communicate, and build positive relationships with their fellow members.
- Empathy: Empathy is the ability to share someone else’s feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person’s situation. This is a must-have skill for HR professionals as they can create a safe space for people wherein, they freely express their feelings and concerns. This improves an employee’s engagement, motivation, and work-life balance.
- Digitally Savvy: HR Professionals should understand the HR technologies and updates, so they are able to run the HR department more efficiently, effectively and play a vital role in organizational excellence. There are many tools to adapt to and learn, including HRIS, LinkedIn, ATS and others.
- Diversity, Equity, Language, and Inclusion: Whether you are working in a mid-tier or a MNC, you are managing managers and employees from different countries, backgrounds, and languages. Therefore, you should be well-aware of intercultural differences, and communication styles and etiquettes. Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions model can help you in understanding and developing this skill better.
Great HR professionals possess the invaluable skill of balancing compassion and objectivity, enabling them to connect with employees on a human level while still upholding the best interests of the organization.
– Richard Branson
That’s all for now! See you next time, happy learning!
