Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between human resources managers and human resources generalists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a human resources manager and a human resources generalist. Additionally, a human resources manager has an average salary of $80,442, which is higher than the $56,159 average annual salary of a human resources generalist.
The top three skills for a human resources manager include performance management, customer service and payroll processing. The most important skills for a human resources generalist are HRIS, performance management, and customer service.
| Human Resources Manager | Human Resources Generalist | |
| Yearly salary | $80,442 | $56,159 |
| Hourly rate | $38.67 | $27.00 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 43,453 | 44,365 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.67 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Human resources managers, or HR managers, are responsible for the overall conduct of the different facets of human resources in the organization. They oversee the different processes involved in recruitment, compensation and benefits, talent development, organizational development, employee relations, and employee engagement. It is important that HR managers are well-versed in the different facets of HR. They set policies and procedures, as well as guiding principles of the organization related to these facets. They must be able to balance the needs of the employees and the rules of the management team. HR managers should have strong decision-making skills, interpersonal skills, and management skills.
A human resources generalist is responsible for monitoring the human resources policies and procedures, making adjustments as needed to align with the company's goals and objectives. Duties of a human resources generalist also include improving employee relations system, organizing compliance and knowledge training, reviewing benefit plans, managing compensation inquiries, assisting in recruitment and staffing needs, communicating with department heads in employees' performance reviews, and storing employees' files for reference. A human resource generalist must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to address issues concerning the company and employees' welfare.
Human resources managers and human resources generalists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Human Resources Manager | Human Resources Generalist | |
| Average salary | $80,442 | $56,159 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $113,000 | Between $41,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | Bain & Company | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a human resources manager and a human resources generalist in terms of educational background:
| Human Resources Manager | Human Resources Generalist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between human resources managers' and human resources generalists' demographics:
| Human Resources Manager | Human Resources Generalist | |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3% | Male, 20.5% Female, 79.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 8.0% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 18% | 9% |