The vast majority of HR professionals are happy with their choice of career, and would not choose a different one if they were able to start again, according to new research.
A survey of 1,800 HR staff, by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), reveals that eight out of 10 enjoy their current jobs and would choose to work in HR if they had their time again.
The results are at odds with research earlier this year, which found that HR staff were the unhappiest workers of any profession in the UK.
Only 46% of HR professionals surveyed by recruitment firm Kelly Services said they were happy at work, while almost as many (39%) said they were unhappy or very unhappy.
Report author Jessica Jarvis, CIPD learning, training and development adviser, said that the more upbeat feeling in the HR profession came at a time of increased belief in the function’s ability to become a more credible and respected business player.
“Several factors are coming together to improve the standing of HR in the business community,” she said.
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“The rise of business partnering is making HR more integral to the business, and prominent issues such as human capital reporting and corporate social responsibility are carrying HR up the corporate ladder,” she said.
The report also found that a large number of HR people were gaining experience outside the profession in order to better understand how business worked. Only 17% of respondents to the CIPD’s survey said they had no experience of working outside HR.
