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Definition, importance, and functions of HR in a modern workplace setting.

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Key skills and qualities needed for HR professionals.

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An overview of the various roles within HR departments.

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A closer look at the responsibilities HR professionals carry in an organization.

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Examples of successful HR practices in leading companies.

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"I'm a people person" and "I like helping others" are two common reasons HR professionals give for choosing their career path. While they're good enough reasons to get started, they aren't nearly good enough to be great.

After more than 30 years in HR, I have some thoughts about what it takes to be effective in this profession. Here then, in the tradition of David Letterman, are the top 10 things I think every HR professional needs to do to succeed (in reverse order, of course).

10. Have a vision.

Know what you want to accomplish-and why. Don't wait for your organization to define what HR should be. There are lots of examples available and a little research will orient you to the range of the options available. Make it your business to know what's possible. Study everything you can find and network with others to become your own expert. If you're being interviewed, articulate your goals. If you're already working, outline them every chance you get. Discuss your ideas with your leadership team to get their input and buy-in.

My vision at Wynn Resorts was to develop a culture where people would want to work and stay. The results included attracting more than 3 million job applicants for the 125,000 openings we filled over 20 years; an annualized 11 percent turnover rate during that time; no grievances or arbitrations filed (50 percent union, 50 percent nonunion); and being named as one of America's most admired workplaces.

9. Be a strategic thinker.

Every top organization needs HR leaders who align with the company's goals by learning what those goals are and supporting them. At Wynn, we wanted HR to be more than a department. That meant employees at every level knew and understood their part in supporting our culture and HR philosophies.

For example, the company wanted a lean and empowered team, so we designed HR tools that managers and employees could use to enter and retrieve their own HR-related transactions and information. We taught them how to use them and monitored their utilization and effectiveness. Having these self-service tools allowed the HR team to become strategic partners rather than transactional clerks.

8.Become a great communicator.

Steve Wynn taught us that the difference between a good professional and a great leader is the ability to communicate. You're the voice of your organization's culture, so work to fill that role using the following tactics:

Adapt the style of a speaker you admire. Practice aloud, and then stand up at every employee gathering and report on the good stuff your HR team is doing.

Use your skills to help others communicate more effectively in meetings, at company and community events, and in new-hire orientations.

Start or attend Toastmasters meetings; a little bit of this kind of training goes a long way in making you a commanding speaker.

7. Become tech-savvy.

I believe in using technology to improve the processes and effectiveness of HR. The problem was that I didn't used to know enough to articulate my ideas or participate in discussions. So I took courses that helped me better understand the terminology and methodology (local community colleges offer these regularly, and today those are supplemented by workshops and online courses). I'm never the smartest guy in any room, but by educating myself I was able to accomplish a wide range of IT goals, including the implementation of great human resource information systems and applicant tracking systems in partnership with vendors we trusted.

6. Be flexible.

First, be curious enough to discover what you don't know. It's easy to do the stuff we are comfortable doing, but you need to learn about the new stuff that's happening as a result of the pace and volume of change throughout your industry and profession. Allocate time both online and through networking to uncover new issues and the best practices others suggest to deal with them. Consider sponsoring business and industry group meetings at your company site to allow your staff to interact with others.

Second, try new things. The world's changing and the static policies you've used in the past often need updating. How many of us have handbooks that contain "at will" language? Isn't that outdated (really, when's the last time you fired someone for no reason)? Likewise, mandatory arbitration: Ever wonder why there were so many lawsuits? We mostly do what's been done before, but sometimes there's a better way, and who better to suggest those things than HR?

Third, be a wise change master. Our HR roles give us the perfect platform to study, lead discussions about and influence change. Rigid adherence to yesterday prevents adopting new and good things tomorrow. That's where an open and flexible mindset serves HR professionals well. Planning-either for the things we want to do or the contingencies for when things don't happen exactly as planned-is a smart way to act.

Fourth, manage these changes effectively. It's one thing to find great ideas and another to implement them. Great ideas take time and effort to implement, and someone has to manage them. Learn the best practices of project management so you can lead these changes. Know what's available, use all the tools you can find and take a leading role in the implementation of your HR plans.

5. Understand the numbers.

Want something that costs money? It's all about budgets and savings, and you have to fight for what you need. HR leaders are often hesitant to propose programs because they fear these will never get approved. I once proposed creating a new applicant tracking system and having applicants use 100 computers in the recruiting center to enter their own data directly. The cost was high, but I was able to show a return on that investment that saved enough in two years to pay it back. Had I not understood the need for, and the methodology of, a standard return on investment analysis, this effort never would have been approved. We all live by budgets, but that doesn't mean you should give in without using all the tools available to argue effectively for your ideas.

