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Employees are an organisation’s greatest asset and essential to the successful running of most businesses, so it makes sense that supporting them is seen as a critical function of the HR role. It’s also what draws many people to the HR profession.
According to new research by HR, payroll and benefits software provider Ciphr, supporting employees has been named as the top reason for why people like working in HR.
Half (50%) of the 300 HR decision makers polled agreed that supporting employees was a key element in enjoying their jobs, while a further 47% cited hiring new employees and growing the business as their favourite aspect.
Helping to improve workplace productivity and efficiency, and working with nice colleagues, are also important factors for two-fifths of respondents (selected by 40% and 39% respectively).
Other popular aspects of the job are those that prioritise making work better, like supporting good employment practices and ensuring legal compliance (37%), solving problems (36%), and helping to create a good working culture (34%).
Ciphr’s findings suggest that most HR professionals enjoy the important work they do. When asked to share which aspects, if any, they liked most about working in HR, only one person opted for ‘none’. While some parts of the role may be more enjoyable than others, 90% of respondents could name three or more favourite things about their job (on average, they picked six).
For around a third of those surveyed, what they like most is the sense of achievement and job satisfaction that their work provides (35%), as well as a good work-life balance (33%). A similar number (32%) enjoy knowing that their work contributes to business success.
Opinions on HR pay, interestingly, are a bit more mixed. Only around a quarter (28%) selected competitive pay or a good salary as one of the main reasons why they like working in HR (ranking it in 16th place) – implying some dissatisfaction with HR compensation levels generally.
The top 15 reasons why people in HR most like their jobs are:
- Supporting / helping employees: 50% of HR professionals surveyed
- Hiring new employees / growing the business: 47%
- Helping to improve workplace productivity / efficiency: 40%
- The people they work with: 39%
- Supporting good employment practices / ensuring legal compliance: 37%
- Solving problems: 36%
- It gives them job satisfaction / sense of achievement: 35%
- Helping to create a positive and inclusive working culture: 34%
- Good work-life balance: 33%
- Supporting business success: 32%
- It's important / purposeful work: 30%
- The HR community: 30%
- Good career progression / advancement opportunities: 29%
- They feel valued and appreciated for their work: 29%
- Learning new skills: 28%
Job aspects that didn’t quite make the top 15, besides pay, include the variety or versatility of the HR role (28%), transforming business processes (26%), and informing strategic decision-making (25%).
Claire Williams, chief people and operations officer at Ciphr, comments: “I truly believe that company performance is a direct reflection of its peoples’ performance. You can have the best strategy, products, or technology but without engaged, high-performing people, success is never sustainable. And HR sits at the heart of this – shaping cultures, enabling leadership, and driving the right talent strategies to unlock potential.
“What has always excited me is the unique position that HR holds in organisations. They have a front-row seat to seeing the tangible impact of influencing and supporting people to perform at their best. Whether it’s developing leaders, improving employee engagement, or driving strategic workforce planning, every initiative has a direct link to business outcomes.
“HR isn’t just about policies and processes. It’s about unlocking human potential to drive lasting business success, and that’s why I love it.”
Ciphr’s director of people, Karen Lough, adds: “There’s something incredibly powerful about how a single learning moment, a new skill, or a well-timed coaching conversation can shift someone’s perspective, boost their confidence, or even change the trajectory of their career. Knowing that what I do can help someone feel more capable, inspired, or supported in their role is what drives me every day.
“Whether it’s helping someone navigate a challenge, grow into a new role, or simply feel heard and valued, those small moments add up to something big. For me, that’s the most rewarding part of working in HR and learning and development (L&D).”
To discover what the rest of the Ciphr people team enjoy most about working in HR, please visit https://www.ciphr.com/infographics/top-10-reasons-why-people-like-working-in-hr.
Ciphr is the go-to HR and payroll software and solutions partner for medium and large organisations in the UK. Its integrated HR, payroll, benefits, learning and recruitment software, services and content provide invaluable insights to HR teams, helping to inform their people strategy and grow and develop their organisations. Based in Reading, Ciphr is on a mission to amplify the voice and value of HR through intelligent people data solutions that help HR be heard – in the boardroom and across the business.
For more information, please visit www.ciphr.com.
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Media enquiries:
Emma-Louise Jones, digital PR manager at Ciphr
e: ejones@ciphr.com
Chris Boddice, chief marketing officer at Ciphr
e: cboddice@ciphr.com
Website: www.ciphr.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ciphr
Notes:
Infographic: Top 10 reasons why people in HR most like their jobs (please credit and link to Ciphr.com): https://www.ciphr.com/hubfs/pr-charts/top-10-reasons-why-people-like-working-in-hr.png
Ciphr commissioned OnePoll to conduct an independent survey of 300 UK HR decision makers between 17-19 December 2024. Questions included: 'Which, if any, of the following aspects do you most like about working in HR?' (respondents could select all that applied to them).
Sample: Nearly half (46%) of respondents are employed at UK organisations with over 250 employees (of those, 22% work at enterprises with 1,500+ employees), two-fifths (44%) are at organisations with 50 to 249 employees, and a tenth (10%) are at organisations with less than 50 employees.
Ciphr is the go-to HR and payroll software and solutions partner for medium and large organisations in the UK. Its integrated HR, payroll, benefits, learning and recruitment software, services and content provide invaluable insights to HR teams, helping to inform their people strategy and grow and develop their organisations. Ciphr is on a mission to amplify the voice and value of HR through intelligent people data solutions that help HR be heard – in the boardroom and across the business.
The Ciphr Group is a privately held company backed by ECI Partners and headquartered in Reading. Over 230 employees work across the group, which includes Ciphr and Avantus.
Ciphr spokespeople are available to provide expert media comment on a broad range of topics, including HR strategy, people management, employee experience and wellbeing, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), payroll, pay, benefits and rewards, learning and development, the future of work, tech trends, business and leadership, marketing, and more.
