Inside the conference room of HCP Home Healthcare Agency, the morning meeting of May 16 was short, but the human resources department’s weekly agenda was filled to the brim. Amidst a bustling office, Betsy Marin, the Human Resources Manager, squeezed in time during her lunch period for a Zoom interview.
In the background, the camera caught glimpses of the office’s ambitious atmosphere. Employees took quick strides past Marin’s work area with cheerful greetings, intermittent sounds of fingers typing quickly on a keyboard could be heard nearby, and the muted sounds of employees’ accommodating phone conversations could be heard in the distance.
Having started out in apartment property management, Marin found her previous employment to be the perfect platform for a career transition. The pipeline for human resources is fairly accessible, providing opportunities for people with previous customer service experience and administrative roles. Moreover, there are also ways to qualify for this position even without any professional experience.
Marin dove right into explaining why she is so passionate about her work in human resources.
“There is always lots to do, but the work we do here is important and very dear to me. We send health care workers to patient homes for assistance and comfortability. It is very humbling,” Marin passionately expressed.
Marin added that, “On the more business side of things, I can also give people an opportunity to improve or change their lives in the very moment that I say, ‘You’re hired.’ Hiring workers means that people are able to put food on the table, make rent payments, and pay to put gas in their vehicles. It’s impactful; being part of that whole process is extremely rewarding.”
Marin described her current work within human resources as being varied, with constant multi-tasking involved.
According to Marin, her job responsibilities include, “…assisting with employee onboarding, conducting constant interviews, employee evaluations, dealing with any employee issues, holding company meetings, and many, many other duties that would be too long to list.” Marin added that, “If the company was a working machine, my Monday through Friday, nine to five job, is to make it run as smoothly as possible.”
Additionally, the Human Resources Manager is tasked with making difficult decisions, such as firing employees.
“I have to let people go, at times. They might not be performing to a certain standard, even after giving them many opportunities,” Marin stated. “It could also be that they just may not be a good fit for the company or vice versa. Dismissing people can be a hard thing to do, especially with how the economy is right now.”
Since the daily list of tasks and projects to check-off is typically long, Marin is able to delegate specific duties to her Assistant Human Resources Manager. Acknowledging that the workload can get quite hefty, Marin expressed much gratitude and appreciation for having dependable and diligent colleagues at her side.
According to Marin, the most important qualities for a Human Resources Manager are more personality-based rather than hard skills.
“You can acquire the hard skills over time. However, being fair-minded, highly organized, knowing how to prioritize tasks, being a people-person or knowing how to read people—those factors are what could set you up for success in this role,” Marin explained.
To break into the field, Human Resources Managers usually need a combination of related work experience and a bachelor’s degree, with some positions requiring a master’s degree. Additionally, there are ways to qualify and increase your chances of being hired by obtaining certifications, such as the SHRM Certification.
The typical salary range for a Human Resources Manager falls between $97,966 and $123,838. In Florida, the average base salary is $70,307, which is lower than the nation’s average salary standing at $110,353. However, these salary numbers can vary widely depending on many important factors, such as education level, certifications, additional skills, relevant work experience, and the number of years spent in a profession.
Human Resources Managers are employed in nearly every industry, and the employment rate is projected to grow 9% from 2020 to 2030. The data shows that the Human Resources Manager position is one of the most promising careers, and Marin does not see this trend slowing down.
“Human resources is a growing field. It is an industry that just, cannot be automated. It is a career that requires human representation and people who understand that human element,” stated Marin. “It is a career that will remain, despite the boom in tech. I do not think that you can replace human intuition; therefore, this career is, undoubtedly, here to stay.”
MFJS Reporter Spring 2022 