4. Be a full partner.

I often hear that HR wants a seat at "the table." Guess what? You have to earn it. That means people see you as a clear thinker, a good leader and a smart business person, all of which is needed to be successful in your career. Here's how:

Collaborate with each department head individually to learn what their needs are and what they expect from HR. Collaboration is the best way to get HR ideas and practices accepted and implemented in your organization.

Spend time working in every department, conduct focus groups, run trial programs to assess acceptance and usability of your ideas, and start an advisory group to provide input to your planning process.

Appoint department training managers, line supervisors who take on the responsibility of determining what training is needed in their areas, as well as when and how training should be presented, and monitor attendance and post-training performance and behaviors.

This kind of collaboration gave our HR department excellent insight into the thinking and context of all areas of the organization, and helped us know if we were providing what the organization needed.

3. Get out of your office.

Be out of your office more than you are in it. Employees often think of going to HR as akin to going to the principal's office. Not so if you're the kind of HR leader who frequents the places your employees work. They'll become familiar with you and more open to asking questions, and you'll become more familiar with the context of the issues you must deal with. In addition:

Employees will appreciate your presence and managers will get more comfortable with your ideas. You'll soon be seen as part of the team rather than the HR person who hides behind the policies. This gives HR a chance to handle issues before they become major problems.

Create an open-door policy that allows employees to appeal adverse decisions, which allows them to ask questions, get answers and develop trust in the organization.

2. Take risks.

Most HR professionals are risk-averse, probably because they're not encouraged (or trusted) to take risks. But successful practitioners understand the need to take chances and the value that can result. For example, in a TEDx talk last year, I spoke of several alternate recruitment programs I developed. They included working with police gang units and special boot camp programs for first-time nonviolent felony offenders, as well as working with local agencies that promoted services to disadvantaged individuals. We also reached out to people who never thought they'd have an opportunity to work for a large casino company-not necessarily because we needed more applicants, but because it was the right thing to do.

1. Inspire others.

The word I most often use to describe my HR style is inspirational. HR professionals represent "the rules," and too often we're seen as technocrats or policy wonks, somehow disconnected from the real world of organizational needs. For sure that's in the job, but the more you inspire others to understand how and why HR is needed, and how we can work to their benefit, the more you'll be a recognized leader in your organization. If you have passion, there will be passion in your corporate culture. If not, it will just be another job for you and those who work for your organization. That's no fun, and it's not the kind of leadership needed from HR professionals today.

Follow these 10 steps and you should become a more effective HR leader. Don't get hung up on their order: If some seem more important than others, rearrange them so they work best for you and your organization. Good luck.

Arte Nathan served as chief human resources officer for Golden Nugget and its successor companies, Mirage Resorts and Wynn.

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10 Things Every HR Professional Needs to Do to Succeed

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"I'm a people person" and "I like helping others" are two common reasons HR professionals give for choosing their career path. While they're good enough reasons to get started, they aren't nearly good enough to be great. After more than 30 years in HR, I have some thoughts about what it takes to be effective in this profession.

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Challenges faced by HR professionals and how they overcome them.

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No one said HR would be easy, did they? Certainly, if you work within human resources, you'll know that every day throws up a new challenge - something you're yet to deal with but which takes up an inordinate amount of your time.

As a result, deadlines are missed, and that ever-growing to-do list keeps... well, growing. There's always something else screaming for your attention, making each day feel like a constant battle against productivity.

While there'll always be strange, unusual issues that crop up, there are many common workplace problems that every person operating within a human resources department will have experienced. And if you haven't yet, you should prepare yourself for that eventuality. If you know what they are, you'll quickly create an HR utility belt that will always be your saviour.

So, without further ado, here's a list of the most common workplace HR issues to prepare for and how best to deal with them. Make it your bible and keep it by your side - always.

What are the most common HR issues?

1. Tricky employee queries

It should be remembered that a human resources department acts as an interface between the staff and the business itself. Therefore, any issues relating to employment or disputes should be channelled through HR to ensure fairness and a swift resolution.

Unfortunately, nobody can predict every employee's question or issue they will raise and get it right every time. Sorry. At some point, you're going to be asked a question that you're unprepared for.
How to deal with tricky questions from employees
The key to dealing with usual requests lies in fast access to meaningful data. With the right in place, organisations can quickly refer to the information that matters when a concern or question is raised.

Contract variations, wage details or previous disciplinary reports should always be on hand to make query handling as easy as possible and ensure continued positive relationships all round.

Remember - you can answer anything if you have the right data at your fingertips.

2. Low employee retention

There's nothing worse than spending months (sometimes, years) training an employee only to watch them leave without so much as a backwards glance. It's a budget killer and puts the organisation right back at square one.

In these situations, the HR team usually have some serious questions to answer, such as:

Why did an employee leave?

Why were they allowed to leave?

How are we going to prevent it from happening again?

