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This article from
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Protect your HR assets
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KEVIN GOLDER
Managing director, Human Resource Solutions Offshore Ltd
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Organisations are expecting more and more from their human resource function. Some of the pressure stems from a lacklustre business environment and the need to control costs, both within HR and across the workforce. But more fundamentally, there is a growing expectation that HR should be a strategic function, and play a direct role in helping the company succeed.
For HR the central theme is ‘improving the performance of the company’s workforce to support overall corporate goals’.
What we are talking about here sits on top of the administrative tasks traditionally associated with HR.
HR must think like a business in order to be taken seriously. It needs to understand the business it is supporting and be able to measure how well it is serving its internal clients. HR measurement, in terms of business results and improvements in the performance of the company’s workforce, is a great way to gain creditability but HR should also be prepared to be remunerated against those measurements. None of this is easy but the pay-off can be significant. Employees are an asset; a strategic HR approach to their management is the key to maximising the return on that asset. While a separate HR function normally exists in the larger companies, the thought process is the same for the smaller company where HR may reside with one person.
There are some basic guidelines:
Be part of the strategic review and implementation timetable of your company.
Create clear implementation and project plans that include transparent milestones and measurements of progress.
Actively market the strategic input capability of HR to the rest of the organisation and overcome the stereotypical view that business units may have about HR and its role.
Be committed to taking action on any shortcomings of the HR function, and work with all HR stakeholders to gain their support and involvement.
Provide the learning opportunities that will enable employees to work and succeed in support of the corporate strategy.
Be prepared to work proactively to overcome the hesitation and resistance to change, that employees are likely to feel.
With a structured approach towards support of the corporate goals, HR professionals will be accepted as peers of senior executives from other functions and invited to actively participate in strategic decision-making. They will also be expected to advise, coach and educate senior executives on how workforce issues can affect the overall performance of the business, and offer solutions that support the execution of business plans. HR therefore must understand the capabilities of the company’s people and how the business operates.
Of course the need to understand the best practices and new developments in HR and apply that knowledge to the creation of effective business solutions is fundamental.
The HR field is evolving, which means that an effective HR department needs to stay current on a range of tools and techniques, including advancing technologies in eLearning, web-based workspace portals and employee self-service, and move away from delivering training and support services and become key players in improving corporate performance.
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