As it becomes clearer that one of the most successful business practices is creating a trusting relationship with consumers, human resources has become a rapidly expanding field.
According to The Shorthorn of the University of Texas in Arlington, healthcare software company NextGen will hold a conference on the University’s campus to inform students about human resource staffing and how it can counteract the lack of jobs available for college graduates.
“We have more companies calling us, looking for HR talent than we have students to send them, both for internships and for jobs,” said management associate professor George Benson.
The NextGen HR Conference will include Benson and two others, Anne Donovan and Matt Charney, as speakers. The conference also doubles as a celebration for the college’s 50th anniversary.
As the human capital transformation leader at the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, Donovan will discuss her organization’s evolution of management practices to better suit the growing millennial generation.
In conjunction, Benson plans to speak about his research, which suggests more companies are developing new management methods to improve innovative performance by human resource employees. These changes include constant coaching, social media-based feedback, and feedback without a numerical rating.
Research has shown that the traditional process companies use to numerically rate employees in comparison to each other, can actually have demotivating repercussions when the results don’t match one’s own self perception.
Now, more companies are focusing their efforts on personalized evaluations.
The third speaker, executive editor of the blog Recruiting Daily, Charney will present information on available recruiting platforms, as well as how best to recruit and retain high quality workers.
Students will be able to use this knowledge to gain an understanding of what prospective employers are looking for.
“It’s important for students to realize that HR roles these days have taken on much more responsibility than simply enforcing company rules and supervising employee productivity,” said Valerie Frederickson, Founder and Managing Partner at Frederickson Pribula Li. “Today’s top talent leaders oftentimes report directly to the CEO and shape the culture and strategic goals of the company. The best emerging HR leaders will take these opportunities to learn the best practices in sourcing, screening, interviewing, and onboarding, and how human capital is the backbone of any thriving business.”
While the NextGen HR Conference will be very helpful in directing students interested in the human resources field on the right path, The Fort Campbell Courier reports that the 101st Airborne Division recently took things a step further by creating the first HR University course designed to train soldiers in the expanding field.
“The Soldiers received familiarization on HR Systems to better assist them in being proficient HR professionals within their units,” said Maj. Dawn M. Wandenbergh, Human Resources Operations Center chief for the 101st Airborne Division.
The training focusing on functional HR tasks, “provided an in-depth, hands-on training that mirrors day-to-day operations in a brigade or battalion S1,” Wandenbergh continued.
In total, more than 30 human resources soldiers from across the division attended the training course. The next course is planned to be offered in May 2016.