Human resources managers plan, direct, and coordinate the administrative functions of an organization.

They oversee the recruiting, interviewing, and hiring of new staff; consult with top executives on strategic
planning; and serve as a link between an organization's management and its employees.

Human resources managers are employed in nearly every industry. They work in offices, and most work
full time during regular business hours. Some must travel to attend professional meetings or to recruit
employees.

Candidates need a combination of education and several years of related work experience to become a
human resources manager. Although a bachelor's degree is sufficient for most positions, some jobs
require a master's degree. Candidates should have strong interpersonal skills.

The median annual wage for human resources managers was $104,440 in May 2015.

Employment of human resources managers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than
the average for all occupations. As new companies form and organizations expand their operations, they
will need human resources managers to oversee and administer their programs, and to ensure firms
adhere to changing and complex employment laws. Strong competition can be expected for most
positions.

Explore resources for employment and wages by state and area for human resources managers.

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of human resources managers with similar
occupations.
The goal of a human resource manager is to strengthen the employer-
employee relationship. This goal is supported by a variety of functions within
the human resources department and throughout the organization. In a small
business, the human resource manager may have a great degree of latitude,
as well as the time to devote to employee interaction with a small workforce.
Both of these are key elements of an effective human resources leader,
although she must accomplish a number of functions to achieve this goal.

Tip

The human resource manager is the “face of HR” and therefore relied upon
to be both human resources expert and employee advocate.

Manage HR Department
The manager of the human resources department is responsible for ensuring
that department employees are well-versed in their areas of expertise. The
various disciplines of HR require expertise in compensation, benefits, safety,
payroll, recruiting and training. Ideally, the human resource manager is a
generalist, which means his expertise is cross-discipline.

Knowledge of Laws
Managing the human resources department also requires knowledge of
federal and state employment and labor laws and regulations that apply to
human resources professionals. For example, the human resource manager
will designate the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act) officer in charge of all medical and health-related records for the
workplace.

Interaction With Executive Leadership

An effective human resource manager is in constant communication with
executive leadership. The HR department is not a revenue-generating
source. Consequently, it is important for an organization’s leaders to
understand the return on investment (ROI) in human resources activities as
a contribution to the company’s bottom line.

In a small business, the ROI may be more readily seen than in a large
conglomerate. The human resource manager for a small business, and thus
a smaller workforce, can easily implement methods and strategies that may
show faster results. The bureaucratic hierarchy of a large organization often
puts many more layers of authority between the human resource manager
and executive leadership.

Employer-Employee Relations
A human resource manager who stays in her office all day will not be
effective at building strong relationships with employees. Another function of
the human resource manager is to gain the trust and confidence of
employees, and the best way to establish trust is through daily interaction
with the workforce.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, human resources

occupations require strong interpersonal skills. Again, with a smaller
workforce, the results of an HR manager's interpersonal skills may be seen
more quickly than in a large organization. Employee relations is a large part
of the human resources manager’s job function, because employee concerns
encompass a wide range of issues over which the manager has influence.