1.6 HR Generalists and Specialists

Knowledge of effective HR functions and activities is vital for anyone working in organizations, but particularly for managers and HR staff. This is true whether the organization is private or public, large or small, slow-growing or fast-growing. Throughout this first topic, we have described the qualities and competencies of HR managers and professionals, including HR staff. While the HR department includes many different types of people with different titles and responsibilities, HR staff are often categorized as belonging to one of two broad groups, HR generalists and HR specialists , which are described below.

HR Generalists

While the specific duties and responsibilities of HR generalists vary depending upon the industry and organization, HR generalists usually provide guidance, support management, and serve as a source of help and information on human resource matters. In small firms, HR generalists are often responsible for all human resource management functions within the organization. In large organizations, the HR generalists may direct and supervise subordinates who each have specific HR responsibilities and duties.  

Additionally, HR generalists often:

• Administer various human resource plans for the firm

• Participate in developing goals and objectives for the department

• Administer compensation programs

• Perform benefits administration

• Develop and maintain affirmative action programs

• Conduct recruitment efforts

• Handle employee relations

• Participate in administrative staff meetings

• Assist in the evaluation of reports and decisions

• Maintain human resource information system records

• Ensure compliance with federal and state regulations

HR generalists should possess many of the same qualities as HR specialists, but the level of expertise of an HR generalist may not be as deep as that of an HR specialist. The generalist must have a moderate level of expertise in many HR activities and be able to obtain more specialized knowledge when needed. An HR generalist should have a solid understanding of the following:

1. Training and Development: As will be discussed later in the course, training and development includes activities that attempt to improve an employee's current or future performance by increasing his or her ability to perform. The success of any training can be gauged by the amount of learning that occurs and is transferred to the job. HR generalists must be actively engaged in improving and increasing training and development within the firm.

2. Compensation and Benefits: Compensation is concerned with creating programs that attract and retain qualified job applicants, including those individuals who are most likely to help the organization achieve its strategic goals and objectives. HR generalists must be familiar with the various forms of compensation and understand the importance of employee benefits.  Furthermore, HR generalists must be able to evaluate and improve current compensation and benefit programs within the firm.

3. Employee and Labor Relations: HR generalists should understand labor relations systems as well as the various complex union-management relationships that exist in many firms. Furthermore, HR generalists should have a solid understanding of the labor relationship system and how it is influenced by economic, political, legal, and social pressures.

4. Recruiting and Selecting Employees: Recruiting and selecting employees is one of the most important areas of HR.  Without successful recruitment and selection, the firm will be unable to reach its strategic goals and objectives. As such, HR professionals must understand how to recruit and obtain sufficient numbers of highly qualified applicants and then set up processes to ensure that the organization selects the most appropriate people to fill organizational jobs.

5. Health Safety and Security: Because employees have the right to work in a safe environment, HR generalists should understand how to minimize safety risks.  Even when the nature of the work is dangerous, employees should be aware of the associated risks; and employees, managers, and HR professionals should work together to minimize accidents.

HR Specialists

HR specialists are responsible for specific human resource management functions within the organization. For example, HR specialists may concentrate in employment and recruiting, labor and employee relations, training and development, job analysis, compensation and benefits, or other specialty areas. Obviously, specialists are far more common in large organizations than in small organizations. 

HR specialists must have the skills required for the specialty, an awareness of that specialty's relationship to other HR activities, and a knowledge of the organization and where the HR department fits within it. Because specialists may work in almost any HR activity, qualified specialists can come from concentrations in law, industrial and organizational psychology, labor and industrial relations, organizational development, and medical and health sciences. 

In order to clarify the difference between an HR specialist and an HR generalist, remember that HR generalists have a broad knowledge of the HR field, but may not have the in-depth knowledge or experience that an HR specialist has within a specific HR area. While HR specialists will have detailed knowledge or experience within a certain area of HR, they won't be as familiar with the field as a whole.