10 Important Skills for Every HR Generalist

When opposed to the clerical HR activities of the past, modern HR is a radically different realm. Despite the fact that administrative chores still account for a large portion of their daily tasks, HRs must also address the modern workforce’s needs. The workplace has evolved dramatically in the previous decade, as have employee expectations.

 Along with their conventional responsibilities, HR professionals are now accountable for boosting employee engagement. They must design engagement initiatives and assist other departments in efficiently managing their personnel. As a result, the HR generalist now has more creative tasks than ever. HR professionals are called upon to play the roles of friend, mentor, adviser, and even coach, depending on the situation.

What is a Human Resources Generalist?

We must first comprehend the genuine definition of HR generalist before proceeding. To put it another way, an HR generalist is someone who is responsible for a wide variety of HR tasks. Rather than focusing on a single HR activity, they do a variety of them. Recruitment, performance, assessment, payroll, administration, attendance, upskilling, and other processes are all part of their responsibilities.

The definition of key human resource skills

The term skill has numerous definitions in the Oxford Dictionary. In terms of human resources, the two that make the most sense are:

• The capacity to excel at something.
• A specific talent or ability kind.

Human resource skills are thus the qualities and capacities that an individual brings and which enable them to do a given job. Every professional, as well as their role in the team and department, is distinctive on this premise. Personnel departments have played a far more strategic role inside corporations in recent years, implying that their employees require abilities that go much beyond those learned in the school.

The duties of a human resources department need a combination of technical (using payroll programmes, understanding of employment rules, etc.) and social ability (empathy, communication, leadership, etc).

In an interview, Segunda López Toledo, HR Director at Tech Data Iberia, said that working in HR requires several qualities: “there are a few, especially a particular sensitivity given the areas they deal with, to be service oriented, have an overall understanding of human behaviour, lots of common sense, a good measure of frustration tolerance, a results-oriented mindset, communication, boundless empathy, and assertiveness.” If the recipe isn’t well-designed, with the proper dosage of each component, the result might be explosive.

Human resource skills categories

Human resource competencies are often separated into two categories: soft skills and hard skills.

Soft talents are abilities linked to interpersonal skills and a person’s personality. They allow someone to quickly adjust to their professional environment, business culture, and group relations. Ability to operate in a team, dispute resolution, active listening, and proactivity are just a few examples.

Hard skills, on the other hand, are the technical expertise that a professional gains via study and that allows them to do a task. We may add things like using strategic human resource management software, using particular HR Excel templates, knowing and following employment rules, and so forth.

Both are required and compliment one another.

Nonetheless, organisations are increasingly valuing soft talents, particularly in the sector of human resources. Soft skills ranked first among the four most significant categories in LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends 2019 study. Finally, because working life is dependent on interpersonal interactions, it is critical to acquire social skills in order to maintain a positive working environment.

As a result, let us examine the 10 must-have talents for any HR generalist, as well as how they contribute to an organization’s productive and engaged staff.

Ability to communicate

Communication is one of the most crucial talents in HR job postings. Human Resource Management requires excellent communication skills since the HR professional is the interface between the company and the employee. You are an employee activist on the one hand, and you reflect the employer on the other.

This needs excellent communication abilities. You’ll communicate with a variety of stakeholders at various levels of power and influence. Your interactions with your CEO and subordinate staff would be vastly different. This is why HR professionals need to be able to engage successfully with a wide range of individuals while maintaining a professional and pleasant image.

Storytelling is another effective communication that is becoming increasingly important for HR workers. HR professionals must be able to interpret data into clear, captivating, and meaningful stories customized to various stakeholder audiences as data becomes increasingly relevant in all parts of the company.

Of course, you must communicate with more than just stakeholders; you are also an information source for employees. Most generalist professions require the ability to properly manage their queries and concerns. It’s crucial to be able to communicate both officially and informally in a variety of methods (verbal and written, in person and online).

Expertise in employee experience

Employee experience expertise is somewhat more critical than ever in the face of the continuous struggle for talent and the Great Resignation. Employee experience, or EX, is a high focus for 92 percent of HR directors in 2021.

Human resource professionals with experience in employee experience may apply human-centric design theory to create humanistic workplaces that put the employee at the centre of the process. They have a thorough understanding of the employee lifecycle, which includes the complete connection between workers and the firm from recruiting through retirement. They are capable of creating outstanding employee experiences as a result of this, which helps firms recruit and retain talented employees they require to thrive in today’s ever-changing environment.

Technology mastery

Today’s professions, especially HR professionals, create a robust understanding of technology.  Although you do not need to be an IT specialist, being aware of and knowledgeable in the use of the many tools and systems at your disposal will help you execute your job more successfully and efficiently. This is especially important in companies with multinational or hybrid staff.

