HR - what's in it for me?
The first key distinction is between that of the Generalist and the Specialist:-
The HR Generalist (e.g. HR Officer/Adviser, HR Manager/Director) supply a broad range of HR support and services to a set population of employees within an organisation. These services might include the development, communication of and advice upon the application of HR policies on issues such as maternity, performance management and equal opportunities etc; employee relations such as disciplinary proceedings; along with potential support in areas such as recruitment, change management and organisational development, training and development and compensation and benefits. Their key role is to develop strong working relationships with the key stakeholders within the business and understand the people issues with which they need assistance to make the business perform most effectively.
Senior HR Generalists such as HR Directors and Heads of HR will have, if the size and complexity of the organisation merits, specialist HR functions reporting into them and may have spent time in these functions themselves in the past as they developed their career. In general the higher up the career ladder the HR professional goes, the greater the emphasis there will be upon strategic input to, as opposed to direct delivery of, the HR interventions designed to impact upon the people issues the business may face now and in the future
The HR Specialists operate in specific areas of the HR profession that require a specific skill and knowledge set and will generally concentrate on these areas full time, the key examples of which are:
Training & Development Compensation & Benefits Recruitment