There's no escaping the fact that it is the HR team's job to protect the employee base . It is, after all, the company's most valuable asset that should be capable of driving high levels of productivity and retaining an ever-increasing roster of skills.
How to deal with low employee retention
Remuneration, incentives and culture are the three things you need to focus on to improve employee retention . Wages should be fair, consistent, and in line with market expectations; incentives should be inventive (an unexpected trip to the cinema is often more valued than a bonus swallowed up by the taxman). Finally, the culture should foster a genuine love of the company.

The more wanted an employee feels, the more likely they are to build an emotional connection with the business, and such feelings proliferate - quickly.

3. Drops in productivity

Productivity either happens, or it doesn't - it's that simple. Unfortunately, the stuff that keeps us from being productive isn't always that obvious. It can creep up unawares and, before you know it, set the business back further than you'd think possible. This is a common workplace issue that needs to be dealt with quickly.
How to deal with a productivity drop
Staff within your organisation may be suffering from low productivity levels but be entirely unaware of it. That's why the first step in rectifying this is to identify where it is taking place. Understand which departments are suffering from poor output, and then trace the source to a particular employee or group of employees.

Once low productivity points are identified, HR professionals can go about rectifying them. A simple 'time and motion' study can be carried out to review how tasks are performed and who is in charge of their completion. Inefficiencies will quickly become apparent during this process, as will any lingering personnel issues.

Sometimes a productivity issue will have nothing to do with the business and everything to do with what an employee is going through in their personal life. Where this is the case, the HR department needs to find a way to support that employee and help get them back on track.

Often, increased motivation or additional training may be the only thing required to boost productivity, but a proper study will also reveal areas in which investment or further recruitment is needed.

4. Health and safety issues

Combining the term 'health and safety' with 'documentation' is a surefire way to ensure that employees take little to no interest in their workplace safety. Often, an employee won't consider the ramifications or simply 'take a chance', assuming that nothing bad will happen.

The last thing a business needs or wants is an injured employee. While the most important thing is the wellness and safety of colleagues, there are also additional consequences of a workplace injury, including a dip in productivity and potential legal action being taken against the company.
How to deal with workplace health and safety issues
This is a perennial problem for HR teams, but it is fixable. The answer lies in creating health and safety rules , regulations and supporting documentation that is fair and - most importantly - engaging.

Try swapping lengthy policy documents for more visual aids and throw out rules that simply shouldn't apply in the modern age. In doing so, the workplace should become a far safer place to be.

5. Discrimination and lack of inclusivity

It's a shame to have to include this in a post about common workplace HR issues, but, unfortunately, there's no escaping the fact that inclusivity and discrimination remain key problems in business. Therefore, companies should actively work to combat workplace discrimination and strive for inclusivity always.
How to build inclusivity
Modern organisations should have some form of policy relating to inclusivity within the workplace , so if yours hasn't, creating one should be your starting point. With that policy in place, you'll always have something to turn to in the event of a workplace issue. This makes it fair for all and ensures there are no grey areas that are open to interpretation.

It's sensible to record demographic data when bringing on new hires. Make it part of the recruitment process, and you'll quickly build a business that demonstrates its commitment to inclusivity.
How to combat discrimination
Ensure that every incident involving discrimination is fully recorded and stored for future reference. No one likes being accused of intentional unfairness, but every claim must be recorded and stored. There's no movement on this point.

6. Disciplinary action

Disciplinary action against an employee is something that every HR team will have to face eventually. It's an uncomfortable experience for everybody involved, but also necessary.
How to deal with disciplinary action
Thankfully, this is an easy one - unless you make it difficult for yourself. Every incident that requires a disciplinary process should tread the same path. Keep records of communication, follow company procedures and make absolutely no exceptions, except in the most extreme of circumstances.

Disciplinary processes are only the bane of HR departments if they're open to interpretation or not followed correctly. Make life easy for yourself by keeping things consistent.

7. Recruitment

Finding the right people is incredibly challenging. With more and more workers deciding to go it alone and work in a freelance capacity and the digital marketplace offering multiple recruitment channels, obtaining talent is perhaps more challenging than it has ever been.
How to deal with recruitment problems
If you're still relying on older recruitment methods (for example, newspaper advertising), you need to start spreading your wings a little further.

Get social. When looking for new people, advertise the position on LinkedIn and scout forums and groups for people who might make the grade.

Far from being more time-consuming, this method of recruitment is rather enjoyable and addictive. The best people are out there, and if you sniff them out yourself, you'll save a significant amount of time interviewing the wrong people.

How Natural HR can help you combat human resource issues

In this guide, we've listed seven of what we believe to be the most common workplace human resource issues. Of course, there are more, but those above will crop up most readily.

Thankfully, you now have all you need to tackle them head-on, reduce the number of occurrences and ensure you can help build a business that has a productive, happy workforce at its heart.

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A guide to most common workplace HR issues and how to deal with them

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HR is one of the busiest departments and manages a host of common workplace HR issues. But what exactly re the most common issues?