The 8 Best HR Courses for the Office 2023

Human resources (HR) is a diverse and complex field. People who work in the industry are expected to manage conflicts, team members, and even public relations. Unfortunately, this makes it challenging to keep up with HR and the new industry standards that come out every year. Plus, HR is a rapidly growing field that encompasses more responsibility. Therefore, it’s always best to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and courses in HR.

That said, we’re here to help. Working in HR leaves little time to continue your education, and even if you’re not in HR yet, knowing what to expect beforehand makes a huge difference. So, we’re going to take you through eight of the best HR courses available online. Furthermore, we’re going to take you through everything you need to know about HR courses to help you narrow down your options.

Orientation

We’re sure you’re eager to dive into the eight best HR courses, but there are a few things you need to consider first; if you don’t know what to look for, how will you know which course is right for you? That said, we’re going to help you narrow down your options sooner rather than later.

Types of HR Courses

First and foremost, it’s important to start with the types of HR courses. With HR being a broad field, there are many different aspects of the job. You’ll be faced with conflict, administrative duties, and even managing employee talent. That said, it’s crucial to choose a course that you need the most help in.

For example, if you’re good at managing conflict but come up short with your administrative duties, it’s a good idea to pursue administrative courses. These will help you firm up that area of your role and provide you with the most value. Additionally, all of the HR courses do what they’re designed to do. Put simply, conflict management helps with conflict, administrative HR helps with office duties, and talent management deals with employees and how to handle performance.

While all of these courses are helpful, choose courses where your skills come up short if you’re looking for the most value. If not, you might end up sitting through a course you don’t need.

Skill Level

When shopping for an HR course, you also need to take your skill level into account. While HR is a broad field, there are still many levels to the job that require different knowledge bases. Therefore, we’ve broken each course down into one of three categories. These categories are beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Beginner courses will use minimal industry jargon and focus on simple things that anyone can pick up on. For example, someone with no HR background can participate in a beginner-friendly course and get value from it. While beginner courses are simple, intermediate-level courses are more challenging, and we recommend having some prior knowledge–you might be a good fit for an intermediate-level course if you work in HR or take other HR-related courses.

Finally, we’ve included advanced HR courses. These courses have industry jargon and require prerequisites to add value. While you can take any course regardless of your skill level, you should choose one that meets your instruction needs if you want to make sure you get the most value out of these courses.

Instructor

Another thing to look into is the instructor of the course. There are many instructors from a diverse range of backgrounds. When it comes to HR, most instructors have been in the industry for decades and know how to convey their points.

Still, some instructors bring different elements to the table. For example, conflict management instructors should have a background in psychology, while administrative HR instructors should have business experience.

Price

When it comes to HR courses, the price is not always straightforward. Each course has many styles and options which can impact the price. For example, courses on platforms like LinkedIn and SkillShare have a fixed price—per month or year. On the other hand, ones on other platforms can cost upwards of $500, depending on how in-depth it is. The good news is that most of the courses on our list are affordable for every budget.

Now that you know what to look for, we’re going to take you through the course breakdown.

Course Breakdown

Top 8 Best HR Courses for the Office 2023


1. Best Overall: Administrative Human Resources (HR) for Beginners

  • 1 hour $34.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Catherine Mattice
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Topic: Administrative HR

Why we like it

Administrative HR for Beginners is one of our favorite choices because it’s one of the few administrative HR courses that’s easy for beginners.

Administrative HR for Beginners is a course that's designed for people with an interest in management and HR. The course is short but spends time going over employee performance, employee management, and more. It is designed by one of the best in the industry, and there are a handful of continued education options once the course is over.

Administrative HR for Beginners is also unique because it can be used in many ways. While it's designed as HR-focused instruction, it's also well-rounded. For example, anyone with a background in management can gain something from this course. Administrative HR for Beginners is also taught by one of the best instructors in the business.

Things to Consider

Administrative HR for Beginners provides a solid foundation, but it's missing a few things. First and foremost, it doesn't have anything for conflict management, which is a significant part of HR and HR duties. This course also fails to touch on some of the HR guidelines that everyone in the industry should know.

That said, there are alternatives. One course we recommend that's more focused on conflict resolution is Conflict Management With Emotional Intelligence, which focuses on the interpersonal working side of HR instead of the administrative side.

