The New Roles of the Human Resources Professional

The New Roles of the Human Resources ProfessionalThe New Roles of the Human Resources ProfessionalSome industry commentators call the function of Human Resources the last bastion of bureaucracy. Traditionally, the role of the Human Resource professional in many organizations has been to serve as the systematizing, policing arm of executive management. Their role was more closely aligned with personnel and administration functions that were viewed by the organization as paperwork. This is because the initial HR functions needed, in many companies, came out of the administration or finance department areas. Because hiring employees, paying employees, and dealing with benefits were the organizations first HR needs, bringing in finance or administration staff as HR staff is not surprising. Administrative Functions and Executive Agendas In this role, the HR professional served executive agendas well but was frequently viewed as a roadblock by much of the rest of the organization. Some need for this role remains- you wouldnt want every manager putting his own spin on a sexual harassment policy, for example. Nor can every manager interpret and implement the employee handbook as she chooses. Payroll and benefits need administration, even if they are now electronically handled. The administrative functions of the HR department continue to need management and implementation. These tasks are not going away anytime soon. In this role, employees regarded HR as the enemy and going to HR was the kiss of death for your ongoing relationship with your own manager. Employees believed and were often correct, that the HR function was in place solely to servethe needs of management. Thus, employee complaints often fell on deaf ears in an HR department that existed to serve managers needs. They criticize everything from their education to their professionalism to their support for employees. mora importantly, they accuse HR professionals of misleading employees, failing to keep e mployee information confidential, and exhibiting poor practices in areas such as investigations, benefits options, and hiring employees. In some cases, HR is held in such disrespect that you may want to understand why your employees hate HR. Part of it is, of course, that employees dont always understand what the HR department does. Transformation If the HR function in your organization is not transforming itself to align with forward-thinking practices, executive leadership must ask HR leaders some tough questions. Todays organizations cannot afford to have an HR department that fails to contribute to lead modern thinking and contribute to enhancing company profitability. In this environment, much of the HR role is transforming. The role of the HR manager, director, or executive must parallel the needs of his or her changing organization. Successful organizations are becoming more adaptive, resilient, quick to change direction and customer-centered. Three New Roles Within t his environment, the HR professional, who is considered necessary by managers and executives, is a strategic partner, an employee sponsor or advocate and a change mentor. These roles were recommended and discussed in Human Resource Champions, by Dr. Dave Ulrich, one of the best thinkers and writers in the HR field today, and a professor at the University of Michigan. The HR professionals who understand these roles are leading their organizations in areas such as organization development, strategic utilization of employees to serve geschftliches miteinander goals, and talent management and development. Lets take a look at each of these roles and their impact on HR functions and practices. Strategic Partner In todays organizations, to guarantee their viability and ability to contribute, HR managers need to think of themselves as strategic partners. In this role, the HR person contributes to the development of and the accomplishment of the organization-wide business plan and object ives. The HR business objectives are established to support the attainment of the overall strategic business plan and objectives. The tactical HR representative is deeply knowledgeable about the design of work systems in which people succeed and contribute. This strategic partnership impacts HR services such as the design of work positions hiring reward, recognition and strategic pay performance development and appraisal systems career and succession planning and employee development. When HR professionals are aligned with the business, the personnel management component of the organization is thought about as a strategic contributor to business success. To become successful business partners, the HR staff members have to think like business people, know finance and accountingand be accountable and responsible for cost reductions and the measurement of all HR programs and processes. Its not enough to ask for a seat at the executive table HR people will have to prove that they have t he business savvy necessary to sit there. Employee Advocate As an employee sponsor or advocate, the HR manager plays an integral role in organizational success via his knowledge about and advocacy of people. This advocacy includes expertise in how to create a work environment in which people will choose to be motivated, contributing, and happy. Fostering effective methods of goal setting, communication and empowerment through responsibility builds employee ownership of the organization. The HR professional helps establish the organizational culture and climate in which people have the competency, concern, and commitment to serve customers well. In this role, the HR manager provides overall talent management strategies, employee development opportunities, employee assistance programs, gain sharing and profit-sharing strategies, organization development interventions, due process approaches employee complaints and problem-solving, and regularly scheduled communication opportunitie s. Change Champion The constant evaluation of the effectiveness of the organization results in the need for the HR professional to frequently champion change. Both knowledge about and the ability to execute successful change strategies make the HR professional exceptionally valued. Knowing how to link change to the strategic needs of the organization will minimize employee dissatisfaction and resistance to change. Organization development, the overarching discipline for change management strategies, gives the HR professional additional challenges. Consciously helping to create the right organizational culture, monitoring employee satisfaction, and measuring the results of organization initiatives fall here as well as in the role of employee advocacy. The HR professional contributes to the organization by constantly assessing the effectiveness of the HR function. She also sponsors change in other departments and in work practices. To promote the overall success of her organizatio n, she champions the identification of the organizational mission, vision, values, goals and action plans. Finally, she helps determine the measures that will tell her organization how well it is succeeding in all of this.