Employers should see HR as a partner 'and present them that way to the employees,' says expert
There was a time when the presence of a human resources employee in a room spelled bad things for workers – and that scenario often continues to this day, according to one expert.
“I started my career in 2008, which was the big financial crisis,” says Carly Holm, CEO of Humani, in talking with Canadian HR Reporter. “We were known as not the good people to have in the room; it was a bad symbol when HR came in.”
But a lot has changed, she says, and HR has a seat at the business leadership table.
“The world of work has changed and evolved so much that HR has taken a lot more of a strategic role in workplaces,” says Holm.
“If you look at the big Fortune 500 companies, HR used to be buried under either finance or operations. Now, we're seeing – in the large companies – the chief people officer or the chief human resources officer usually reports directly to the CEO, which really indicates the importance of HR.”
Many HR leaders feel increased pressure and scrutiny to show value of work, according to a previous survey.
Fixing HR’s image problem
To completely erase the bad image of HR, HR personnel must show their true value within the business, says Holm.
“The way to fix the image problem is to show our value… The purpose of HR is to align strategic business goals with the HR strategy.”
“The HR role in 2024 and beyond is the true business partner. We're just as much of a strategic partner as finance, as risk, as compliance, as marketing and sales, as any other function. Your HR function is as strategic, if not more strategic.”
The human resources business has become far more complex over the past few years, according to a previous report.
It’s also important for employers to ensure that workers treat HR as reliable partners, says Holm.
“HR should be someone that you're comfortable speaking with.”
Employers should therefore “see HR as a partner and present them that way to the employees,” she says, “so that if employees have a question or an issue, or maybe they just want to talk to a third party about how to grow their career, they have a contact to go to.
“It all comes down to leadership and management and how they view HR, and then that will trickle down to employees.”
HR’s role has changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a previous report. Another study noted that HR has a role in mergers and acquisitions.
Looking ahead, it’s important for employers to be thoughtful about their HR strategy.
“I think having a strategy is really important… You need to be thoughtful,” says Holm.
“It's really important to be strategic about HR. It's impossible to do everything at once; it's impossible to boil the ocean.”
