The Value of HR
Anna Lane | 1 Jun 2009 1:20 PM
Human resources is at the centre of a whirlwind of economic change. Its role within organizations is evolving to that of change agents and advisory staff to CEOs. As more inclement conditions blow in, this role is increasingly being recognized as a critical part of any company’s survival guide.
It is a known fact that one of the toughest things of being a CEO is that nobody talks to you, and that’s where HR comes into effect in a company. HR is a key player in helping to drive a business forward, implementing new people initiatives to directly align them with the overall objectives of the business.
A CEO needs to make things happen, to accept the importance of HR and the people strategies required. A CEO needs to get genuine feedback about what is happening on the ground level, how the business is performing, and what are the problems.
An initiative that has been successful in many organizations is to have on a rotating six monthly basis a team of employees from all levels of the organization meet with the CEO every four weeks to discuss the business as a whole and relay any problems or ideas. The CEO can then get the perspective on how the business is doing and how everyone is working together to get things done.
So who implements this? Getting feedback is one thing but actioning is another. It is important that HR drives the implementation of people initiatives and holds the HR team accountable for that implementation. HR must deliver and be accountable for their initiatives and the implementation. This in turn builds trust which is critical for survival and what follows from that is loyalty and retention of staff.
From a business outlook, 2009 looks uncertain for many companies, but with a broad diversified business model and strong people within the company, keeping people focused on serving the customer is paramount no matter what type of business. It is important to deliver the value that the company creates.
While some cost reduction initiatives are essential for survival, too often short-term decisions are made without identifying second order costs, such as rehiring, retraining and damage to your employer brand.
A critical and constructive contribution that HR can make is to help managers build resilience, both on an organizational and personal level - to be able to withstand knocks without becoming distracted from goals, strategy and priorities. As a CEO it is
imperative that you improve your talent management, expand it and building extra resources is critical at a time such as this. It is important as a CEO to walk the talk.
The economy is currently in a flux of change, effecting everyone and it is important that companies recognize the importance of forward planning and retaining employees - HR is the nuts and bolts of the business.
At Access HR we are in contact with companies who prefer not to have a HR department within their organization. As a consequence of this they are outsourcing their HR to organizations like ourselves not only for recruitment but also for HR strategies such as performance management, succession planning, retention of employee initiatives, OH&S, Quality– procedures and systems, payroll outsourcing, redundancies.
Likewise we have HR department using our expertise for their outsourcing of specific projects and we tailor a solution to suit your business needs. This is a cost effective solution to maintain your HR without the expense of staff overheads.
If you feel it is time to concentrate on your HR give Anna Lane a call on 9544 1899 and she will assist you to make a difference in your business.