Critical HR skills that every manager needs
Every manager and leader needs to have some critical HR skills regardless of if they have an HR team or a consultant supporting them. The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the need for strong people skills, and the plethora of people-related issues that may pop up when leading people. Below we have highlighted the three most vital HR skills that every manager and business leader should hold.
1. People First
In order to thrive as an organisation, you must put your people first. You must support your people, provide the required infrastructure, and care, and truly value your people. It is often HR that drives employee engagement and ensures that workplace health and safety is prioritised - but why should it only be done by HR? Effective leaders know that it takes collaboration at all levels of business, and diversity of thought, to get through the tougher times
2. Accidental counselor
You have to be able to listen to your people when they need you most. There's no worse feeling than when you are going through something rough, you've built up the courage to talk to someone and they fiddle with their phone or respond to their emails as you pour your heart out. Being an accidental counselor doesn't mean that you solve your employees' issues - it just means that you listen and hold space for them. You create a safe space for them to discuss their issues, and you actively listen and validate their emotions.
3. Help, don't fix
There's a difference between helping someone and fixing someone. You can help someone by referring them to an appropriate service, such as the Employee Assistance Program. If you try to fix the person, you take on their problems as your own and can easily overburden yourself. You can easily tell them how things must be done, rather than empower them to find their own solutions. Trying to fix someone can be seen as a form of judgment as if the person is broken and you will make them good again.
How can managers build their critical HR skills?
Pair your managers up with someone from your HR team for coaching and shadowing opportunities!
Encourage them to follow HR professionals on LinkedIn or sign up for HR newsletters, so they can keep their finger on the pulse of all things HR.
Seek out external support in a form of your industry-specific employment advisory service or contact an HR Consultant for resources and training.
