If you wonder what makes a Big Four company become the elite institution that it is, or what the driving force is for any big corporation to operate, the answer is the people. Anyone can run a business, but what turns a business into a legacy is its people. Needless to say, a good HR team can make or break the foundations of a company. To understand this, your MBA HR project topics must reflect the values of both people and the organization.
If you wish to lead an organization’s people force, you have to be a well-versed individual who knows the tricks of the trade on their fingers. A premium degree like an MBA will help you pull through, but you must also ensure that you stand apart with significant inputs to invoke trust.
For a brand or corporation to trust you with the entire structure of its people force, you must bring thoughtful insights and well-planned policies. So in this article, we have talked about such insights that you can use in your MBA project. It will help you not only establish your candidature in your dream company but also make sure you add significant value to the team.
10 Top MBA HR Project Topics for 2024
The idea behind selecting these projects is simple: apart from building a strong portfolio for you, it will assert that you are capable of assessing the needs and challenges of your role.
Moreover, you will be able to market yourself better and highlight how you are aligned with the vision of your organization. So, it is of critical importance that you select a topic that asserts the above points favorably. In this article, I have picked up a few such points and created a list of Top MBA HR project topics for you. So let us begin.
1. Workplace Well-Being And Balance
You might have noticed the recent progressive change in the conversation when it comes to the work-life balance. Initially, people were willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of their jobs, including their physical and mental health. Now, however, one of the biggest parameters of opting for a job is to double-check how it encourages a proper work-life balance.
A study can be conducted to establish how far an employee is willing to go when it comes to their workplace well-being. It will help anyone to understand not only the wellness needs of the employees but will also establish where the leverage of a monthly salary stands when it is competing against workplace well-being and balance.
Relevance of the Topic / Ideas
- Understanding employee preferences will help in retention and create a more productive workplace.
- The study will help to ensure there are healthier and less stressed employees in the workforce.
- Surveys and frequent discussions with employees will also help build trust and assure the people that the management takes care of them.
2. Diversity and Inclusion
An inclusive workplace is a direct sign of a happy workplace and also asserts how the organization believes in the concept of equal opportunities for all. The concept of diversity and inclusion in a business environment assures no discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, age, or sexual orientation.
Relevance of the Topic / Ideas
- A diverse workplace invokes trust in employees and assures them they will be recognized for their hard work come what may.
- It will also help in filtering existing employees who are resistant to change to ensure a safer work environment for others.
- The initiative will also help the employer understand the present studies on relevant inclusion measures by big corporations and how it has directly affected productivity.
- Most importantly, it will bridge the gap in understanding how a diverse work environment can facilitate higher employer retention and a better work environment.
3. HR Technology
HR Technology is the vast concept of embracing technology in day-to-day practices to facilitate an optimized work environment. It is a broad range of solutions that encompasses the entire employee life cycle, from hiring to retirement.
HR technology is designed to manage employee data, payroll, benefits, and performance. Due to this, it has direct and severe implications on business and the entire hiring process. You have to highlight how the introduction of advanced HR practices can enable the smooth functioning of the employee database, regardless of its stage.
Relevance of the Topic / Ideas
- It is critical to highlight how the introduction of various hiring tools and ATS (Applicant Tracking System) has made hiring not only easier but also more fruitful. It not only speeds up the entire process, but also keeps potential joiners in the loop, and in the most organized way possible.
- The onset of technology in the hiring process will ensure that even the candidates who don’t cut get proper feedback and help the recruiter create more efficient pipelines.
- Apart from the hiring process, automation of the various payroll, benefits, and performance measurement processes will ease the dependency on manual labor. The time-consuming process will become swift and error-free.
- Vendor management becomes easier for an organization with advanced HR management tools and technology.
4. Ethics and Social Responsibility
One of the biggest challenges of an HR professional is that of an ethical one. A proper light on issues like discrimination, conflict of interest, privacy layoffs, and many others will help not only highlight them but arrive at a solution too.
The increasing expectations of being socially ethical and responsible in today’s dynamic work environment puts a lot of pressure on HR. Since an HR professional also has leadership responsibilities when it comes to upholding ethical values, implementing well-thought-out policies will always be favorable.
