International HR Day

Employee Experience

International Human Resources Day is celebrated every year as a way to recognize the efforts of HR professionals worldwide.

Each HR professional plays a key role in their company’s success, and as a result, more and more organizations are making International HR Day a tradition and including it in their work culture.

Keep reading to learn more about International HR Day, discover why so many companies are celebrating their HR professionals each year, and how you can celebrate it in your workplace.

What is International HR Day?

International Human Resources Day is celebrated annually on the 20th of May. The theme used most often for International HR Day is “HR: Shaping the New Future”.

It refers to the way in which HR professionals improve the working lives of employees, and in so doing, are leading change and paving the way for a future that is flexible, participative, and more inclusive. This new future is being shaped to benefit workers, organizations, and our society.

The HR team is often referred to as a company’s proverbial North Star, guiding and managing the company’s most precious asset – its workers. HR professionals hire employees, ensure employee satisfaction, inspire people to work more efficiently, and works with employees when they leave the company.

The Human Resources department is also responsible for helping a business succeed, by skyrocketing productivity and profitability. No business can sustain itself without Human Resources managing the people at its core.

Other tasks included in the Human Resource Management job role are:

Negotiating with staff members
Developing human capital
Act as a corporate liaison
Supplying and gaining insight
Important legislation interpreting

This day is designed to not only recognize the hard work of HR professionals but to also pay tribute to and thank them for everything they achieve for their companies.

How is HR Shaping the Future?

The world has started to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, and HR professionals across the globe have been able to learn valuable lessons which can now be applied to improve working lives of employees. Organizational culture can be re-established and adjusted to allow for more flexibility and adaptability.

This ensures that companies anticipate new developments and are agile enough to respond to these developments quickly and efficiently.

The focus has shifted from simply managing talent to cultivating a working environment that champions Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Reconciliation. Additionally, talent attraction and talent retention are now, more than ever, important focus areas for Human Resource professionals and HR leaders.

Many HR leaders anticipate a future in the workplace with a more digital experience. Digital Advancements in the areas of analytics, culture, people programs, inclusion, and mental wellness are all part of what shapes a workforce. In turn, these advancements create a need for specialists in a variety of areas, including remote work development, strategy building, benefits creation, data analysis, inclusion, and diversity. As a result, the HR profession is constantly developing and changing.

How To Celebrate the Next International HR Day

Reward and Recognize

Thanks to the capability of HR teams across the world, global leaders and companies were able to adapt to the sudden shift to remote working during the pandemic. The shift shed light on the importance of HR teams in an organization, creating the need to celebrate Human Resource professionals and their integral role in businesses.

The best way to do this is by publicly recognizing your HR team. Organizations can recognize and reward:

An HR team member of the month
Hardworking HR professionals that perform consistently
Noteworthy initiatives started by HR and how they made a difference in the company

Doing this can also be a great way to boost morale in the HR department, and the company as a whole.

Addressing Needs

Employee surveys are commonplace in most modern organizations. However, it is just as important to get similarly critical feedback from your HR team, a core department in any company.

The HR department has valuable insights into both management and employee perspectives. Paying attention to these insights is a great way to gain a better understanding and ensure an inclusive culture in the company, that will both attract and retain top talents.

Celebrate this International HR Day by creating a pulse survey or hosting meetings to get feedback from the HR team about problems that need solving in the company.

Day Out

Usually, the HR professionals in a company are on the planning end of team lunches, fun company parties, or days out, making sure that all the arrangements are made, and everything runs smoothly.

Celebrate this International HR Day and thank your HR members for a long year’s work by planning an outing or company lunch specifically for the HR team to relax, unwind, and have fun.

Care Packages

Due to the nature of their job, HR professionals often put the needs of employees and the company above their own.

A great way to encourage HR team members to take some much-needed time to themselves is by gifting them a self-care package on International HR Day. These packages make for great gifts and can be customized easily according to the team member receiving them.

Care packages often include a combination of snacks or luxury chocolates, soft socks, fluffy bathrobes, scented candles, scented soaps, spa gift cards, and at-home spa treatments.

Mental Health Support

Poor mental health is something that both employees and HR professionals face.

Mental health issues and mental strain are especially prevalent among those in supporting roles, such as those working in the HR industry. Many HR professionals develop compassion fatigue and responders’ trauma or report becoming too involved in the personal lives of employees or co-workers. It is also common for HR team members to suppress their own personal issues to focus on other individuals.

For this reason, it is especially important to make mental health support equally accessible to HR team members. Company leaders can create more opportunities for mental health support by ensuring that certified mental health counselors are available to members of HR with mental health issues or difficulties setting boundaries.

Create Learning Opportunities for People Interested in the HR Profession

Another great thing to include in your International HR Day celebrations is a talk or seminar by a guest speaker in the HR profession.

This can be a champion or leader in the field who challenges traditional ways of thinking, and with extensive experience and knowledge that can be passed on to HR team members in your company, or those interested in HR work.