What the Employer Wants Vs. What It Says It Wants

Human resources professionals have one of the toughest jobs in an organization. Employees rely on them to administer benefits programs and to ensure everyone gets paid on time, while employers rely on them to control labor costs and adhere to all applicable employment laws. This job is made even tougher when executives say they want one thing when they really want something else. Successful HR professionals know how to walk the line between serving employees and making management happy, but developing this skill takes time. You can use one of several strategies to deliver results when you receive conflicting information from managers and executives.

If you have already completed basic HR training, you must use the skills you learned to analyze information and determine the best way to get results. If managers say they want you to cut costs, they are often asking you to do the same job with less money and fewer resources. If you have been directed to cut costs and find higher-quality employees, for example, you must turn to strategies that attract high-quality candidates without forcing you to spend more money than budgeted for recruiting. If you have an employee referral program, one way to improve the quality of applicants without increasing your costs would be to determine the quality of each referral so that you don't waste time interviewing applicants who may not be a good fit.

As a human resources professional, you might receive conflicting information related to other functions of the job. These functions may include benefits administration, compensation management, employee training and development, labor relations, employee safety and health, performance management, and legal compliance. If you are unsure of how to move forward, it is best to ask for clarification from company executives. When asking for clarification via email, keep your message short and to the point. A busy executive is not likely to read a lengthy email, so use bullet points and make your message as succinct as possible. Explain how the information impacts worker efficiency or company profitability because an executive is more likely to respond to issues that affect these metrics. If you struggle with getting managers to respond to your queries, consider taking an HR training program that will help you learn how to communicate with company executives.

Because human resources metrics are so important when communicating with executives, you must commit several of them to memory. Tony Ashton of "Human Resource Executive Online" says that human resources professionals should know the composition of their workforces. This includes knowing the number of employees an organization has, the demographics of different employee groups, the number of recent hires and terminations, and the number of employees who have been promoted or transferred. Human resources professionals should also know the level of productivity and engagement of each employee.

The demand for skilled human resources professionals is not likely to go away any time soon. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the demand for human resources specialists is expected to increase by 21 percent from 2010 to 2020. Understanding how to interpret management instructions, especially when an executive says one thing and means another, will make it easier to develop strategies for HR success. Investing in the education and training needed to decipher management instructions could also help you stand out as a human resources professional who gets results.

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