Making HR a True Partner
Human Resources (HR) teams are too often caught between the rock of compliance bureaucrats and the hard place of employee-wish-granting-genies. Put another way, the HR conflict between protecting the organization, ensuring compliance, and advocating for the employee experience is alive and well. This tension is especially challenging for HR teams in the current climate. More than ever organizations need HR leadership that fosters collaboration and creates and executes strategy that results in an inclusive work environment that drives retention, recruitment, and effectiveness. However, too many organizations do not benefit from this kind of partnership because they treat HR as only a support service.
Organizations must position their HR teams differently to maximize the expertise of HR as a strategic partner. Leadership cannot bury HR in operations and compliance and expect HR leaders to operate with authority and manage change. HR leaders are not ultimate decision makers on most business decisions, but they are critical business partners. HR leaders provide knowledge and people-driven strategy that will enhance and often complete the approach of company leaders who are the industry experts. HR leaders must not only be valued and respected by leadership they must be given strategic, mission-connected work to establish HR as a true internal business partnership.
These are ways organizations can create true business partnerships with their HR teams:
Executive level leadership – People drive company culture and success. A people first approach requires leadership focused on people operations be represented at the highest levels of the organization. The chief HR position should report directly to the president or CEO. Many times HR is assigned to report through a CFO or COO. This distance from the ultimate decision maker and those who advise them sends the message that the organization’s people operations are not a top priority. Additionally, when HR issues are filtered through leaders whose business priorities are not people-centered the message often gets diluted, misstated, or worse.
Leader with business and HR experience – Qualifications for HR leadership do not have to include HR credentials/certifications or a master’s degree in HR. What that leader needs is a deep understanding of the purpose of HR, common sense, experience in business, alignment with mission, and the ability to guide compliance-oriented HR staff in executing strategy.
Staff HR based on need not a formula – The accepted HR staff to employee ration is 1 to 1.4[1]. This data point is one among a host that should be evaluated in determining staffing levels. It is neither a mandate nor should it be used as a way to avoid investing money in critical operations. Organizations should consider work schedule, type of employees, complexity of the work, compliance requirements, emotional and physical demands of the work, and the organization’s mission, vision, and values related to people in determining the ideal staffing ratio. What does the organization and its employees truly need to be supported and operate effectively and efficiently. Efficiently includes meeting tedious compliance requirements, handling numerous requests at once, and giving compassionate attention to employee relations issues. How HR operates should be based on the organizations mission and intentional management philosophy, not just how many employees are on the payroll.
Clearly communicate HR’s scope – The purpose and scope of HR roles and responsibilities should be clear to all employees. Once an organization has established its HR philosophy an internal communication strategy must be adopted and clearly executed. Employee expectations are key components to HR’s success, effective operations, and employees’ affinity for the organization.