HR workers must also be conversant with one type of technology in particular: the HRIS. Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) are the technical counterpart to the soft side of Human Resource Management. The majority of data pertaining to recruiting, performance assessment, payroll, incentives & perks, and other areas is stored in one or more HRIS systems.

Standard suppliers, like as SAP (with SuccessFactors) or Oracle, are typically used by large enterprises. Smaller businesses frequently collaborate with smaller vendors. Most senior HR roles require knowledge of an HRIS, and it is one of the most important technological skills HR workers need today. It’s difficult to comprehend these systems without firsthand experience with them. They are, nevertheless, quite easy to use and understand.

Cultural sensitivity and awareness

This HR talent is dependent on the organization’s peculiarities. Cultural understanding and sensitivity are especially important for bigger global corporations. You must be mindful of multicultural variations while communicating with managers and staff from other nations.

For example, management and retention methods vary dramatically between cultures. In India, getting a promotion every year is usual, although in the Western world, it happens every 3-5 years on average. Similarly, it is not unusual for Chinese workers to fly to their hometown for Chinese New Year and then never return to your workplace in the following year because they have found a job elsewhere — without informing you.

These differences in culture will have an influence on how you recruit, retain, and promote employees. When it comes to evaluating individuals, there are also communication gaps. Israelis, Russians, and the Dutch are outspoken, but Japanese and Southeast Asian countries are more circumspect. Using the incorrect communication style may cause your message to be overlooked — or even insult those from more roundabout cultures. Employees from countries where indirect communication is preferred may need context hints in their communications.

Listening attentively

Active listening is a valuable skill that may help you develop many of the other vital talents mentioned in this article.

HR professionals that are skilled in attentive learning may listen to without bias or discrimination and provide a safe atmosphere for others to communicate. Navigating potentially sensitive DEI&B issues will be more difficult without powerful active listening skills, and coaching staff members and fellow HR professionals will be more difficult.

Expert in administration

Administrative duties are still a big element of the HR job. Employee leave, absence, absence files, employee in- and outflow, payroll, and other subjects are included in these responsibilities.

Administrative activities have not vanished despite the emergence of digital HR and the rising automation of HR functions (yet). This is why, for any aspiring HR worker, being an administrative specialist may be so beneficial.

Proactivity

Proactivity is frequently seen as a personality attribute rather than a talent. You are the link between both the employers and employees as an HR professional. As a result, being proactive can assist you in recognising possible issues early on and eliminating them from becoming more serious.

Proactive Human Resource Management is preferable over reactive HRM in this case. To be proactive as an HR professional, you must remain up to date on current and future trends in HR, technology, and work culture. HR skills should also be a regular element of your professional growth.

Advising

Being a competent and trustworthy counsellor to many stakeholders is one of the most important HR skills. You must be able to provide excellent personnel advice to employees, line managers, and senior managers.

These challenges can be operational, such as developing a reconciliation strategy for an employee or assisting a senior manager with the creation of a department-wide email. Organization and advice in restructuring attempts are more tactical considerations. HR procedures must be better aligned with the company, according to strategic recommendations. You must constantly speak and connect in a way that generates confidence and builds your profile as a reputable practitioner to position yourself as a reliable counsel. This is when the communication abilities discussed before come into play.

Wellbeing evangelism

For HR experts, employee advocacy is nothing new. What has changed, though, is a better knowledge of how important employee well-being is today. Unfortunately, this was highlighted during the last two years when COVID-19 flipped the status quo on its head and placed physical and mental health at risk.

Employee well-being is critical for firms even when there are no problems. Workplace stress reduces productivity, increases voluntary turnover, and costs US companies approximately $200 billion in healthcare expenditures each year, according to McKinsey.

HR professionals have a critical role in ensuring that workers feel content, healthy, and productive as the effect of employee wellness becomes evident (and employee expectations alter in the aftermath of COVID-19).

Selection and recruitment

Recruitment and selection is another important HR talent. One of the most significant HR duties is finding suitable applicants, selecting the best, and assessing if the individual, the company (culture), and the management are a good fit.

Interviewing applicants is an important element of the recruiting and selection process. One of an HR manager’s responsibilities is to ensure that the recruiting and selection system is successful. Employers in several countries are required by law to handle all candidates equally. The Equality Act (2010) in the United Kingdom, for example, attempts to abolish prejudice based on age, gender, and sexuality.

To come to a conclusion, There you have it: a quick rundown of the 10 most crucial HR skills. These critical abilities should not be stagnated by HR generalists.

As we’ve seen, current HR’s jobs and responsibilities are considerably different from the fundamental administrative chores they used to perform in the past. The expertise of current HR generalists has changed as a result of this transition. These abilities will aid HR in efficiently managing personnel, staying current on HR trends, and being prepared for the future.

 To remain at the top of your game, you must always strive to enhance your abilities. This will prepare you to manage your HR department and company to success.