Relevance of the Topic / Ideas
- Realizing the need for such an initiative lies in the fact that it is directly related to employee productivity. Only an ethically and responsibly trained workforce can motivate employees to give their best in the line of work.
- The project will also help highlight the key ethical behaviors that are acceptable in leadership positions and provide a framework to operate.
- Asserting to the employee that their data and details are private is of paramount importance for the face value of the company and, in turn, enables a safer workplace.
5. Global HR
Global HR or the alignment of HR policies from all across the globe in one place is the need of the hour for the workplace’s sustainable functioning. Apart from this, a conversation in Global HR helps you also understand the various challenges and impact of a global hiring system.
The concept of Global HR, as the same suggests, deals with the practices that will help you align with employees all over the globe. The traditional HR practices are fine on their own, but they will not be able to excel in global parameters. This is because they are unaware of the challenges that they need to cover under their umbrella for a sustainable work situation.
Relevance of the Topic / Ideas
- The first reason why a conversation like this is important in HR is the very fact that the local laws are different for every region, which might impact the hiring process. It is not only for the legal team to deal with the rules and regulations, but HR needs to be included in the setup so that hiring protocols do not contradict the legalities.
- A global talent pool means not only having to implement global recruitment policies but also having global compensation and benefits in place. So working on a structure that facilitates a smooth flow of these parameters is critical for an organization.
- Discussing the case study of various such incidents where the companies have successfully progressed from local to global will not only add leverage but help you with various insights too.
6. Talent Retention
The responsibilities of an HR are not limited to only talent acquisition, but to help maintain the talent pool and its sanctity. The growing competition right now makes it difficult for a company to retain its best employees. Moreover, the competition has also changed the narrative, and now a candidate isn’t wary about leaving a job.
So an MBA HR project on talent retention can bridge these gaps and also help with valuable insights on how to retain the assets of a company. The rewards and recognition are a part of the talent retention process, but the concept is not limited to this one aspect. An employee will be happy to forgo a quarterly reward if they see an instant pay increase with a new opportunity.
Relevance of the Topic / Ideas
- The relevancy of the project will be established automatically with some case studies. To begin with, where unique talent retention ideas have saved the workforce. For example, companies that still are comfortable working in a hybrid setting are sure to retain more employees.
- The talent retention rate correctly highlights how employee-friendly an organization is. It is important to discuss the idea of how an encouraging environment is not limited to tangible rewards and can breed powerful talent and retain assets when required. There is a talent pool that is not even worried about the rewards and recognition but asserts more on the inclusivity of the workplace. So, to be able to harness this bare minimum criterion can benefit any employer greatly.
- Even though hierarchical promotions are performance-specific, HR needs to be extra careful about the concept of fairness and accessibility to all employees. If an employee doesn’t see growth after a certain period of dedicated hard work, they will be frustrated.
7. Performance and Skills Growth
To continue with our last point from the above topic, HR needs to be aware enough to notice that a candidate’s skills and performance are valued and rewarded. The idea is to make an employee feel appreciated and make sure that they continue with their productivity streak. So, working on a project idea that will help highlight the skills and productivity of a candidate and enable their growth can be a great choice.
Relevance of the Topic / Ideas
- You can talk about the appraisal criteria of an organization free of any bias and how each employee can benefit from it. This is a key responsibility of HR and highlighting this point will also easily establish its relevance, if required.
- The performance metrics need to be discussed with HR for overall holistic development and to see that the right candidate gets their due. It is critical to highlight how half the time a biased work environment without any intervention can lead to loss in the workforce.
- Apart from recognition programs and performance metrics, it is the responsibility of HR to design e-learning slides and platforms to train new and existing employees alike.
- A study on skill development programs and their relation with employee performance can also be the highlight of the project.
8. HR Data Analytics
Data Analytics is the future of human resources and not only does it address the recent trends but highlights how the future will look. So, a project based on HR analytics will give you a lot of scope to explore your field and also ensure relevance for future projects or work tasks.
Data analytics in HR is the detailed analysis of the workforce on various parameters with the given numbers to arrive at logical solutions. So you will be not only highlighting the lacks in the system but also figuring out a way to address it.
Relevance of the Topic / Ideas
- Presently, all the modernized decisions and measures in a work environment are implemented on the basis of HR analytics. To begin with, the exit interview data can highlight the precarious situation of a process and identify the high-risk employees.