Who It's For

If you're in management or HR, this course is a great choice. While Administrative HR for Beginners is not perfect, it does what it's intended to do. Anyone that needs help with employee behavior and productivity can find value with this course. Plus, it's affordable for people with any budget. Furthermore, this course is also designed in a beginner-friendly way so everyone can benefit.

Pros

  • Great for both HR and management
  • Taught by one of the best instructors in the business
  • Beginner-friendly

Cons

  • Only an hour long
  • Lacks the same depth as other HR courses


2. Best for Conflict: Conflict Management With Emotional Intelligence

  • 3.5 hours $139.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Robin Hills
  • Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
  • Topic: Conflict Management

Why we like it

We love this course because it helps you improve your interaction skills, which are crucial to HR. Plus, the size and length make it one of the more comprehensive options on our list.

Human Resources is a complex field with many things for you to be aware of. This is why courses that deal with conflict resolution work well for HR-minded people. One example is Conflict Management With Emotional Intelligence. This course helps you manage issues that come up in the workplace, which is important to understand if you're interested in pursuing a career in HR.

The course is also long and covers a lot of ground. You'll learn about multiple issues in the workplace and how emotions play a role in how they play out. It's a great course for boosting your emotional intelligence and it can help you become more aware of hidden conflicts in the workplace. Overall, it's a great course to boost your skills with conflict intervention.

Things to Consider

While this course is great for learning about human interactions and conflict resolution, it doesn't help with the management or administrative parts of HR. This is unfortunate because the administration portion of HR is one of the most important skills. So, while it helps you work with people better, it's not a great fit for people who are already adept at conflict resolution.

If you're looking for a more administrative-focused course, Administrative HR for Beginners is a great alternative. It focuses more on the fundamentals of HR than the conflict resolution part.

Who It's For

If you're looking to boost your people skills this course is a great fit. Even if you have HR experience, it's a good idea to stay up-to-date with modern conflict resolution solutions. In doing so, you'll have a more well-rounded base of knowledge to handle such issues. Therefore, this course is a great fit for people of all skill levels–even more, experienced HR managers.

Pros

  • Helps boost people skills
  • Helps you solve conflicts in the workplace
  • Increases emotional intelligence

Cons

  • Doesn't focus on the administrative part of HR


3. Best for Talent Management: World-Class HR: 21st Century Talent Management

  • 2 hours $49.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Josh Bersin
  • Skill Level: Intermediate
  • Topic: Administrative HR

Why we like it

This is one of our favorite courses because it focuses on the more challenging aspects of HR.

World-Class HR: 21st Century Talent Management is all about talent management and making sure employees are performing well. This is a course that covers many topics in this area and does a good job of keeping it short and simple. That said, it's an intermediate-level course that's designed for people who are already in HR. This is because it has a lot of industry-specific terminologies.

World-Class HR: 21st Century Talent Management also benefits from coming with additional materials. While it comes with the video, students also gain access to a handful of documents that can be downloaded and reviewed. This adds to the value of the course and helps students continue their education even when the initial process comes to an end.

Things to Consider

World-Class HR: 21st Century Talent Management is one of the best courses out there for talent management, but it lacks other content. If you're not someone who's in HR already, it might not have a lot of value. This is because talent management is something that comes with years of experience.

If you're looking for a more traditional HR course that covers the basics, we have one for you with a similar name. That course is World-Class HR, which is taught by one of the leaders in the industry; this course is shorter, but it focuses on more topics.

Who It's For

If you're looking to manage your roster of employees better, this course is a great choice. It comes with everything you need to take your HR skills to the next level and will help you with your employees. Overall, it's a great choice if you're looking to have a better understanding of how to access and improve employee behavior. For these reasons, we also only recommend this course for people with a year or two in the industry.

Pros

  • Excellent with helping employee performance
  • Helps with people skills and conflict resolution
  • One of the few courses that's designed for experienced HR representatives

Cons

  • Only suitable for people with experience in the industry


4. Best Premium Course: World-Class HR

  • 55 minutes $19.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Robert Sullivan
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Topic: Administrative HR

Why we like it

World-Class HR is one of our favorite courses because of the instructor. Robert Sullivan is excellent at breaking down information and getting it to stick in a short amount of time.

