Four Groups

The questions over HR Strategy, ROI, credibility and the genuine strategic contribution that HR makes to the business seems to be a topic that never dies. Continuing the post and comments exchange with Steve at Catbert, he makes a great point at the end of his post;

HR people need to be more bullish. We know that what we do works and deep down, so do most managers. That is why, despite rumours of its imminent demise, the HR profession is still here. Let’s stop apologising for existing and come out of our corner fighting.

I couldn’t agree more. However, while HR of course will never die, my personal view is that there are two areas for progress and to serve as a focus for this energy. The first, as evidenced by the recent Accounting for People Taskforce, highlights that putting a number on HR is attractive but easier said than done.

I think the second area of potential and as indicated by Steve is that “We know that what we do works and deep down, so do most managers“. However, the challenge here is to empower and convince managers and the board that HR does genuinely contribute in a meaningful and measured manner.

Put another way, there is very little in a business that HR can, from a strategic standpoint, stop. Strategy, finance, marketing and other functions all have their nightmare situations that, if mis-managed, can result in significant loss very quickly. Additionally, it is not hard to imagine or even experience such debates and their associated risks. However, aside from the obvious issues of legality, HR needs to be able to play both the carrot and the stick in the board room and therefore earn the respect of its peers within the business.

As someone said to me yesterday, will it feature in the annual report?