Human Resource: Busting Common Myths

Busting some common myths about HR and boosting your capabilities.

The Human Resources department often comes under a lot of flak due to several widely held misconceptions. Sometimes this ends up making people apprehensive about choosing a career in HR. But it’s time to bust those myths and ensure that you have realistic expectations. Here are some common myths about HR that need to be done away with, ASAP!

1. HR is isolated from other departments: It’s often thought that the HR department functions separately from the rest of the organisation. But the engagement of HR with intellectual capital is not limited to the initial process of hiring – it has to be maintained. Keeping employees motivated and dedicated is another function of HR that cannot be overlooked. Besides this, the HR department’s functioning needs to be transparent, and they must be held accountable for their actions.
2. HR is only about recruiting, hiring, and firing: The HR department is largely associated with these processes, but that’s not all there is to it. HR has several more responsibilities, which include strategic planning, job analysis, and influencing people to achieve the larger goals of the organisation.
3. There’s no money in HR: Actually, HR is one of the few fields that remains relatively unaffected by recession, and instead, continues to grow. Not only that, but qualified professionals are also even better – thus incentivising studying HR as an option for higher education.
4. There’s no future for HR: On the contrary, research shows that HR has grown an exponential amount since its inception. It also continues to be one of the fastest-growing fields, especially in comparison to other avenues such as finance and accounting.
5. There’s no scope for improvement in HR: Not only is there plenty of chance for progress within the field, But HR professionals also exhibit a nuanced understanding of the functioning of an organisation, which means are capable of occupying higher level management and executive positions. Many current CEOs have also had previous HR experience.
6. HR is boring and monotonous: Not at all! In fact, HR professionals have a whole range of responsibilities, which means there’s no such thing as a “typical day” for them. Besides this, most HR professionals when interviewed, said they find their job enriching and believe they’re contributing to the achievements of the organisation as a whole.