Human resource analysts collect data, prepare reports, and provide advice on employee relations and benefits. They focus on data interpretation, benefits, compensation, recruiting, legal compliance, and resolving disputes. They work closely with HR personnel and may start as HR administrators or with an economic background. Certification is optional but recommended.
Human resource analysts typically collect data, prepare reports, and give advice in the domain of employee relations and benefits. Most companies and businesses have human resources, or HR, departments that handle virtually every aspect of the employee-employer relationship. This can include hiring practices, salary and benefit decisions, promotions and terminations, among other things. The biggest thing that sets an analyst apart from an average manager is their focus on comprehensive data interpretation. In cases where an administrator is usually tasked with setting and enforcing policies, the analyst looks at how well they are working and how they align with the policies of other similar companies in the region or industry. Some large companies keep analysts on staff to monitor regular operations and look for day-to-day efficiencies. More often than not, these professionals work for consulting firms and are hired on a project basis, often for companies looking for occasional audits and reviews. Analysts in either capacity typically do similar work, and their main areas of focus often cover benefits, compensation, recruiting, and legal compliance.
Role in HR generally
A human resources analyst typically works closely with HR department personnel and staff with the goal of understanding and maximizing assessment processes and standards. Also known as HR specialists, these workers may be beginners or they may be senior-level HR professionals who therefore have increasingly important responsibilities. Entry-level HR analysts can simply help manage and organize employee files and perform other general office tasks, whereas more senior HR specialists can do more in the way of providing executive summaries and overviews of existing trends, in addition to making proposals for possible future changes or adjustments.
Monitoring of benefit plans
Many companies provide their employees with a benefits package that includes things like health insurance, investment opportunities, and retirement or pension compensation. Depending on the size of the company and the age of its workforce, these expenses can be significant. They are important for retaining and attracting a talented workforce, but they can also be costly if not managed well. Many analysts work fully or at least tangentially on benefits packages, looking for efficiencies and studying ways to reduce costs without negatively impacting employees.
Pay scales and scales
Another common analyst responsibility relates to employee compensation. Assessing things like pay scales, rates of pay increase and bonus incentives are often part of this, as are issues of income equality, i.e. measuring the difference between the salaries of the highest paid and highest paid employees. Gender and age equality issues are also commonly considered. Analysts are usually just looking for data, but if they see problems or disparities, they may also be asked to propose some possible fixes. Because this type of HR work deals directly with finance, analysts often find it helpful to have some financial knowledge or education.
Study of recruitment techniques
Recruiting is another common HR sub-department, and analysts with this focus often spend most of their time evaluating a company’s hiring, interviewing, and job posting process. Sometimes they are interested in whether the process is fair and legal, but more often the goal is more about efficiency and finding out if the company is using the right tactics to attract the best customers.
Legal compliance and dispute resolution
Employee disputes and legal compliance also fall under the purview of Human Resources, and analysts look at this type of information as well. In particular, they are often interested in how many complaints are filed each quarter, period or year and how long it takes to resolve them. The aggregate expense of employee lawsuits and disputes is also something generally considered in this category.
introduction in the field
Most people start this profession by first building a more general HR background. Often this means they are working as HR administrators or staff members at a company. It is also possible to approach the analysis from a more economic point of view. These people are usually more focused on statistical approaches and number-oriented datasets. People from both backgrounds often start out as junior analysts, often working in teams, and only later mature into more independent responsibilities.
While not all human resources analysts must be certified to practice in the profession, most choose to pursue formalized HR certifications, the requirements of which tend to vary from place to place. Analysts in many markets may also have the option to go further in their studies and complete what is known as a Senior HR Certification (SHRC).
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