World-Class HR is a great course. It comes with a ton of great lessons that teach you about how to be an HR representative, administrator, or performance manager. While it's more basic than most HR courses, instructor Robert Sullivan's ability to convey his points quickly is impressive and valuable. So, even though it's a short course, it's one of the few courses that's short and effective.

World-Class HR is also a well-rounded course. Instead of focusing on one topic, it focuses on a handful of them. While administrative is the goal of the course, Sullivan also teaches about conflict resolution and other areas of HR. Therefore, it's a thorough course–even with its short length.

Things to Consider

While this course works well, it may not be the best for everyone. To provide perspective, it's a course that focuses on beginners and helping beginners with simple HR topics. While Sullivan explains topics well, there is only so much you can explain in 55 minutes. Therefore, people looking for a more in-depth course should look elsewhere.

One great alternative is Administrative HR for Beginners. Administrative HR for Beginners is a beginner-friendly course that offers more in-depth information about specific topics. While the course is less broad and focused, it's better for the day-to-day aspects of HR.

Who It's For

If you're someone who's wondering if life in HR is a good fit, World-Class HR is a great choice. While it's not the most in-depth course, it will give you a sense of what HR is like. Additionally, you'll know what to expect when you start to take more HR courses or enter the workforce. That said, Robert Sullivan is a well-known instructor and offers many classes to continue your learning.

Pros

  • Well-known and respected instructor
  • Teaches you the basics of HR
  • Serves as a good introduction to the field
  • Short and easy to get through

Cons

  • Not in-depth and doesn't spend much time on each subject


5. Best for Administrative HR: Administrative Human Resources

  • 1 hour, 25 minutes $29.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Catherine Mattice Zundel
  • Skill Level: Intermediate
  • Topic: Administrative HR

Why we like it

We love this course because it goes over the whole process of administrative HR. Furthermore, it makes it easy for people in the field to continue their education.

Administrative Human Resources is a well-rounded course that teaches students about the basics of administrative HR. While it's a beginner-friendly course, we recommend holding off on this one unless you have some HR experience under your belt or work for a firm that's training. This is because the course does have some industry-specific jargon that you might not understand otherwise.

That said, Administrative Human Resources is one of the most comprehensive courses around. It will teach you about administrative duties, how to recruit and train people, and even how to measure employee performance. The course is also taught by a great instructor, Catherine Mattice Zundel, who has decades of experience in the industry.

Things to Consider

While Administrative Human Resources is a good course that we love to recommend, it's not perfect. First and foremost, the course is designed for people who are already in the industry. This can lead to beginners not getting a lot out of the course. Additionally, it's only a little over an hour, so there are more in-depth courses out there.

If you're looking for a more in-depth alternative for administrative HR, Administrative HR for Beginners is a great alternative. While it's a beginner-friendly course, it covers more bases for those just starting out than the latter.

Who It's For

If you're someone that needs to boost their corporate HR knowledge, this course is a great choice. That said, it's best suited for people that have experience in the industry. For example, this course is an excellent fit for people that work as an HR representatives or manager. Still, everyone can find value, and it's short enough to check out even if you're a beginner.

Pros

  • Goes over recruiting
  • Teaches you about how to measure employee performance
  • One of the best courses for people in HR already

Cons

  • Only suited for people that have experience in the field
  • Lacks the depth of longer courses


6. Best for Beginners: Human Resources Foundations

  • 47 minutes $29.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Wayne Cascio
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Topic: HR Guidelines

Why we like it

Human Resources Foundations is one of our favorite HR courses because it helps people in the field add to their foundation of HR knowledge. While it doesn’t go above and beyond, it doesn’t need to because it offers great value for your time.

Human Resources Foundations is a straightforward course. Its short length makes it easy for all students to glance over, and it has a lot of great content. The course works well because it shows you the guidelines required of an HR employee and helps you get started along your journey. The instructor is also well-known in the industry, and he comes from a background of HR experience.

Human Resources Foundations also comes with a certificate of completion at the end. While there are some quizzes that you'll need to work through, it's a great way to improve your resume or standing with your current employer. Lastly, Human Resources Foundations has several courses for continuing your education on LinkedIn Learning.

Things to Consider

While Human Resources Foundations is a great course, it does a lot of things good but not a lot of things great. So, what does that mean for you? Well, it means the course is basic and lacks the depth of longer, more specific HR courses. Therefore, you'll get a lot of basic information about HR management and guidelines in favor of specific details. Unfortunately, this doesn't work for everyone.

