Sep 14th 2021

HR is a career offering great variety and opportunity. But how much do you know about all the HR roles on offer? Part 2

HR is a career offering great variety and opportunity. But how much do you know about all the HR roles on offer? Part 2

HR offers a surprisingly wide-ranging selection of roles. Depending on what interests you, and your skill set, you have an incredible choice. You may be more interested in the candidate experience, or in branding, or in skills and development or in more technical and modelling aspects of the role.

Some HR professionals start general, then specialise, others may move as they find different areas that interest them.

And of course, as the demands and needs of organisations and candidates change and evolve, so must HR teams.

In our three-part mini-series we explore some of the exciting roles that exist within the HR and related fields.

A handy guide to different HR roles – Part 2

Employee Engagement
Employer Branding
Workforce Planning/Modelling, Analysis and Data
Health and Safety

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is another area which has quite rightly seen its profile increase in recent years. It may fall under the remit of general HR or be split into its own role. Employee engagement is about understanding the psychological contract between employees and employer and making sure it exists and is robust.

A successful employee engagement strategy will see a workforce motivated to deliver a great performance and be loyal to an employer, because they feel valued, listened to, and understand their role and contribution to the organisation’s strategic goals.

Businesses that do this well are usually the ones with strong employer brands and when employees become ambassadors of their employers, corporate brands are strengthened too. Conversely, businesses known to exploit or ignore the feelings of staff, and not involve them closely in organisational goals and decisions, will often find themselves with a high turnover and poor brand.

Employee engagement specialists will be responsible for staff surveys and feedback, ensuring effective communication channels, reviewing rewards and benefits, and coaching leaders and line managers in how to motivate and engage their teams. Their work may often cross over with or involve knowledge of Occupational Psychology.

Employer Branding

Large organisations will now almost certainly employ employer branding managers or leaders, and these can be very senior roles. They overlap an understanding of recruitment and talent acquisition, communications, advertising and PR, and come from the premise that the perceptions people hold of you as an employer, will impact commercial success.

Employer branding specialists will work to understand current perceptions through surveys and focus groups and talking to external people, candidates, and staff. They will work with creative teams to develop a recruitment brand which is identifiable, a tone of voice, messaging and imagery that portrays the values, culture, and goals of the organisation.

They will work with internal HR and line managers to ensure those values being portrayed externally are consistently delivered.

Workforce Planning/Modelling, Analysis and Data

In larger organisations, future performance is dependent on having a full grasp of the skillset needs of the future and ensuring there is a workforce plan in place to deliver it. In some niche, technical and highly competitive global environments, this can be a complex task.

Further challenges can be found where businesses merge, buy and sell other businesses and plan high growth and fast scaling. These will all require complex workforce modelling and analysis of skills.

In some industries, risk management may also be necessary and overlap with health and safety to ensure the workforce is protected and the business has the right contingencies and insurances in place.

Roles involving workplace modelling, analysis and data will involve looking both internally at what’s needed, as well as at the external labour market and making costed predictions and plans, often presenting them to Boards to include in financial plans.

Health and Safety

Depending on the industry, health and safety may have its own department, however often this falls under the remit of HR.

An understanding and analysis of risks faced by staff in their roles, knowledge of often changing government regulation and laws will be crucial for HR professionals to keep organisations compliant.

Regular training and awareness of all teams, site visits and checks, communication and handling of any complaints or concerns may all play a part in this important role.

In our next article we’ll explore;

Reward
Change management
Organisational Development
HR Systems

We carry a wide range of roles at different levels, so keep an eye on our vacancies to find the right role for you.