- Tallying the job board responses with the recruitment policy and previous employee feedback can help an institution address a workforce crisis with ease. Moreover, bare minimum aspects like diversity inclusion data and sexual orientation data can play a crucial role in shaping the image of a company.
- The skill gap analysis can be easily solved with HR analytics. The data will accurately highlight where you need to address the gap when it comes to your employees. Moreover, this will not only help you bridge the skill gap but also make sure your company doesn’t lose out on any new client opportunities.
9. HR Policies And Legal Compliance
It is obvious to assume for an outsider that legal compliance is completely dealt with by the legal team. Well, they are partially correct. The HR of the organization is also responsible for taking care of legal compliance and formulating certain policies around it.
Talking about this crucial aspect of your project can guarantee a stand-alone report that is going to work in your favor. You can start by where the fine line between the legal team and HR disappears and the various ways how an HR policy is formulated keeping the legalities of a firm in mind.
Relevance of the Topic / Ideas
- It is necessary to assess the HR policies to align with the legal framework, like that of adhering to the legal laws. Basics like minimum wage, anti-discrimination laws, and occupational health and safety regulations should be discussed in the HR platform.
- You can also talk about how different HR policies that involve the process of recruitment and termination should have a proper framework. Moreover, the highlighting of healthy practices during and after the completion of the notice period should be prioritized.
- Being an HR entails dealing with loads of Personally Identifiable Information, hence a set unified framework across all platforms is necessary to protect sensitive data.
- Another quick topic that you can add to HR policies is the leave policy and how an employee-friendly leave policy can enable and encourage productivity.
10. Employee Recognition and Rewards Programs
One of the major reasons why a workforce loses out on a great employee is due to lack of acknowledgment. Faulty management is directly to be blamed if an employee who is the best of the lot chooses to not continue. So, being an HR also means taking necessary steps and actions to not only retain an employee but encourage the entire team.
To boost employee morale, it is necessary to check the existing ailment in the structure of the organization. Moreover, finding out the way to communicate it with the entire team is also a part of the process. The corporate environment is leaning more toward a reward and recognition structure to not only retain employees but also establish themselves on the map.
The job satisfaction factor is the most concerning one in today’s stressful times. If a workplace refuses to promote this concept, it might lose its top employees each time.
Relevance of the Topic / Ideas
- To recognize an employee for their efforts, an ideal plan of action would be to first identify the performance metrics and decide on the ways to evaluate them. You can further talk about how you wish to lay out the foundations of the recognition and through which channels. Moreover, the nature of the rewards also needs your attention, since intangible rewards can be a push but can’t replace the motivation of a tangible one.
- Now that we are more accepting of the remote work setup, it is necessary to include the remote workforce in the recognition structure. So figuring out a plan for the same is also important.
- You can also pitch the idea of how technology can be employed progressively in this plan and help gather employee feedback through various platforms. The feedback is a great way to determine the ailment and replenish it with tangible or intangible rewards or recognitions.
11. HR Outsourcing and Vendor Management
MNCs or multinational companies are going all out when it comes to HR outsourcing and management. The concept relies on the fact that a big brand or institution doesn’t hire its own HR professionals but outsources it from another company, making the process less expensive and hassle-free.
For example, company A employs outsourced candidates as HR from company B. Both companies have to be aware of certain regulations and process details of company A’s functioning. Implementing a work structure allows the outsourced candidates to know how the process functions and the client knows how to assess them.
You can talk about this very challenge in your project, where you discuss how identifying the business needs is important in a structure like this. Along with that, you can discuss how to streamline a process to keep in check with the external vendors and maintain a chain of work without any gaps or loopholes.
Relevance of the Topic / Ideas
- Even though HR outsourcing and vendor management seem a brilliant concept, they require vigilant eyes to be implemented properly. The biggest challenge you will encounter in a setup like this is the privacy concern. Talking about how sustainable policies can breach this gap can be the right way to begin.
- The work culture of the two companies, company A and company B can be variedly different. To align with each other, a standard operating procedure needs to be drawn out by the HR team. Hence, discussing TAT, SLA, and many other such important parameters in your project will help you put your point across.
