Does anyone work in HR and do you enjoy/dislike it?

[Frivolous55]

Thinking about a career change. Think I would be suited to HR (I know they have a bad rep). Just wondered how people find their jobs to be?

I've worked in HR for a FTSE100 business for 8 years, starting in recruitment but have recently been doing a more business partnering role. On the whole, I enjoy it.

There's so many elements to HR, it really depends whether you want to specialise or be more of a generalist. Personally I prefer my business partnering role as its so varied, sometimes this makes everything feel a bit overwhelming but I found in recruitment, once I'd done it for a year or so, it got quite repetitive.

You do have to get used to being seen as the bad guy, my company give HR quite a lot of grief about being slow and inefficient whereas I find (having worked in both central HR and the business) we are actually more enlightened and progressive than the business.

Being involved in tribunals and grievances can be quite difficult, you have to develop a thick skin and try not to get too emotionally invested.
Get used to telling people no quite a lot. But that's balanced by helping find solutions to their people problems.

If you're serious about a career in HR, you really need to get your CIPD qualification. I'm doing my Level 7 currently (only done 1 module) and so far it's a bit woolly and hippy for me but it's essential to climb the career ladder.

Hope that helps!

Agree with everything @WillyWonkster said! I've been in HR for 12 years and really enjoy it but like any job, there are things I don't like as much (for example it can quite admin-heavy at times - even in a senior role - and you're often seen as a "blocker" to things). The other thing to consider is that employees' perceptions of what an HR function does is often quite different from what it actually does and that can be frustrating - you're likely to be asked to do all sorts of things for people, when actually that's not your role. It can take time to carve that out so you need a lot of patience and resilience but overall it's a great career to be in.

I'd also say it's a common misconception that people who work in HR "love people"... yes, you need to be approachable, personable and empathetic and have the ability to deal with all sorts of people, but you also need to be professional and know your stuff which doesn't always mean that everyone will like you!

HR for twenty years in a few sectors but mainly in the higher Ed. I've moved around a lot and now senior management. I like it. Like the pp said you get a bad wrap a lot of the time in HR but you learn to let that roll off you. I used to get very worked up as I know how easy it is for the rest of the business to blame HR when really a lot of the time it can be line managers being slow to return necessary documentation for certain things if it's to do with a recruitment process or mishandling situations when you get into the industrial relations space. On the whole I do like it though and I like that there is variety within it.

I really enjoy it. I think finding which part of HR is for you is really key though as roles are so different. I don’t really get involved in ER and recruitment for instance which tends to be what people think of when they think of HR!

I've been in HR for around 20 years in different sectors. I am now on the leadership team of an SME and enjoy the variety of responsibilities . Finding the right company and culture for you is key.

It can be very challenging and you do need to be able to think critically in difficult situations. It is also a big responsibility being a subject expert with people relying on you to make the right judgment.

On the whole I enjoy it but I absolutely have days when I wish I had chosen a less 'demanding' career. It can be hard to switch off.

I am lucky to have found a business where I feel my efforts are appreciated by management and staff alike. If you don't have that it can be an incredibly thankless and lonely profession.

I studied HR 2 years ago as I was considering a career change

The ignorance, negativity and discrimination regarding disability was appalling. From students, lecturers and 'experienced' HR professionals.

I had previously experienced disability discrimination and won a tribunal case. The course made me realise not only why it happened but also how anyone can get called an HR "professional". I completed my CIPD HR diploma level 5 from ICS Learn in just 3 months. NO JOKE. It was bloody easy considering the amount of money it cost.

I love it now, but early in your career its usually admin, data inputting, forever chasing people up for things in a way that is both stressful and boring.

There's so many different specialisms, or aspects to your role if you generalise, that once you get past the early stage, there are very interesting roles.

I'm now an HR Business partner in the public sector and genuinely love my job. I work with Managers, Heads of Department and Directors on a wide variety of work. Some routine, of course, but also lots of variety.

The variety is good if you are partnering or strategy but be aware that HR are usually viewed as a hindrance! You may like people but you will find that a lot of what you do will not be popular!

Absolutely agree that you need a thick skin.

Good luck OP!