Whether your organisation has an in-house HR team or you’ve engaged an external HR consultant you need to be getting a lot more value than employment contracts and legislative policies.
Your HR function needs to be business driven and have a strategic approach that aligns the people and culture initiatives to the organisations’ strategic priorities and its values.
To be an effective function within the business your HR team (internal or external) needs to be able to competently perform the critical elements of the people function, but more than that, the executive or leadership team needs to allow them to do their job.
Presumably they have been engaged because management has recognised the need for HR support, as with any professional or expert within their individual field they are there to provide expert guidance and solutions for the business. Their professional knowledge, analysis and reports should be utilised to make evidence based business decisions.
If an Engineer were to advise on a particular course of action to avoid catastrophic failure management wouldn’t disregard their recommendations. High turnover, poor leadership, poor culture, lack of strategic direction, undervalued employees, poor reputation, inability to attract & retain employees are all a sign of catastrophic failure on HRs behalf.
Sometimes these outcomes are a result of the leadership teams failure to act on the recommendations of HR, too heavy of a focus towards business outcomes and a lack of balance with the people aspect of running a successful organisation. It’s the role of an experienced HR practitioner to present an effective business case to influence and educate management, to make a convincing argument as to why an investment in your strategy will result in a greater opportunity to meet the organisational goals.
The Australian HR Institute has developed a Model of Excellence; the competencies to which HR specialists should be measured against. The model reflects the “business and people” approach that is widely regarded as best practice and aims to:
- contribute to a profitable and sustainable workforce
- increase workforce competency and engagement
- develop excellence in people management
- create a dynamic and productive work environment
The Model of Excellence
Business Driven – HR adds value to the organisation through understanding the organisational context and objectives. They fully understand your business operations and the priorities of the business; drive a competitive advantage for the organisation through HR initiatives & projects; are proactive in managing the impacts of of economic, political and legislative influences
Strategic Architect – HR develops goals and plans which contribute to the strategic management of the organisation. They develop and implement HR strategies that add value, are valued by the organisation and ensure organisation strategies are achieved; apply analysis to the organisational outcomes and how they might be achieved from a people perspective; take action to ensure HR activities improve the organisations performance and design and deliver solutions to workforce issues, challenges and opportunities
Ethical & Credible Activist – Influences through the provision of valued insights. They have a track record of achieving positive people outcomes; exercise sound judgement and courage when influencing decision making; display a high level of personal values and leadership, they embody ethical behaviour and accountability.
Stakeholder Mentor & Coach – Builds quality relationships and partnerships with key stakeholders to ensure organisational capability. Engages with industry and internal & external stakeholders to develop effective HR solutions; coaches managers to develop their competence and confidence to perform their people management responsibilities effectively; engages in solutions focussed conversations
Expert Practitioner – Builds, maintains and applies expert HR knowledge to deliver HR benefits to the organisation. Continually develops knowledge; challenges the status quo and develops insights on how decisions affect organisational design, culture and performance; understands metrics and makes informed business decisions after analysis
Culture and Change Leader – Foster a sustainable organisational culture in response to the internal & external environment. Has an understanding on the creation of a positive workplace culture; designs HR solutions to foster an optimal organisational culture; translates culture & values into workforce and workplace practices; champions a values based culture
Workforce and Workplace Designer – Designs a workplace that sustains a capable workforce. Aligns the workforce profile with the needs of the organisation; designs a productive, sustainable and engaging workplace that integrates work and life; constructs and designs jobs which match the needs of the organisation and employee capabilities; establish frameworks and systems that ensure a productive and engaged workforce; builds frameworks that enable the development of workforce capacity and capability to meet the future needs of the organisation
Where does your HR team sit within the HR Competency Model? Do they require additional support to provide a HR service that is consistent with the organisational strategic direction and best practice?
If you have engaged an external HR consultant are they meeting this need for you? Are you getting 100% bang for your buck or are you literally getting employment contracts and a booklet of legislative policies?
Employment Law & people management is a complex beast, if you need assistance navigating your way around we are on hand to provide support & add value to your business
I‘d love to meet with you to discuss how I can create a HR Strategy that adds value to your business, Contact Me for an obligation free chat.
This post is the 3rd in a series of how quality HR solutions can add value to your business. Catch up here & here
HR is so much more than a set of policies and procedures. Strategic HR Management is about developing value adding strategies surrounding compensation & benefits, workforce planning, recruitment, performance management and career development. The policies and procedures aspect of HR is about compliance and risk management; they work within the wider business environment but their core purpose is to provide a risk management framework to manage the industrial relations and employee relations aspect of the business.
Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day
It’s time for HR to move beyond policies, practices and processes, HR’s value proposition to business is to ensure HR professionals and their practices’ produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders, employees, line managers, customers and investors.
You must be logged in to post a comment.