HR’s role in organisations is changing. HR was originally conceived as an administrative function, the means of employing and compensating people. However, the role is now strategic and important.
HR’s position in an organisation gives it a unique perspective on everything: a new system of IT – HR must ensure that everyone understands how to use it. A new product line – HR must ensure that the appropriate skills are available to produce it. Company expansion or contraction – HR is involved. HR’s proactive approach to this role, as opposed to a reactive one, will allow it finally to secure its position in leading organizations forward.
Denise Flavin is a HR Business Partner at totalmobile and specializes in L&D. She says that success in HR varies from company to company, depending on the approach used. One thing that is common to all successful HR strategies is a proactive approach. She explains that Totalmobile has achieved success by establishing strong business partnerships and engagement models. Our team’s approach is to anticipate issues and provide strategic support to business leaders.
Decisive data
Flavin says that the function no longer tries to predict the future by looking at past performance. People data and analytics is now at the forefront of all business decisions, including forecasting talent based upon business objectives, encouraging employee engagement and overseeing automation of HR administration to enable further emphasis on strategic initiatives.
As a team, we moved from being a supporter to becoming a strategic enabler. We improved our skills in data analysis, strategy and change management.
HR is now positioned to be a strategic force. Flavin says, “It is a change in mindset.” We moved from a supporting mindset to one of strategic enablers, and improved our skills in data management, strategy, change management, and change management.
Jeanette Wheler is Chief People Officer at MHR and she agrees that the focus has shifted to strategy. “Over the last decade, we have seen HR transform from a support role into a strategic partner,” says Wheeler. It’s because of this that it has earned its place within the C-suite.
Analytics are revealing new trends in performance, retention and engagement. This allows businesses to predict needs, plan their workforce and achieve long-term results.
Collaborative role
Jeanette highlights the mindset and attitude changes that go along with these activities. “To move from a reactive to proactive leadership style, HR must reposition themselves as a ‘people intelligence’ function, working closely with finance and operations to align on common goals and ensure all decisions made in relation to the employee experience reflect the broader business vision,” says Jeanette.
M&E Global provides skilled workers for the defence sector at military bases around the world. According to Ashley Rund, their HR specialist at M&E Global, being proactive also means anticipating and solving potential challenges before obstacles become obstacles. This involves a number of tasks such as managing visas and housing arrangements. If handled incorrectly, these can cause delays in deployment, housing problems, and stress. Ashley says that by implementing a proactive strategy bound to robust systems and processes we can ensure smoother operations, a better worker experience, and ultimately higher productivity.
Ashely explains that HR is also responsible for ensuring smooth operations. “Beyond administrative effectiveness, resources and well-being should be available to all without having to ask,” he says. We work with ex-forces personnel, helping them to transition into civilian life, and providing support with PTSD and other mental health issues. The goal is to create an environment that actively promotes mental health through thoughtful and compassionate approaches.
Ashley says that proactive strategies are integrated in the daily operations of the company, creating a supportive environment at work which protects employees on all levels. He concludes: “This creates a highly productive workforce and one that will stay at the business for a longer period of time.”
Working in a wider context
The wider work environment is a part of what HR can do. “We’re living in a time of seismic change,” says Michelle Carson Founder and Chairwoman of executive recruitment firm Holmes Noble. As well as a diverse, distributed and discerning workforce, organisations also face immense pressure to cope with everything from AI disruptions to geopolitical instability.
How well a business understands, supports and activates its employees will determine how it can adapt and thrive.
But despite the high value of HR, outdated perceptions still hold it back. Carson says that research shows over 70% of employees doubt whether HR represents them. This erosion of trust limits the influence of HR at a time that organisations need it urgently to navigate change.
Carson says that the most innovative organisations elevate HR to a strategic role – vital to innovation, resilience and growth. According to Carson, elements like workforce design, data-driven insights, and cultural intelligence are now at heart of boardroom decision making.
She says, “Those who are leading this change have shown how powerful HR is when it is positioned to be the leader.” “For those at the threshold, step forward and not back. HR has a chance to take the lead and not just support.
A pivotal moment
David Liddle is the President of the People and Culture Association and the CEO of the TCM Group. He believes that the HR profession faces a pivotal time, which he describes as the most significant in its history. He says that as the workplace continues to change, HR is at a crossroads. It can either become the most strategic function in the modern organization, or it can be relegated to the background, as an administrative department that clings to outdated practices.
He adds, “The opportunity is exceptional but the choice is harsh.”
Liddle calls for a change in mindset, urging the function to move away from its role as a support service and become the architect of the strategy, putting purpose, values and people-centred thought at the core of every leadership choice. He says that this evolution will require a complete reimagining the function. “We need to stop thinking about ‘Human Resources,’ and instead think in terms ‘People and Culture.’
Liddle positions HR to be the custodians of the cultural integrity of an organization, ensuring the stated values are not only words in a manual, but are principles that are experienced, felt and enacted every day. He says that this involves creating spaces in which employees feel valued and supported. It means creating environments that promote psychological safety, restorative practices, and relational leaders. It means taking bold measures to ensure that inclusion, fairness and sustainability are more than just aspirations.
HR is in a great position to succeed as the challenges facing business are becoming more complex and organisations rely more on their employees to perform, adapt and deliver. Michelle Carson of Holmes Noble says, “HR doesn’t wait for an invitation, it sets the agenda.” In today’s climate that is exactly what leadership looks.
