HR GENERALIST: Meaning, What They Do, Salary, Skills & Difference

HR GENERALIST
Image credit: JobStreet.com

The HR generalist position is highly prevalent in the HR industry. The concept that it doesn’t specialize in any one area of human resources and that a specialist in HR can handle a wide range of tasks makes it stand out. However considering these factors, writing an HR generalist job description is no easy task. This article provides a high-level summary of the skills, salary, and the job description of an HR generalist along with the difference between an HR generalist and an HR coordinator( HR generalist vs HR coordinator). So, keep reading!

Who is a HR Generalist?

A HR generalist (human resources generalist) is a person working in HR who is tasked with many different roles. Human resources generalists facilitate communication between employees, supervisors, and executives to gauge employee engagement. Subsequently, this becoming increasingly important as a competitive differentiator for businesses.

A generalist usually reports to an HR administration or manager. Smaller businesses may only employ one or two generalists in the HR department, while larger corporations typically have huge HR departments with multiple specialists.

What Is Another Name for HR Generalist?

  • Administration of Human Resources.
  • Human Resources Professional.
  • Personnel Manager.
  • People Business Associate.
  • Human Resources Executive.
  • Leader of the People.
  • Director of Human Resources.
  • Human Resource Associate

Job Description of HR Generalist

The job description of a HR generalist might vary widely based on the firm’s hierarchy level, size, and HR management style. Nonetheless, there are specific duties, skills, and qualifications required of a human resources generalist that hold regardless of the company or industry.

HR Generalist Job Description Example

A well-written job description for a HR generalist lays out all of the organization’s requirements for the position. As a result, the company needs to examine its needs and specify the HR generalist’s duties in great detail. However, if the job description of a HR generalist is not worded properly, it will result in an influx of applications from people who are not a good fit for the position. Since the human resources generalist position encompasses a wide range of responsibilities, its precise definition varies from company to company. A sample of the HR generalist role is as follows:

The HR generalist’s role will be to provide support to HR managers and other team members across all functional areas of human resources. They are responsible for a wide range of tasks, including personnel records management, compensation and incentive program administration, recruitment, and new hire training. The ideal applicant would have extensive experience working in human resources, a high level of professionalism, and excellent communication skills. This brief also serves as a quick reference for the HR generalist position.

HR Generalist Skills

A HR generalist should be well-versed in a wide range of disciplines. We have examined the variety of skills required by a human resource generalist and ranked them in order of importance. Thus, the various HR generalist skills are:

#1. Communication Skills

When looking for a human resources position, communication skills are always at the top of the list. Human resource professionals need strong communication skills because they act as a bridge between the company and the employee. You represent both the employer and the workers as an advocate for both groups.

For this, effective communication skills are essential. You’ll have to talk to people from all walks of life and all tiers of power. There would be a big difference between how you talk to the CEO and how you talk to the interns. That’s why HR workers must have the interpersonal skills necessary to connect with and impress people from various walks of life.

#2. Competent Ability to Present

You need to be an engaging public speaker who can get people interested in what you have to say. Having this ability is crucial in the field of human resources.

#3. Abilities in Human Resources Documenting

Human resource reporting expertise is in high demand as HR analytics gain prominence. Skills in this area include working knowledge of various human resources management Systems and the ability to develop, analyze, and understand HR reports based on that data. Effective HR reporting abilities include not only the ability to read and comprehend data, but also the storytelling prowess to turn that data into meaningful insights.

When you report on important indicators well, you can give staff and managers better advice, make better policies for staff, and make decisions based on hard data.

#4. Active Listening

Active listening is an important skill that helps you get better at a lot of the other skills listed here. Human resource workers who are adept at active listening do so without forming opinions or passing judgment, allowing others to feel comfortable opening up. Hence, without a good ability to listen attentively, it will be difficult to coach employees and other HR staff through delicate discussions of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

#5. Teamwork

The ability to work in a team is a crucial human resources talent. Managers from all over the organization expect human resources professionals to work together. Both the business and HR may reap the rewards of internal collaboration and activity alignment.

#6. Commercial Skills and Ability

To have business skills is to comprehend the means by which a company generates revenue. You can’t effectively demonstrate HR’s value to your company without first learning about its commercial objectives and then supporting those goals with methods and strategies designed specifically for them.

The HR Business Model is a useful tool to demonstrate this benefit. Human resource management (HRM) is a three-stage process that begins with HR systems and continues with HR policies and team objectives. It shows how HR contributes to business outcomes like increased revenue.

