For HR professionals, winning a “best workplace” award for their employer is a big accomplishment. It draws top-notch employees, attracts attention to the organization, and provides favorable publicity for the company. Such awards don't happen by accident. There are many things you can do as an HR professional to increase the odds of your company winning one. The good news is that this effort is a "win-win" scenario. Even if you don't win an award, you've improved the workplace for your workforce.

Have you ever considered a career where you can help people, motivate employees, be a change agent, or serve as a mediator? Are you a people person? Are you looking for a rewarding career? Look no further than starting a career in the human resource management industry. 

In 2020, many companies were searching for ways to transition their workforce from office-based work to home-based work as they sought to protect everyone from exposure to the COVID-19 virus. Now that several vaccines are in use and the numbers for the spread of the virus are trending down, many companies are looking to bring their workers back. Yet the shift from home-based work to office-based work can be just as jarring as the shift from office to home.

In any field, it is important first to think deeply about what really interests and excites you. In choosing to get started in the field of human resources, this reflection is important. There are many different functions of HR, such as staffing and recruiting, compensation, employee development, labor relations, management, project management, IT (human resource information system or HRIS), and account management.

No one saw it coming—including human resource professionals. In just a matter of months, COVID-19 has completely altered the workplace dynamic. Faced with shutdowns, furloughs, changes in demand and even the possibility of becoming irrelevant, companies quickly had to make adjustments in how they conducted business and managed their employees.

COVID-19 has virtually upended every aspect of the modern workforce. Research from Gallup suggests that, as of May, 2020, seven in ten Americans worked on a remote basis at least on occasion. A trend that is only expected to continue throughout the pandemic. 

For many of us when we think about working, our mind typically brings us first to our workplace. For some, their workplace may be in a standard office building, perhaps in a cubicle, with an officemate or, if perhaps an office of your own. But regardless of what your normal workplace looks like, it most likely looks nothing like your home.

If you’re thinking about a career in human resources but are wondering what it exactly entails, look no further.

Why Earn an MBA in HR?

With relatively recent campaigns and social media efforts to destigmatize mental illness and depression (see MakeItOK.org, Instagram’s #RealConvo and Facebook’s suicide prevention hub), it’s easy to think we’re only now taking steps to combat mental health issues. Not so.