In my quest to change the face of HR, I have found some awesome like-minded people on the net. They value the idea of promoting HR to the same level as marketing and sales departments. The problem: HR people know they need to change how they are perceived, it's just uncertain whether or not the rest of the world will actually ever get it and agree due to a lengthy history of "drama, fluff and let's face it...tyranny".
During my career, I have had the opportunity to sit at the Executive table more times than not. Every company I have worked for has said that they put the people first and know they are the success of the business. And quite honestly, when you go to most corporate websites, they all say the same thing (well, on the career pages anyway). But there are certainly those companies who do not walk the talk.
As a consumer, I am honestly drawn to those company's that have great employees. It radiates from the receptionist, through to sales and customer service, you see it in the marketing team as they design ads and if you ever have to dispute a payment, even finance can have a chipper disposition. I want to use their services (even if they are a bit more expensive) and I will refer them as well. So how is this environment created and maintained? Let me be the first to say: It's really not HR's job. It's the collective whole as a management team. But HR is there to play a significant role...
As a human resources professional, my goal is always to understand the company and where it is they want to go. I want to develop programs that promote the future. I want to help build the culture that the CEO wants. As such, I would label the profession as a Business Partner. But I also want to understand the bottom line, the outputs of certain positions and the return on investment. I want to make sure that I have the best person for the job for the least amount of money (I'm sure a few eyebrows are now raised!)... What I mean by that is, if I have a person that is really great at their job, their output and quality is outstanding, to the point where they really take on more work than just what one person could ideally do - I want to pay them well (since they are doing the job for two) but not necessarily double. I've said this before, you can lose staff because you are underpaying them, but you can lose valuable profits by paying too much. In all reality, a business wants to hire superstars (even in junior roles), develop programs to keep them engaged and motivated with always keeping an eye on the bottom line. HR needs to do this constantly when supporting management with decisions. They really do need to be business-minded individuals. As a department, they need to consistently ask "Was this program worth it? Can I be doing better to service my clients? What are areas that we can improve?"
As for changing the face of HR: Collectively, we have to stop "asking" to be at the executive table and just prove it. What I mean by that is, stop waiting to give input, just give it. Design management reports that you would want if this business was yours. Ask to see the budgets and where the business sits collectively. If you can't get access to it, at least track it for your department. Before implementing programs, understand what the value is you wish to create and the value you wish to track (monetarily). At the end of the day - it is about the employees, but let's face it, it's about the money. By working as a business partner and having a business mindset - you can achieve both.
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