Businesses have become more globalised than ever, with more companies are spreading their wings to expand the business on an international level. Doing this, however, should be supported with credible human resource management that can handle business and its people globally. Therefore, the presence of international human resource management (IHRM) is prominent than ever. 

The importance of IHRM in the workforce   

Different from human resources management (HRM) that only deals with personnel in the workplace, IHRM functions in both personnel management as well as training and orientation of employees with different cultures, religions, and ethical values. 

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To illustrate, HRM professionals only engage in internal factors such as in-house employees who come from the same culture. Meanwhile, IHRM professionals cover wider range of fields, from internal to external factors such as different culture in the local and international workforce. On that premise, international human resources management should help businesses meet organisational objectives while achieving competitive advantage at both national and international level. 

Moreover, international HR professionals are not only dealing with “the outside” of international business ethics and processes such as bridging the relationship between local and international clients. They also compromise on typical human resources management functions such as hiring and staffing, handling compensation packages and payroll, providing training and development for diverse employees, and other administrative, legal compliance task at an international level. 

In conclusion, global human resources management is responsible for every exercise such as global skills management and expatriate management, including ensuring diverse employee satisfaction and wellbeing in the workforce.   

How to become credible International HRM Professional

Considering the importance of IHRM, to become a professional in international level, HRM professionals should possess a wider skillset and knowledge especially in terms of cultural, political, economic, and legal differences between one country and another.

In the book of Human Resource Management, people working in this field should have the following characteristics:

• Managerial competence: technical skills, leadership skills, knowledge specific to the company operations.
• Adaptability: the ability to deal with new, uncomfortable, or unfamiliar situations and the ability to adjust to the culture in which you will be assigned.
• Additional competencies: experience working internationally, extroverted (preferred) personality, stress tolerance, language skills, and cultural experiences.

Further, becoming a member of the IHRM will give so much advantage to develop your international human resource knowledge. According to Gazette Notice 278, having continuous professional development credit points awarded by IHRM can improve your seniority and credibility to be international HRM professionals. To be the member, nevertheless, you should abide by the institution’s code of ethics.

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