#7. Possessing a Rational Data-Driven Mindset

In the past five years, there has been a dramatic increase in the demand for data-driven workers and those with analytical skills. People who work as generalists in human resources should be good at analyzing and using data. Human resource managers need a firm grasp of HR fundamentals like new hire onboarding, employee satisfaction, and turnover rates. Proficiency in Microsoft Word is also a definite plus.

There is an effort across all divisions to use data analytics to improve decision-making. Methods range from sophisticated data analytics applied to HR data to a more straightforward utilization of data to enhance decision-making. The latter is commonly known as HR and is grounded in empirical evidence.

Salary HR Generalist

Salary ranges for HR a generalist can be found across the United States. Many factors, including the cost of living, influence the median salary of a HR generalist in your state (or location). But this is also a question of expertise and time in the field. Below are some HR generalist salary data gathered from some of the most trusted places to go for wage information.

#1. Glassdoor

According to Glassdoor’s findings, the annual salary for a HR generalist in the United States is a median of $65.769. The income might range anywhere from $40,000 to $106,000 yearly, on average. In addition, the analysis shows that HR generalists earn “extra income remuneration” of $15,000 in addition to their base pay. This “additional income reward system” is in addition to their basic salary.

#2. Indeed

The average salary for an HR generalist in the United States is $55,264 per year, according to a report. About 900 wage reports from different parts of the United States were used to come up with these numbers. This also includes major cities and metropolitan areas such as New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC.

#3. PayScale

Another reliable resource for obtaining pay estimates is PayScale, which reports that the average annual salary of a HR generalist in the United States is $54,211.

Furthermore, they have the potential to receive large additional compensations, such as incentives and earnings, which can increase the overall take salary to somewhere between $8,000 and $80,000 annually.

HR Generalist vs HR Coordinator

If you conduct a simple search on Google using the terms “HR generalist” and “HR coordinator,” you will get a variety of responses on how the two professions are different from one another. Some people believe that these are essentially the same work and that you may switch names. Also, some people believe that HR generalists have a greater scope of duties than HR coordinators( HR generalist vs HR coordinator). So, if the company is small enough, one person could be in charge of everything related to human resources management.

We feel the personality required of an HR generalist must be distinct from that of an HR coordinator. And in a perfect world, these two jobs should be seen as two separate ones. If you are currently working in human resources and looking for a new job, keep reading to learn more about what makes a good candidate for an HR generalist position.

They differ in the following ways:

Firstly, human resources coordinators often handle the administration of healthcare and welfare plans and act as liaisons between staff and insurance providers, whereas human resources generalists are tasked with a wide range of duties, including supervision( HR generalist vs HR coordinator).

Second, HR coordinators and generalists have a wide range of responsibilities within an HR department. Most of a human resources coordinator’s time is spent helping new employees and making sure that data about employees is accurate. On the other hand, HR generalists are usually given more responsibility because they are in charge of both new hires and employees who have been with the company for a while. As with most other HR professionals, human resources coordinators, generalists, and other HR professionals usually work in an office, either directly for a business or for a separate human resources firm( HR generalist vs HR coordinator).

Lastly, when it comes to the administration of the company as well as the management of its employees, human resources generalists often have a wide variety of responsibilities. HR Coordinators, on the other hand, are in charge of running the day-to-day operations of an HR department. They may also be in charge of a specific task, like acting as a go-between for employees and insurance companies( HR generalist vs HR coordinator).

Is HR Generalist Higher Than HR Specialist?

An HR specialist is someone who has received specialized training to work in a small part of the field of human resources, such as benefits and compensation. Hence, before deciding to focus on a specific field of human resources, these people typically receive training as HR generalists.

What Is the Role of a HR Generalist? 

The human resource generalist is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the Human Resources (HR) department. This includes the recruitment and screening of potential employees, the distribution of income, benefits, and vacation time, and the upholding of all applicable company rules and regulations.

Is an HR Generalist a High Position?

No, a generalist in human resources is a job with mid-level responsibility. Human resources specialists and human resources supervisors are also considered to be mid-level jobs in the human resources department. The roles of the human resources manager, the human resources associate, and the human resources executives are all considered to be senior-level responsibilities within the human resources department.

What Is Higher Than an HR Generalist?

A specialist in human resources, as opposed to an HR generalist, has in-depth knowledge of a single HR subfield as opposed to a more generalized understanding of several HR fields. It’s common for specialists to have a more in-depth understanding of their field than the average person. Thus, this includes employee retention specialists and experts in the risk management field.

How Many Years Is a HR Generalist?

People who want to be HR generalists usually need at least ten years of work experience, as well as a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in human resources. HR generalists need to know everything there is to know about their jobs. Including The recruitment and hiring of new workers.

References

  • betterteam.com
  • indeed.com
  • talentlyft.com
  • hr.university
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