If you're looking for an HR course that goes into more detail on the administrative side, Administrative HR for Beginners is a great alternative. It's longer, more in-depth, and covers more topics.

Who It's For

Human Resources Foundations is a great choice if you're looking for a certificate to add to your resume or if you're not familiar with HR. It's a basic course that will get you started along the journey and provide you with some credentials moving forward. That said, we think it offers great value for your time and money.

Pros

  • Builds a foundation for key HR components
  • Offers a certificate upon completion
  • Short and easy

Cons

  • Lacks depth


7. Best for HR Guidelines: HR Guidelines Everyone Should Know

  • 65 minutes $29.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Amber Vanderburg
  • Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
  • Topic: HR guidelines

Why we like it

We love this course because it helps people in the ever-changing field of HR stay up-to-date with current information. While it’s short, it offers tremendous value for your time.

HR Guidelines Everyone Should Know is a quick HR course that serves its purpose. While the course doesn't teach you anything flashy or show you ways to manage conflicts, the course makes up for this with its practical knowledge. This is because HR, as a field, changes almost every day. Even if you work for a company that strives to be up to par, it's almost impossible to do so.

That's where HR Guidelines Everyone Should Know comes into play. The course is designed to help you stay up-to-date on HR information and guidelines. This makes it easier for you to improve at your job without needing to dedicate too much time. Plus, the course comes with a certificate upon completion that you can leverage at work or during interviews. Overall, it's a simple HR course that serves as a refresher, and it does this well.

Things to Consider

While HR Guidelines Everyone Should Know is a good course for staying up-to-date on HR trends, this isn't always useful. This is because the course doesn't provide anything else. In fact, the course will eventually lag. So, while it's great for HR guidelines right now, that might not be the case in several years.

That said, you have other options. A great alternative that offers more value is Human Resources Foundations. Human Resources Foundations is a more well-rounded course that helps you build a strong HR foundation that can follow you for years. Remember, you can always add to your foundation!

Who It's For

If you're looking for a quick refresher course on HR guidelines, this course is an excellent choice. It gives you everything you need to keep your knowledge up-to-date, so you don't have to scramble to adhere to company guidelines. Furthermore, the course is a great choice for people that want to improve their resume with a certificate.

Pros

  • Offers a certificate upon completion
  • Has up-to-date HR guidelines
  • A quick and easy course that doesn't need to be any longer

Cons

  • Might be out-of-date in a few years
  • Expensive for its length


8. Strategies for Conflict Resolution

  • 47 minutes $19.99 Our rating  
  • Course Highlights
  • Instructor: Catrinel Girbovan
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Topic: Conflict resolution

Why we like it

We love this course because it’s a simple conflict resolution source. It’s inexpensive, short, digestible, and to the point.

Strategies for Conflict Resolution is a simple course on SkillShare that helps you learn more about yourself and your coworkers. The course is useful for HR applications because it will help you boost your emotional intelligence and help you solve disputes in the workplace. The course is also hands-on and includes a few projects that encourage user participation.

Furthermore, the course focuses on topics that more comprehensive conflict management courses might miss. For example, this takes you through the causes of conflicts, which is useful because it will help you quickly identify problems in the workplace before they become more severe. Additionally, the course deftly presents this information and applies it to most skill levels and backgrounds.

Things to Consider

While Strategies for Conflict Resolution is a detailed course, it's not long enough to use as your only resource. That said, obviously, if you're looking to become a conflict management professional, you'll need more than a 45-minute course. Because even though this covers a lot of topics quickly, some important components are glossed over or oversimplified.

If you're looking for a more in-depth conflict management course, Conflict Management With Emotional Intelligence is a great alternative. It has everything you'll find in Strategies for Conflict Resolution, but its 3-hour length gives the instructor more time to help you with solutions.

Who It's For

Strategies for Conflict Resolution is a great choice for people that need a quick refresher course. It won't help you learn many new concepts, but it does keep your brain active and engaged. While you will be able to apply the concepts in the course quickly, it may not provide enough content to make a difference in your life if this course is your only resource. Still, it serves its purpose as a great refresher course for conflict resolution.

