Can HR Be a Business Partner When Business Isn’t Our First Concern?

Marc Effron over at the New Talent Management Network recently published research on the 2013 State of Talent Managers. The findings are fascinating and get under the covers of what motivates many of us in the HR field to do what we do.


The question of where we stand as business partners has been front and center for myself and my teams over the past dozen plus years, and Marc addresses this as part of the study.

I’d like to say we are business partners and that is our primary concern, but I would be stretching reality on both accounts. We do partner, sometimes, on certain projects and daily services, but are we really “business partners?”

What is our first concern in HR?

I also like to say that we help drive strategy — but that’s also a stretch, especially since the last recession where senior HR leadership dropped down a level in their workload and are now doing more transactional activity. At some point you can’t do more with less even if you do have good HRIS systems.

My recent meeting with a dozen Chief Human Resources Officers at a networking event confirmed this statement. They are doing more transactional work lately, too.

So, what is our first concern in HR, specifically for those of us at the top of the food chain leading HR functions in companies of all sizes?

Marc Effron’s research shows that the dominant reasons for most of us is “humanistic.” The top reason is that we want to help people grow and develop (77 percent of respondents).

One might argue that this is a business priority — maybe the most important one. Certainly we have all had our fill of the statement “people are our most important assets.”

Just go to almost any Fortune 500 company website. You will probably find a section there on what it’s like to work at the company, leading off with a quote like this from the president or CEO.

Advocating for employees IS strategic

We know that’s not really true for many companies; just watch CNBC each morning and you will understand the priority placed on of financial results as the most important focus. Who’s kidding whom? Every time a business announces a multi-thousand person layoff, they are not putting people first!

Most of us stopped drinking the Kool-Aid a long time ago. Plus, many of us would also note that advocating for employee needs and insuring they get proper support and guidance IS important if not strategic. Does it really matter what bucket we put it in as long as we’re providing it?



I can also argue that we are starting to sound more and more like post-education guidance counselors instead of business partners. Maybe its time we recalibrate our roles and priorities.



Talent, in most organizations, is the big differentiator for determining long-term business success. Those who have it usually out perform those who don’t.


Yes, there are exceptions like Southwest Airlines. They succeed with a ton of solid “B” players who buy into their system. They are much like the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, which takes a “team first” approach to winning.


Sitting at the epicenter of talent

Yet even these two examples have star performers intertwined in the fabric of their makeup. We just don’t always take notice.

HR sits at the epicenter of talent — both recruiting it and retaining it. We also are very involved in developmental activities. This is our value add to the business side of business. We have the skills and the opportunity to shine and contribute to our organization’s business success.

Additionally we play a significant role in employee benefits, and that’s often an area of HR that is left out of the conversation relating to our larger contributions. After compensation, benefits are usually the next largest business expense for most companies — and benefits can also be a differentiator in the recruitment and retention conversation.


In the end, we can be vital contributors by providing leadership and support in areas like talent and benefits. Who really cares if we are “ business partners?”

It really doesn’t matter what we are called — as long as we are contributing.

originally published at TLNT: 
http://www.tlnt.com/2013/03/12/can-hr-be-a-business-partner-when-business-isnt-our-first-concern/#more-77898

Dear HR Critics and Naysayers: If You Can’t Help, Get Out of the Way

“If you can’t help, get out of the way.”
That’s a saying a former supervisor of mine used to say to members of my HR team when confronted with a large complex issue. Lately I have been feeling like I need to say that to so many of the writers and bloggers in the HR social media community.

The amount of criticism and skepticism about HR practices and its value are both alarming and demoralizing. To this I say — enough, and get out of the way. Make room for people who are living and breathing HR and making a difference in their respective businesses and employees daily lives.

HR, like many functions, is doing the best it can

Truth is they are more than likely the silent majority. Every day working class heroes doing the best they can with limited resources to both meet their daily tasks and help make employees experience just a little bit better.

Believe it or not these folks really exist, they work in HR as well as all other business disciplines. It’s not unique to HR folks, but just for the moment, we will stick to Human Resources.

It’s been a few years since the Fast Company article Why We Hate HR, yet it’s a recurring theme in the press. What makes this worse is many of the blog posts coming from former HR executives and alumni turned “consultants.” It’s as if by changing the title on your business card you get to go from doing the work and dealing with the challenges to being in a bubble protected from any collateral damage as long as you jump on the bandwagon and take a few shots.

As a practitioner and Chief HR officer for two major global businesses for the past decade, I think I have the experience and credibility to say “enough already!” I have the scars, and more importantly the experiences, to stake this claim.

Why not more about innovations that are happening?

My current and former HR teams work hard, solve problems, and make a difference. They know what’s expected of them from the line and are accountable. They are respected, valued, and viewed as important to the success of their respective businesses.

None of this is just given; it is earned over time. Unfortunately, no one wants to read about ordinary folks doing what they are supposed to when they are supposed to without much fuss. Let us be honest — it’s not that interesting.

I don’t want to be a Pollyanna, but I do want to hear and learn what people are doing that is new and innovative. I want to know what works, and why, how you tested it, and what were the obstacles along the way.

There is a tremendous amount of innovative work being done out there, not just by Google but by so many folks working at small and mid-sized companies. Maybe the real issue is the people dealing with employee relations, recruiting, development and benefits, are solving problems but just don’t have the time to write about it.

I hope the offenders out there stop, look in the mirror and then quickly move over. Unless you would like to help, I am sure we could use a hand — any volunteers?

Over 40 - over the Hill?

A friend of mine with a huge following posted the top under 40 HR bloggers today on their site. Interesting that lists are now segmented to age brackets, or maybe relevance.
Not sure if being over 40 is relevant in the social media space these days, yes face book and linkedIn certainly have a large over 40 user base, but from a posting perspective there is certainly a question of credibility.
I always thought wisdom and experience had a larger value....makes one think about the the future of social media...

Don't Save Your Best for the Encore

I have been a Rock music fan since my high school days, logging more than 100 big shows and hundreds of small ones from divey bars to football stadiums and everything in between. This spans more then 3 decades and several genre's too. For the record I like the straight a head stuff (Foo Fighters, STP, etc) but am open to most types of rock and pop.
It's always fascinated me that groups save their best songs, or most popular ones to the end of the show, often times finishing with that classic encore. I get it, keep the fans standing and cheering to the very end.
But in business its a different game. Waiting to the end could be career suicide. Its show your best early and often...the end is for the extra's the icing on the cake or the big risk after you already cashed out...Many folks subscribe to the "live for today" or "moment' philosophy....
I saw one show many years ago with the Davies brothers (The "Kinks"), that was probably the best of all the shows over the decades...they didn't save the best for last (o.k. they played "you really got me" near the end but then they did some fun stuff playing others music including the Beatles and the Who during the encores...maybe saving others best for last is the real secret for success...