Tuesday 30 June 2015

Ten Areas Where HR Managers Need To Improve Immediately


The past two decades have seen personnel departments transform into human resource departments, and focus shifting from industrial relations to employee relations. More recently, the focus has gone beyond employee relations to employee engagement. Human resources is now a highly evolved discipline. However, in spite of a burst of knowledge, practice is still proving elusive.

Here are 10 things HR managers may not be doing, but need to start implementing immediately.

1. Earn a seat at the table
Many HR departments complain about being a siloed function. However, to get a seat on the table they need to earn it. HR managers need to take initiative in understanding core business issues, which involves learning the nitty-gritties of finance, operations, etc. HR managers also need to show their impact in monetary terms, be it through minimised TATs for recruitment or impact of training on productivity.


2. Re-examine your core role
Traditionally, HR has been a risk mitigator; they handled ‘labour’ issues to protect the interests of the company. Companies, especially those in the service sector, are as only good as their people. HR’s role is no longer that of a disciplinarian, but of that of an enabler to maximise productivity. This can only be done by developing a culture of trust where talent can thrive. Remember talent is your strategic differentiator. 

3. Leverage technology
Most companies are automating most backend HR functions like payroll, leave management and benefits, giving HR more time to focus on improving employee engagement. Technology is also bringing about a shift in how employees can work – working from home, virtual teams, etc. and HR needs to be sensitive and proactive in implementing such a change at the workplace.

4. Hire for heart
For millennials, money is no longer the top motivator. Their prime motivator is their passion. HR should also be recruiting for attitude. Skills are essentially transferable and a skill gap can mostly be covered through training and coaching. However, a gap in attitude will always lead to sub-optimal performance. 

5. Recognise and reward good people management
Impressive business school degrees and work experience don’t always translate into competencies in people management. HR needs to take responsibility for recognising and developing people management skills to develop strong leadership bench strength. Unfortunately, most reward and recognition is done for end results; but, how those results are achieved is equally important if sustainability is to be achieved. 

6. Balance between data and the human touch
HR departments are either too data driven, or too subjective. This is often a factor of the size of the company. However, HR managers in all companies, irrespective of size, need to balance being objective and factual while keeping an emotional connect with employees. 

7. Offer a career, not a job
Attrition is one of the biggest HR challenges. HR managers are not usually able to communicate the ‘what’s in it for me’ for staying loyal to the company. A paradigm shift that is getting implemented in variousHR departments is creating defined career paths with set parameters for progression.


8. You can’t improve what you don’t measure
Peter Drucker gets quoted ad nauseum, what gets measured, gets done.  The investment involved in measuring employee engagement often leads to companies using ineffectual interventions to engage employees based on subjective assessments. The cause for demotivation may often be operational or interpersonal, which an offsite or a R&R ceremony can’t fix.

9. Employer branding
There are several companies in the B2B space that advertise heavily to get attention of prospective employees. External and internal branding is crucial to attract the right talent. Employees are your best ambassadors. Focus on maintaining relationships during exits, as it may cause more doors to close than what it seems on the surface.

9. Maintain neutrality
HR departments are often partial to top management or towards the rank and file. They are neither supposed to be ‘yes men’ for top management nor blind champions for employees. It is essential for the HR department to remain neutral and look out for the best interests of all stakeholders.

- This article was written by me for Times Ascent as a guest blogger