Pros

  • Short and simple
  • Serves its purpose as a great refresher course
  • The instructor has a Ph.D. level education

Cons

  • Too short to go over each topic with depth


HR FAQ

People interviewing applicant

HR can be a great career if you think you’re a good fit. That said, you need to have great people skills and good organizational abilities. In fact, HR is diverse, so there are many options. For example, you can become an HR manager, work in payroll, or handle issues that come up at a company.

One of the most important aspects of a job is income. While entry-level HR jobs don’t pay too much, moving up the ladder is rewarding. In fact, many HR positions can help you earn over $100,000 a year. Still, you need to decide on the path you’re going to take because pay for HR analysis and HR payroll management can be vastly different.

In the current market, HR skills are in demand. While most HR skills are needed, some skills that can give you an edge over the competition include conflict management, analytics, and talent management. These skills tend to be more in demand and have higher ceilings.



Extra Credit

3D render of social network

Seeing the best HR courses is helpful, but it’s hard to choose the right fit with so many options. This is why we’re taking you through our extra credit section to help you narrow down your choice. If you’re not sure which course is right for you, don’t panic, we have your back.

Getting Started

If you’re just getting started in the world of HR, you want to start with a simple and beginner-friendly course. While there are many options, some are better than others. Still, you need to know where you’re looking to get started. This is because HR is a broad field with many options. To help beginners out, we have two options to help you get started.

First and foremost, we have Human Resources Foundations. Human Resources Foundations introduces you to concepts you’ll find in HR. While it’s not the most in-depth course, it will help you decide whether or not HR is a good choice for you. This course also focuses more on the administrative side than the conflict and talent management sides of HR.

Secondly, we have Strategies for Conflict Resolution. This course is short, easy, and straightforward. It’s a great option if you’re interested in the conflict management side of HR. Plus, it doesn’t get too complicated and stays away from complex phrasing and jargon.

If you’re just starting, we recommend considering these beginner-friendly courses to help you get started.

Finding the Right Topic

If you’re not a beginner, you’ll want to look for a course that helps you with specific areas of HR. This is why we’ve gathered some common topics and great courses that go with them.

Administrative HR

Administrative HR courses are a collection of courses that dive into the management and office aspects of HR. These are a great choice if you’re new to the office atmosphere or want to catch up on some new methods in the industry.

One of our favorite choices for Administrative HR is Administrative Human Resources. This is an in-depth course that goes through everything you need to know about the office aspect of HR. While it doesn’t have much about conflict or talent management, it can help you with organizational skills and working with other employees.

Conflict Resolution

In the world of HR, conflict resolution is one of the most challenging parts of the job. You’ll have to have great emotional intelligence and have the ability to diffuse situations. That said, conflict resolution is easy to learn if you know where to look. While there are many options for conflict resolution, our favorite is Conflict Management With Emotional Intelligence.

Conflict Management With Emotional Intelligence is a great choice because it helps with perceiving and redirecting emotions in a positive way. You’ll learn about how to handle people and why people act out in corporate environments based on psychology. Moreover, the course is taught by someone who has a Ph.D. in psychology. Overall, it’s a quick course that can improve your people skills in less than two hours.

HR Guidelines

The guidelines of HR are always changing and being updated. As new strategies to handle situations and office duties are developed, new courses come out that offer certifications to show that your knowledge is up-to-date.

If you’re looking for a refresher course for HR’s many guidelines, HR Guidelines Everyone Should Know is a great choice. While it doesn’t offer much for conflict resolution or emotional intelligence, it will prepare you for rule changes and help you work by the book.

Talent Management

Talent management is another part of HR that doesn’t get much attention. The talent management part of HR is challenging because it involves working with many people and determining who will perform the best.

If you struggle with talent management, World-Class HR: 21st Century Talent Management is one of the best options. It takes you through everything you need to know in a reasonable amount of time.

While all of these courses are helpful on their own, combining one or more HR courses is always the best option. This is because you’ll get a more well-rounded education.

Recap

Human Resources is a well-rounded field with a lot of potential. There are many paths you can take and many career options to choose from. That said, preparing for a career in HR isn’t always easy. While college can prepare you, there aren’t many options to continue your education or help you decide if HR is the right career path.

Luckily, all of the courses we’ve taken you through are designed to help. Still, make sure you choose based on your needs to get the most value. With that in mind, you’ll be one of the best in no time!