12. Employee Wellness Programs and Health Outcomes
Till now, we have been talking about how various departments can come and join hands with HR for a holistically progressive workforce. Undoubtedly, those are great project topics and highlight the importance of HR in every aspect of an organization. But, if you are looking for a niche topic to explore the capabilities and essence of HR in an organization, this can be an interesting one to work on.
The diverse employee demographics of the present world make it a challenge to stick with old principles of wellness and health at work. A company can only have a trusted workforce when it provides ample safe space for an employee to not only grow but also rest once in a while.
Every other day, we keep hearing how corporate stress has now come to the point where people are losing their lives. It is about combating pressure that is not limited to a team or process but engulfs an entire organization. A progressive conversation on how human resources can be a lifesaver in this aspect will be a great project idea.
13. Relevance of the Topic / Ideas
- It is important to start a conversation, as an HR, about the impact of stress on the life of an employee. Various countries are now opting for a four-day work week and trying to figure out a way around unsustainable measures to avoid burnout. This can be a well-thought-out project idea.
- Mental health support can be another aspect that you can bring into the framework of your organization and ensure employees are not discouraged from seeking help.
- You can create a framework for research and understand how the health costs are affecting your lower and sub-lower-level employees. This will help you formulate necessary health concessions. The organization needs to chip in to ensure the overall wellness of its employees, and your project should highlight a structure that enables them to do so.
- Lastly, you can discuss a few such cases by citing data from big organizations on employee productivity before and after such wellness measurements to seal your case.
Tips For Selecting A Relevant And Impactful Topic
The idea of picking a topic for your project is not as complicated as it might seem. You have to put forward a challenge in your project and try to solve it with the recent HR trends.
You will be the face of the organization for thousands of employees, and every one of them will have different issues that you need to address. So, you have to settle on a project that aligns with both your and your employees’ favor.
As it is about your portfolio too, picking up a theme that aligns with your career goal will lead to a dedicated interest and result in well-researched work.
The concept behind a project like this is to not only make sure you present a problem but arrive at a conclusion too. The merit of your work lies in the fact that you are successfully able to convince the reader of your solution, through facts and figures.
But having said all this, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to stick to traditional HR issues. To succeed in this venture, you have to highlight both local and global challenges of the role.
Apart from keeping the above basics in check, you should bring in a certain kind of innovation that will ensure you stand out from the crowd. You can start by establishing a significant relationship with other fields of study and how it can help in the employee management process.
Conclusion
This was my attempt to help you out in one of the most important projects of your life. Even though it is a completely independent decision, a certain proven insight will always aid you in the right way.
You have to remember that you are dealing with policies that are going to affect people in real life. So, do not miss out on significant parameters like trends, personal interests, scope, and practical implications before proceeding further.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are some research-based MBA HR project ideas?
Some research-based MBA HR project ideas can be based on the following concepts.
- Remote work: The productivity situation in a remote setting
- Diversity: How an inclusive workplace generates more productive employees
- AI in HR: The authenticity of artificial intelligence in recruiting talent
2. What are some case study topics in HR management for MBA students?
Some case study topics in HR management for MBA students are:
- Employee engagement and retention.
- The art of mid-level management.
- How to navigate workplace conflicts related to less inclusive policies.
- Performance management strategies that align with the goal of the organization.
3. How important is an MBA HR project in my career?
Your project is part of your portfolio and will reflect your aims and aspirations as a candidate. Your MBA HR project will also highlight your analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and strategic thinking. The idea behind a project is simple: to ensure that you can gain the trust of your employer when it comes to managing other employees.
4. Are there any HR project topics related to diversity and inclusion?
There are multiple project topics related to diversity and inclusion, including Gender Equality, Sexual Orientation Diversity, Gender Diversity, Diversity Initiatives, Unconscious Bias, Disability Inclusion, and others.
5. How can I align my MBA HR project with my career goals?
The field of human resources is a dynamic one and doesn’t restrict you to one line of work. If you have figured out your favored line of work in human resources, you can implement it in your project. If you wish to explore your talent in employee engagement, you can talk about engagement strategies and their relation to employee productivity. Similarly, if you are more inclined toward performance metrics, you can talk about data that backs up performance and productivity increments in different work environments, with varied leave, recognition, and inclusion policies.
