Fiona Jackson, OA Career Consultant, shares her insights into working in HR
There are many misunderstandings about the purpose of HR. Many Service leavers may have worked in different aspects of HR but probably not the whole range.
HR is a varied and diverse industry, which is part of the corporate strategy of an organisation. Its functions include employment law, organisation design, discipline and grievance procedures, equality and diversity, learning and development, managing union agreements, recruitment, pay and benefits and talent management and succession planning.
Service leavers, especially those leading teams, will probably have been involved in the implementation of HR policies and procedures and training, rather than the strategy.
For example, a service leaver may have had to implement a redundancy programme, but would not have necessarily had to do the higher level planning around it beforehand.
Another new area will be performance related pay. In the commercial sector salaries can vary depending on whether or not people achieve agreed targets. The HR department will be involved in deciding the level o pay and bonuses, setting targets and measuring success.
