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.

There's a small window on weekdays between when the key unlocks the front door, the book bag hits the floor, dinner lands on the table, and heads lay down for the night. It's in this sliver of time as the sun begins to sink that notebooks open and computer screens glow. Dwede Dennis ’12, ’18 MBA – Human Resource Management, knows this time well, as it's when she often helps her young daughter with her second grade homework. 

With the recent announcement of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Economics being awarded to Oliver Hart and Bengt Holmstrom for their work on employee contracts and incentives, it got me thinking about what actually motivates employees in the workplace. Not to take away from their award, but, from my professional experience, I think contracts and incentives are an incorrect starting point if you want to promote employee satisfaction and productivity.

Close your eyes and imagine a leader. Did you think of a general? The president? It’s not unusual to associate leadership with power, but to gauge effective leadership, I’d argue that power will only take you so far on the battlefield, in the Oval Office, and, yes, even in the workplace. In order to achieve sustainable success, managers need to embrace a humanistic model, which emphasizes compassion, the value of each individual, and respect.

Here are five personality traits that I believe are key to humanistic leadership: