Human Resource (HR) managers are often seen as being the most valuable asset that a company possesses. They manage the relationship between the employees and the company and without this cohesive and mutually beneficial relationship the organisation will not operate effectively or efficiently. Here are several free courses to enhance your knowledge as a Human Resource professional.

 

1) Diploma in Human Resources

 

Institute: Alison

 

 

This course starts by introducing the concept of human resources and your role as an HR manager, and also why it is beneficial to use an HR consultant over an internal HR manager. The course then focuses recruitment of prospective employees as well as interview best practices, techniques and training methods. The course finalises by teaching you how to give and receive employee feedback, as well as the termination of employee contracts and the procedure to follow.

 

Once completed, you will be able to:

• Identify the responsibilities of a human resource manager
• Explain the recruitment, selection and appraisal process
• Describe change within a company
• Explain the best practices of managing employees

 

2) Developing your Skills as a Human Resources Professional

 

Institute: Open University

 

 

This course will assist you to develop some of the skills you will need to be effective as a Human Resource professional. You will practise reflective learning and you will also develop the skills of organising yourself, managing time and stress, and working in teams or groups

You will learn to be able to:

• Reflect on practices that support skill development
• Demonstrate self-management skills, particularly in relation to self-organisation and managing work-life balance
• Distinguish between groups and teams and demonstrate an awareness of the skills needed to work effectively within them

 

3) Introduction to People Analytics

 

Institute: Coursera

 

 

This course is a very new-age look at Human Resource Management. It explores the role of data and technology when managing the employees of a company. If you are someone who likes to have data and information to measure performance and back up your decisions then this is a course for you.

 

You will learn

• What combination of data, technologies, and tools can be used in people management processes to improve organisation’s performance
• How to use some of these tools and how to select the ones that suit your objectives and budget
• To design individual and team development plans and measure its ROI for the organisation
• How to figure out the qualities that lead employees to their best performance so you know what to encourage in current and look for in new employees
• How to identify the right channels to recruit your employees or team members
• What combination of monetary and non-monetary motivation tools work best for your organization
• How to predict why people will leave in the near future and how to make sure some of them stay
• How to measure engagement and make a strong organizational culture improve performance

 

This course is free if you ‘Audit-Only’. This allows you to partake in the course, but you will not gain access to the graded material.

 

4) Modern HR Management: Training & Induction

 

Institute: Alison

 

 

This free course looks at modern HR management techniques that are becoming prevalent in modern companies. This course focuses on managing and communicating effectively with employees as well as how to evaluate employees using ‘emotional intelligence (EQ)’. These techniques involve verbal and non-verbal listening. The first section is largely about employee retention and the second section focuses on training and employee induction when they join.

5) Social Wellbeing

 

Institute: Future Learn

 

 

Most people are starting to emphasise their wellbeing within the workplace, and companies have realised this and started to attract great employees by offering wellbeing benefits as part of their employment offer. Employees are valuing these benefits just as much as the salary in many instances – after all your workplace is where you spend the majority of your adult life so why wouldn’t you value your wellbeing there? Differentiate yourself as an HR manager with added knowledge on what wellbeing means to employees, how to facilitate it and how can it be measured by taking this three-week course for free. It only requires two hours of work per week.

 

There is so much to learn about as an HR manager. Our recommendation is to pick a niche of HR and become an expert in that aspect and promote yourself in this regard when applying for jobs.