Blog 1 - The Role of HR is Dynamic

In this post, I´ll be discussing the differences in HR roles in individual organizations. What do these organizations have in common? Or what is required for HR personnel in global organizations, and can we note differences in smaller organizations' roles?

Firstly, through LinkedIn, I found multiple relevant positions from companies like Wolt, Basware, and Fitness24Seven. The companies have common features, however, the requirements of the HR personnel differ from each other. More in-depth, all of the companies operate internationally and have multicultural environments. Therefore, the common requirement was excellent Finnish and English skills. Additionally, all of the positions required multiple years of experience in HR processes and knowledge of leading people and culture development. Even though the companies are around the same size, the biggest difference was in the position published by Fitness24Seven. There, the HR manager has a crucial part in leading the company´s Finnish branch, and they strongly participate in the whole company´s strategic development. Therefore, in the named organization, it can be stated that the HR personnel is taking part in leading the whole company rather than just the HR side. (Basware 23 August 2023; Fitness24Seven 25 August 2023; Wolt 27 August 2023)

According to an article by Feffer (April 2018), around 54 % of small organizations handle HR matters themselves in the hope of saving money. Additionally, almost a third of organizations with under 50 employees give the responsibility of HR to employees with no prior experience. Moreover, usually in small organizations, the HR personnel needs to take on the tasks of multiple people - development, payroll, training, and support. However, the main difference to bigger organizations is, that in the smaller ones, the HR practices are still in development and new to the organization. Therefore, the importance of teamwork, communication, and elasticity are highlighted rather than theoretical knowledge. (Feffer April 2018)

To summarize, there are multiple similar aspects in the role of HR regardless of the size of the organization. These include being multilingual and possessing a broad understanding of HR processes and development. However, the emphasis on extensive skills and being able to work in various roles is underlined in smaller organizations.