Why I Like Employee Relations!

 
There are so many different specialties within the “Human Resources Umbrella” some examples are Compensation, Benefits Administration, Training & Development, Labor Relations, and Employee Relations just to name a few.

I have many years experience in the Human Resources profession as a Director of Human Resources which requires you to know about all the different functions necessary to run the day-to-day operations of the Human Resources Department.  Most Directors of Human Resources have a strong Generalist background and they may have held the position at some point in their career prior to becoming a Director.

Human Resources have many areas in the field ranging from the technical/analytical area to Conflict Resolution/Employee Relations.  You have Human Resources professionals who are numbers driven and like to come up with strategies that will provide resolution to many complex analytical problems. 

There are other Human Resources professionals who really like interacting with people and they usually are attracted to Employee Relations or Recruitment & Retention.

My favorite specialty is Employee Relations I thrive on interacting with people.  I would not do well in a setting that did not interact with people.  If I had an analytical or HRIS position it would make me crazy, one because I am not a numbers person and two I would not do well without being able to interact with people.  More than likely I would end up resigning from that position. 

I enjoy the challenge of being presented with difficult issues/incidents and being able to resolve the conflict and deliver positive outcomes.

Employee Relations does not just involve conflict resolution but ensuring that employees are in a positive work environment that makes them feel they are an important part of the organization.  The employees need to know what is and be a part of the organization’s mission and vision.  

You can easily develop an environment that shows the employees that senior management not only recognizes them, but listens and hears what they have to say. Take to heart when employees make suggestions, if they make sense and are cost effective then implement them.  I have had many employees in the past make suggestions to save money and these were always implemented.

I find Employee Relations to be very rewarding. Things are constantly happening so there is variety and it’s never boring.  Just the way I like it.

How do you feel about Employee Relations?  I would love for you to share your thoughts!

Thanks for stopping by.

Rhonda