A new report from Namely, a leading HR platform for mid-sized companies, examines trends in the HR profession. “HR Careers Report 2018” is based on data from more than 1,000 companies.
Key among the report’s findings is the impact of hiring C-suite HR talent. Namely data show that only 7 percent of mid-sized companies have an HR executive in the C-suite. However, there is a direct link between an HR representative at the C-level and employee happiness: Companies with a C-suite HR leader have an average Glassdoor rating of 3.84, a significant increase over the 3.3 average.
Variety of Job Titles
HR leadership goes by various names. The firm’s research shows these are the most common HR titles:
- HR Manager
- HR Generalist
- HR Director
- HR Coordinator
- Recruiting Coordinator
- VP, HR
- HR Assistant
- HR Specialist
- Director, HR
- Recruiting Manager
Among the most creative titles are:
- Chief Happiness Officer
- Culture & Geek Resource Manager
- Director, Talent Attraction Strategy
- Office Happiness Champion
- Head of Optimistic People
- People & Culture Systems & Process Guru
Other Report Findings
Namely research also finds:
- Women lead in HR. Bucking the gender “leadership gap,” HR is the top career for women in leadership roles. According to Namely, 73 percent of C-suite HR leaders are women, more than in any other field. In comparison, marketing and technology leaders only tend to be women 43 percent and 27 percent of the time, respectively.
- Three years means time to job hop. As an employee’s tenure at a company lengthens, their salary decreases relative to peers. According to Namely data, HR salaries show a dramatic decrease after year three with a company, suggesting that job hopping can boost incomes.
- The golden locations of HR. Across Namely’s database, the average HR salary is $98,048. Connecticut and California clocked in as the highest-paying states for HR professionals, along with Washington D.C. New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle are the highest-paying cities. This comes as no surprise, considering these jurisdictions have some of the countries most complex employment laws—from “ban the box” legislation in Connecticut to the $15 minimum wage in California.
“There’s never been a better time to work in HR. Companies are beginning to understand and appreciate the true value of creative and strategic HR professionals,” says Matt Straz, founder and CEO of Namely. “Our HR Careers Report helps practitioners understand industry trends and know their worth. We hope that this data helps them advance their careers.”