The Value of HR Explained.
“What value do you bring to the organization?”
Whether asked this question directly or not, as an HR professional I feel the need to somewhat regularly justify why HR exists and why we’re a value add to the company. Reflecting on this question, I found myself having a hard time answering it in a language that spoke to a business leader. After all, if I couldn’t articulate the true benefit of my work, how could anyone else?
Why it’s in question
The HR profession has evolved greatly over time. As we strive to be more strategic, we continually struggle with getting a seat at the table, being included in the important conversations and being an influencer in decisions. To get key stakeholders to see us differently is a mind shift, not just for them but for us too.
There are three principles to empower you to kickstart this mind shift:
- Understand the role of HR in business terms
- Articulate the value HR brings
- Demonstrate that value every day
So, what does this mean?
Understand the role of HR in business terms:
Every role exists to help the company succeed in executing on its strategic plan quickly, ethically, legally and competitively. The same is true for HR. We exist to attract and retain the right people to actually do the work. With the right people in place, opportunities for a business to thrive are endless. However, attracting talent goes beyond interviewing people who applied online and retaining talent goes beyond paying a lot of money.
Articulate the value HR brings:
We build pipelines (recruitment). Attracting talent involves knowing the market, building relationships and telling a story to influence. As recruiters, we are in the business of sales and have the ability to sell our company to any potential candidate. With strong relationships in the community, we have a network on call to tap at any time and get the right people in the door as soon as possible.
We structure an environment where everyone can do their best work (policies and procedures). Policies and procedures are not there just to protect the company and definitely not there to make people’s work lives more complicated. We provide boundaries on acceptable behaviors and guidance on how to handle conflicts, coaching, recognition and team building. This creates an environment for everyone to do their best work and shows employees the company’s stance on fair employment practices.
We take care of employees in all aspects of life (total rewards). Even though it’s necessary to be competitive, compensation, benefits and perks are more beneficial than that. If employees feel secure in all aspects of their life (physical, mental, financial, etc.) they can focus on doing their best work while at work.
We provide coaching (disciplinary action or performance management) to management so they can set their staff up for success. If employees aren’t successful, the company won’t be successful. Yes, we advise on terminations but proper coaching along the way can increase the probability of employees finding their way. When a difficult decision needs to be made, we ensure the employee exits the company respectfully and with dignity.
We provide structure for employees to grow with the company (training and development). This structure shows an investment in employees and provides them with an opportunity to learn new skills that they can use to improve the company. Closing skill gaps is more cost effective than firing and hiring.
Demonstrate that value every day:
Now that we know how to speak HR differently, we must truly believe in our ability to make a difference every day. We must see ourselves as leaders as if we already have a seat at the table, as if we are decision makers and as if we are customers of our own services.
Mindset. Be open minded to learn new things. Businesses continually evolve and we have to evolve with them. Get comfortable with change and see challenges as opportunities to influence and improve.
Care. Care about the service and output you provide, about the success of others, and striving for excellence. Care about the success of the company and the success of those around you and personal success will follow.
Know your role. On every team you’re on, take time to understand your role and the responsibilities that come with it. A team doesn’t function unless everyone plays their part and you can’t play your part unless you know what it is. You are the subject matter expert (SME) for your functional area but your responsibilities may change for every project. For example, on a project team are you the advisor, consultant, implementer or decision maker? A strong team also holds each other accountable to playing their roles for the greater goal.
Communicate. Every interaction is an opportunity to improve communication. The first thing to do is listen with a purpose of seeking to understand. Ask questions and be curious about what’s on others’ minds. Respect and encourage diversity of thought for greater impact on the organization. Over-communicate effectively and make a point to proactively think about key stakeholders who could benefit from the information you have.
Getting to yes. As service providers, we are used for our subject matter expertise to help the business make decisions. Because we all want to achieve the company’s desired results, go in to every conversation prepared to negotiate as nothing is black & white. Policies shouldn’t always dictate decisions, they should merely guide. There are times where you can (and should) say ‘no’ but save it for the biggies.
Bring solutions. When you bring possible solutions to the table, you’re easing a burden for someone else. In doing this, they’re likely to collaborate better with you in the future. We can’t solve every problem but we can all make a decision to focus on how to move forward.
Build relationships. Relationships directly impact your ability to get things done. If you do all of the above, you organically build relationships at the same time. We all want to work with positive and trustworthy people. With strong relationships, you’ll really be able to exercise your influencing muscle.
Take Action. It’s time to take action. To see the impact of these techniques, keep a work journal of the current state and in 6 months, do a check-in. You bring value to the organization so the next time you step in to the workplace is your opportunity to have positive impact in a different way.