What Career Challenges Do HR Practitioners Face in Terms of Growth, Training, and Salaries?

There are numerous books on challenges faced in HR functions in an organization, but not on the problems faced by HR practitioners in a firm. What are all the problems they face with respect to career growth, training they receive, and salaries, etc.?

Dear Spv88,

From an HR point of view, I do not see any difference if you talk about an "Organization" or a 'Firm'. There could be instances when the above two usages can be overlapping. To put it simply, humans and their behaviors could easily be standardized by common theories irrespective of the nature of a company set up.

V. Raghunathan

Thank you for the reply, Mr. Raghunathan. But, please allow me to frame my query a little differently. Could you please give me:

1) Top 3 challenges/Key Responsibility Areas (KRAs) of HR function at your firm.

2) Top 3 priorities (HR function) of your own with respect to your career/functioning/interaction in your firm.

Hi Spv88,

I can answer your first query. The three KRAs could be:

1. Recruitment
2. Training
3. Employee Satisfaction

Goals have to be created in each, suiting the company's needs. I am not answering your second question as I am not in active service, having retired after attaining 60 years of age three years ago. Presently, I am a Process Consultant and also a Soft Skill trainer.

V. Raghunathan

I definitely get your point, Mr. Sundaram. But, since you work in the same field, I was wondering if there are any specific points you would like to provide me with regarding my queries, please?

While I appreciate the post and discussions herein, I would like to answer the second part of the question. Every organization and HR, in turn, have concerns about:

Organizational Commitment Issues

Employee Satisfaction Issues

Talent Management Issues

HR managers are expected to address issues of such nature while aligning the company's objectives, keeping in mind the proportional growth of employees. To achieve all these, managers engage in training exercises, the formation of KPIs and KRAs, processes, and procedures, along with legal bindings.

Having said this, I personally feel that understanding human behavior, coupled with the required qualifications and experience, makes a true HR manager who can take the reins of an organization in their hands and turn it into a brand. HR professionals do not drive the company, but they drive the people who drive it.

Regards

In line with the answers given by Mr. Raghunathan, while I appreciate the post and discussions herein, I would like to answer the second part of the question. Every organization and the HR department, in turn, has concerns about:

A) Organizational commitment issues
B) Employee satisfaction issues
C) Talent management issues.

HR managers are expected to address issues of such nature by aligning the company's objectives, keeping in mind the proportional growth of employees. To achieve all these, managers conduct training exercises, establish KPIs and KRAs, and implement processes and procedures, along with ensuring legal compliance. Having said this, I personally feel that understanding human behavior, coupled with the required qualifications and experience, makes a true HR manager who can take the reins of an organization in their hands and build it into a brand. HR professionals do not drive the company, but they drive the people who drive it.

Challenges Faced by HR Practitioners

I believe the challenges that an HR practitioner usually faces are:

1. Going beyond the typical label of an admin support role and becoming an active business contributor.

2. Gaining acceptance as a business partner on par with Sales, Marketing, Finance, or Operations.

3. Being able to quantify the various Key Result Areas (KRAs) of the HR department. Apart from recruitment, training man-days, and compensation and benefits activities, measuring the effectiveness of HR can be challenging.

Our senior, more experienced members will likely be able to articulate these challenges more effectively, but this is my perspective on the matter.

Regards, Vineeta

Understanding the R2R HR Process

HR is a vast canvas, a broad spectrum. I call my outfit R2R HR because HR or IR starts with Recruitment and ends with Retirement, i.e., R2R for you! This R2R process involves problems and situations requiring quick remedies and fire-fighting, depending on the nature of the business, location, workforce composition, their attitudes, and the attitude of the owner or management.

For instance, the problems faced by HR/IR departments in a chemical manufacturing facility in a remote corner of Gujarat may vary from those in a coal mining company located somewhere in Jharkhand. HR issues in an IT company or a BPO located in Gurgaon, comprising well-educated, technical engineers, may vastly differ from another similar company with more customer interaction located in Pune.

The Importance of Specific Queries

Why am I saying all this? Let your query be selective, subjective, and specific to a particular industry! This will enable us to respond more specifically instead of providing general, generic issues and solutions.

Best wishes

Hello Mr. Sundaram,

I am looking for information on the challenges and perceived problems faced by HR professionals across various industries. Any insights regarding your own firm would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.