50 Quotes For Human Resources For Building Strong Teams

By Clifton Sankofa

School Leader, Language Arts Expert & Master Quote Curator

Published June 7, 2023

Check out our quotes for human resources and get a better idea of what it takes to run a successful team.

Human resources is an essential part of any job.

Check out our quotes for human resources below.

What are human resources?

Human resources, better known as HR, is the set of folks who make up the workforce of an organization, business, industry, or economy.

The human resource department of an organization oversees many aspects of employment, from hiring, labor law compliance, employment standards, interviewing, selections, employee benefits, recruitment, and employee offboarding.

In case you were wondering, offboarding is a fancy term for firing people.

Check out these astonishing human resources facts below:

60% of candidates stop filling out a job application if it’s too complex.
43% of HR professionals say it’s difficult to find employees due to competition.
60% of employees have referred someone for a job at their current/old place of employment.

Who would have thought filling out job applications was so taxing to people?

Why does HR say it is challenging to hire people?

Recruiting is not easy.

Despite the narrative that there are thousands of people in the workforce who are looking for jobs, recruiters tell a different story.

Even though most workers try to recommend people they know, almost half of the recruiters in the country say it is difficult to find employees.

Competition impacts human resources.

Many facts about human resources suggest that many HR departments put a lot of energy and effort into knowing their competition’s recruitment methods.

They feel it gives them an advantage when dealing with potential hires.

Are HR certifications necessary?

In most settings, the HR department has considerable power and influence.

However, there are no certification requirements to work in human resources.

Many people who go into HR are familiar with a company or business, are well-organized, and have great communication skills.

HR departments deal with company policies, scheduling and, most importantly, payroll.

HR departments must be multi-talented to excel and get the job done efficiently.

To learn more, check out our quotes for human resources below.

Short quotes for human resources about hiring

These quotes remind us the importance of hiring quality candidates.

1. “Hire character. Train skill.” — Peter Schutz

2. “We recruit for attitude and train for skill.” — Atul Gawande

3. “Time spent on hiring is time well spent.” — Robert Half

4. “Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it.” — David Ogilvy

5. “If you hire people just because they can do a job, they’ll work for your money.” — Simon Sinek

6. “Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine.” — David Ogilvy

7. “If you’re good to your staff when things are going well, they’ll rally when times go bad.” — Mary Kay Ash

8. “The secret to a successful hire is this: look for the people who want to change the world” — Marc Benioff

9. “Talent is the multiplier. The more energy and attention you invest in it, the greater the yield.” — Marcus Buckingham

10. “But if you hire people who believe what you believe, they’ll work for you with blood, sweat, and tears.” — Simon Sinek

The best quotes for human resources about team building and passion

These quotes remind us that chemistry is important for any well run team.

11. “Hire for passion and intensity; there is training for everything.” — Nolan Bushnell

12. “Employees are a company’s greatest asset; they’re your competitive advantage.” — Anne M. Mulcahy

13. “Ultimately, delivering strategy is about hiring the right people and motivating them to deliver results.” — Helen M. & P. Schubert

14. “One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.” — Elbert Hubbard

15. “I’m a large believer in hiring the right people and giving them unbelievable amounts of power and autonomy.” — Blake Mycoskie

16. “The person passionate about what he or she is doing will outwork and outlast the guy motivated solely by making money.” — Reid Hoffman

17. “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” — Steve Jobs

18. “Nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day, you bet on people, not strategies.” — Lawrence Bossidy

19. “The competition to hire the best will increase in the years ahead. Companies that give extra flexibility to their employees will have the edge in this area.” — Bill Gates

20. “You want to attract and retain the best; provide them with encouragement, stimulus, and make them feel that they are an integral part of the company’s mission.” — Anne M. Mulcahy

The top quotes for human resources about management and listening

Effective workplace culture must include strong leadership and people who listen.

21. “Every good conversation starts with listening.” — Tom Haak

22. “Management is nothing more than motivating other people.” — Lee Iacocca

23. “To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

24. “Human resources isn’t a thing we do. It’s the thing that runs our business.” — Steve Wynn

25. “The problem with a lot of companies is that HR comes second to their bottom line.” — Gary Vaynerchuk

26. “I never set out to be CEO. I always set out to be a good team member, a good colleague” — John Stumpf

27. “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” — Sir Richard Branson

28. “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” — Sheryl Sandberg

29. “Before you become a leader, success is all about growing yourself. After you become a leader, success is about growing others.” — Jack Welch

30. “The value of a business is a function of how well the financial capital and intellectual capital are managed by human capital. You’d better get the human capital part right.” — Dave Bookbinder

Famous quotes for human resources from the worlds most successful leaders

These quotes come from some of the world’s most successful business leaders.

31. “Success is best when it’s shared.” — Howard Schultz

32. “To win the marketplace, you must first win the workplace.” — Doug Conant

33. “It’s easier to win if you have people seeing things from different perspectives.” — Jack Ma

34. “Employees engage with employers and brands when they’re treated as humans.” — Meghan Biro

35. “Everyone talks about building a relationship with your customers. I think you build one with your employees first.” — Angela Ahrendts

36. “No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team. — Reid Hoffman

37. “Your value will be not what you know; it will be what you share.” — Ginni Rometty

38. “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win champions.” — Michael Jordan

39. “A successful team beats with one heart.” — Michael Gokturk

40. “Good leadership requires you to surround yourself with people of diverse perspectives who can disagree with you without fear of retaliation.” — Doris Kearns Goodwin

Human resources quotes and sayings about empathic leadership

Leaders excel when they work hard to meet their employee’s needs.

41. “Treat employees like they make a difference, and they will.” — Jim Goodnight

42. “Reward the behavior you want your people to demonstrate.” — Sanjeev Himachali

43. “Fear of failure must never be a reason not to try something.” — Frederick W. Smith

44. “It’s no good when a company progresses more slowly than its customers.” — David P. Abney

45. “I think that our fundamental belief is that for us growth is a way of life and we have to grow at all times.” — Mukesh Ambani

46. “A good reputation for yourself and your company is an invaluable asset not reflected in the balance sheets.” — Li Ka Shing

47. “Understanding your employee’s perspective can go a long way towards increasing productivity and happiness.” — Kathryn Minshew

48. “In order to build a rewarding employee experience, you need to understand what matters most to your people.” — Julie Bevacqua

49. “It is important for companies to take a public stand and advocate for policies that in the best interest of their customers, employees, and shareholders.” — Steven A. Kandarian

50. “We recognize that our success as a company and as an industry relies on developing, creating, and growing an inclusive culture and diverse workforce.” — Juan Ricardo Archer

Why is employee retention so important in human resources?

At some jobs, it is easy to forget that people make the world go around.

Author and motivational speaker Diane Kalen Sukra runs several businesses.

She encourages HR departments to remember the human part of human resources.

She once said, “Employees are people who live in communities. Let’s stop pretending workplaces are separate from community, places where robots go to die.”

The most successful HR departments understand the importance of employee retention.

Marissa Ann Mayer is an American businesswoman and investor.

She co-founded Sunshine Contacts and specializes in information technology.

She used to be the president and chief executive officer of Yahoo!

When asked about the importance of retention, Mayer shared why HR departments must work hard and efficiently.

She shared, “Employee engagement is about getting the best people, retaining them, nurturing a creative environment, and helping to find a way to innovate.”