lA career in HR can be an extremely rewarding one. However, the very nature of the job ensures there will be a lot of difficult choices you must face, especially if you are an HR manager. The reason HR managers often face more difficult decisions than other managers in a company is because HR decisions influence the lives of real people, and can even ruin them. Therefore, HR professionals are often the ones to make the toughest decisions at a company, and they must prepare for that.

To Fire An Employee

Firing employees, even problem employees who need to go, is difficult. The decision is even harder if you don't feel the employee is underperforming but management still wants them to be let go for whatever other reason. It's also a difficult decision to make when the employee does their job well but just isn't the right fit for your office environment and the best thing to do is cut your losses and start over. This can weigh on anyone's conscious and in some cases can even make you feel less safe if you're afraid a vengeful ex-employee might come after you. The best way to handle this is through consensus and action taken in stages. Does the employee's supervisor, the supervisor's supervisor, the HR department and even the owner of the company agree that this employee needs to be fired? If not, then why, and everyone needs to sit down and talk it out.

To Hire An Employee

Recruiting new talent can sometimes be a very easy decision to make. After all, occasionally, several candidates are interviewed and one is simply just miles above the others. Other times, however, there are several excellent candidates that come in, and then the real discussion begins. How do you ever really, truly know which one is going to be the right pick for your company - not only a quality employee but one that will stay around for a while? That's not to mention the candidates that didn't get called in for interviews, some of which might have been gems you missed. The choice to hire a new employee is a major one because it's a significant investment for the company, and a poor decision, or worse, a long string of poor decisions, can end up being costly. Ultimately, do your homework on each candidate and go with your gut.

To Downsize

First off, the decision to downsize is a major decision on its own and you will likely be consulting with managers and upper management about whether the company should downsize at all. This can even entail challenging decisions made by people higher up than you that don't adhere to the company's standards. And then comes the even harder question of where cuts are going to be made. Downsizing can be even more difficult than deciding to fire an employee because many of the employees that will be let go during downsizing do not deserve it. You may very well be responsible for consulting with managers and deciding which employees are necessary and must remain and which roles your company can do without. Whatever decisions are made, don't put them off and always do what's best for the company.

To Decide Employee Benefits

Employee benefits can be expensive, and many times you might have to pick and choose what benefits people get and which ones they don't. This can be especially difficult if you must decide whether or not employees are going to be on a less generous plan this upcoming year compared to prior years. Other types of insurance your company might need will also be something you must decide on. If your company owns vehicles, then you're going to be responsible for shopping around for cheap car insurance, for example.

Many decisions HR professionals have to make can be very hard, but that challenge is what draws many to the profession. You're unlikely to make the right decision every time, so what's important is to take every decision, whether it turns out to be a good one or not, as a learning experience. Weigh every decision carefully and then choose the best option for both your company and your employees.