It’s a bit of a cliché that people are a business’s most important asset, but clichés become what they are because there is a consistent truth in them. People are the most important part of a business, regardless of what that business makes or does. Without people, the organization can’t carry on its day-to-day operations.

This consistent truth (or cliché as the case may be) leads us to the fact that properly managing those people doing the work, and having an expert with the right human resources training to help with that management, is an essential part of a solid business. Individuals in HR have generally taken a number of human resources courses online or in person in order to know how best to support the organization and its employees.

While HR employees generally don’t get involved in the ongoing management of other departments, they have taken the HR courses online or in-person to enable them to step in when needed and provide a number of important functions within the organization. Let’s take a look at three ways HR departments ensure the success of a business. You can learn about these three elements (and many others) through the CPHR BC & Yukon accredited Human Resources Management Diploma program from Ashton College.

1. Managing Interpersonal Issues

This is one of the most obvious roles of HR departments and because people who may not mesh well are often thrown together in a workplace, it can be a high need. Nothing grinds business to a halt like a conflict among co-workers. Thankfully, those who have taken their human resources courses online or in-person will have learned important elements of conflict resolution. This is one of the many key learnings needed to achieve a CPHR designation, which can be worked towards through HR courses from Ashton and other post-secondary institutions.

Ideally, as adults, individuals with disagreements would be able to resolve conflict themselves, but when this isn’t possible, HR will need to step in and serve as the neutral third party. Sometimes the challenge lies between a manager and an employee while other times it will be between two employees. Because HR courses online and in-person address conflict resolution techniques, they give HR team members the ability to discuss the situation with the parties involved, keep notes and ensure no employment laws have been breached. The latter element – labour laws – is also a part of human resources courses online and in-person because while keeping conflict to a minimum is important, ensuring an organization follows labour laws is even more important.

2. Pay, Benefits and Bonuses

Without having taken HR courses online or in-person it would be terribly time consuming and expensive to determine proper pay ranges, benefit programs and valuable perks. Education gives HR team members the ability to turn to the right resources to establish pay ranges, make adjustments to pay programs and determine whether individual jobs need to be reclassified.

The same goes for benefit programs and even bonuses. Which dental plan is the best fit for a company of 10 to 50 people? How can extra days off be awarded to an employee to recognize their extra contribution? What kinds of perks are the most valuable to a staff made up of 75% women and 25% men in the age ranges of 25 to 40? Imagine trying to answer these questions without having access to the proper resources! HR professionals have the ability to connect with others in the industry, access HR-specific tools and leverage their education in order to put the programs in place that are the best fit for an organization. They are also able to make adjustments as that employee base shifts.

Rewards like pay, benefits and other perks make up one course in the Human Resources Management program from Ashton College. 

Recruitment & Development

Back to that very first point – an organization’s employees are its greatest asset. HR teams are the key to strong recruitment and hiring practices because of their learning in HR courses online and in-person. They have learned the best ways to word an ad for hiring sites, they know the best questions to ask during the interview process and they are familiar with the unspoken body language during the interview. This all assists the hiring manager with making the best selection for their team.

Additionally, keeping that team growing and working at their best includes ongoing development which HR assists with. Human resources can help employees identify and communicate their future goals and ambitions and integrate those into the development plans established together with the team manager or supervisor.

Managing people within an organization without an HR professional is possible. Many companies have done it and survived. But, if a company really wants to thrive and make the most of that asset of people, it’s best to find a skilled human resources team member who can help guide the business through conflict, pay structures and hiring.

Human resource management online course at Ashton College is accredited by CPHR BC & Yukon and the member associations in all provinces except Ontario & Quebec. It allows students with a Bachelor’s degree to pursue the CPHR designation without taking the National Knowledge Examination (NKE). Learn more on Ashton College website.

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