Tag Archives: strategy

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Supporting HR Part 5: Respect for HR

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When I Googled “What support does HR need”, Google’s search suggestions were all about what people want and need from HR professionals, rather than what the HR professionals need. I asked HR professionals about the challenges they face and the support they need. To review, here is what I found (in order of importance):

  1. Leadership backing
  2. Emotional & psychological support
  3. Respect for the value HR adds
  4. Strategic focus
  5. Resourcing
  6. Soft skills development
  7. Aligned expectations

This post is part 5 of a seven-part series exploring each of these in turn from 7 (Aligned expectations) through to 1 (Leadership backing). Part 5 of the series is all about developing respect for the value HR adds. Respect as a verb means to:

“Admire (someone or something) deeply,as a result of their abilities, qualities, or achievements.” 

(Oxford Dictionary)

WIFM: Why it matters (to you – the HR Professional)

If we look through the lens of Martin Seligman’s Theory of well-being model (PERMA), lack of  perceived respect from key stakeholders in the organisation is likely to result in feeling negative emotions, feeling disconnected from others, and feeling that you do not have a core purpose within an organisation.

Furthermore, if you as a HR Professional are respected for the value you add to an organisation, you are likely to be included in and expected to contribute to discussions around strategy and are more likely to have access to the resources (time, financial, headcount) you need to succeed.

But how do you get that respect? Consider the following quote:

 

 

‘Kim (HR Professional) is respected by everyone they work with,

leaders and frontline staff alike.

They are respected for their strategic approach to talent management.

This meant that our business was ahead of the game when the market fell,

with minimal job losses and maxim shareholder return.’

(Riley – fictitious CEO)

 

 

The elements to notice in this sentence are:

Who = who is doing the respecting: leader and frontline staff

Why = the reason for respect and why it is important to the organisation(aka ‘value add’): minimisation of job losses and maximising shareholder return

How = the attributes that gained respect: strategic approach to talent management

These questions are exactly what you need to ask yourself if you, as a HR Professional want to be respected for the value you add to your organisation and its people. In a nutshell:

1.   Who do you want respect from?

2.   Why would they respect you? (i.e. what do they value?)

3.   How will you gain that respect? 

 

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1.    Who do you want respect from?

Before jumping into solution mode it is important to take a customer-centric view. This means that your starting point should be to identify the key stakeholders (KSH) you want to have respect for the value HR brings to the organisation. Think about your executive team, middle and line managers, and employees. You might also want to consider external stakeholders such as the suppliers, customers, the local community, and trade unions. Then prioritise which stakeholders are the most  important for you in terms of gaining their respect.

Most importunately, don’t bother expecting and seeking out respect from the business if you aren’t first clear in yourself about the value HR adds to the business.

 

 “Before you can expect respect from others,

you have to respect yourself”

 

2.    Why should they respect you? 

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Once you  have identified your KSH’s, you now need to identify what they value in terms of HR services. My advice here is pretty much the same as the advice I gave  in my article on aligning expectations. That is, DON’T ASSUME you know what your KSH’s value and would respect your for. Whilst you might be able to make an educated guess, to get to the truth you need to go to the source and ASK. Then listen.

If you work with a large stakeholder group you probably can’t speak with everyone.  In this case there are a couple of things you can do:

  • Send out a simple survey asking for input
  • Run a focus group with representatives from each of your stakeholder groups (don’t forget to include other HR professionals in your organisation).

What your KSH’s value from HR is probably very similar to their expectations of HR which means you can kill two birds with the one stone (no offence to birds).

Photo by Kawtar CHERKAOUI on Unsplash

3.    How will you gain that respect?

To gain respect for the value HR adds to your organisation you need to first close the gap between KSH needs and wants of HR and current reality. That is, do the stuff your KSH’s value. But that’s not usually enough. You also need to tell them.

Erik van Vulpen talks about the HR value chain and a tool to show the added value of HR. It’s a simple three-step process that starts that clearly shows how HR activities lead to organisational goals. Try it for yourself and then show your KSH’s.

You can further reinforce with your KSH’s how HR adds value by showing them data. Use metrics to show them the amount of money you saved the organisation, how many employees you helped get promoted, the amount of time you saved by streamlining processes. Paint a picture that clearly shows your KSH’s how they and the organisation have benefitted from your targeted and meaningful contributions.

Remember, the three key questions you need to answer to get respect for the value you add to your organisation as a HR Professional are:

1.    Who do you want respect from?

2.    Why would they respect you? (i.e. what do they value?)

3.    How will you gain that respect? 

Failure to gain respect for your value-add within an organisation can be detrimental to you, your stakeholders and the organisation. Respect will not only gain a lot more job satisfaction, but you will find that you are included in more strategy meetings, consulted on a wider range of business issues and gain the buy-in from the business to enable you to succeed across a range of HR initiatives.

About Shift Consulting

As a Workplace Psychologist I want to support HR in the workplace because I believe that real change happens where the people are. And none of us can do it alone.

If you want to know more about shifting mindsets through coaching or groupwork, check out my website www.shiftconsulting.com.au or get in touch via email, phone or on LinkedIn.

If you are interested in receiving my follow-up newsletters, click here to get on my mailing list for your HR Support Insights newsletters. Also, if you find you have similar support needs highlighted in this article, I am also offering a 20-minute quasi-coaching session on how you might get the support you need. Obligation free.

small shift – Big Change

Supporting HR Part 4: Strategic Focus

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When I Googled “What support does HR need”, Google’s search suggestions were all about what people want and need from HR professionals, rather than what the HR professionals need. I asked HR professionals about the challenges they face and the support they need. To review, here is what I found (in order of importance):

  1. Leadership backing
  2. Emotional & psychological support
  3. Respect for the value HR adds
  4. Strategic focus
  5. Resourcing
  6. Soft skills development
  7. Aligned expectations

This post is part 4 of a seven-part series exploring each of these in turn from 7 (Aligned expectations) through to 1 (Leadership backing). Part 4 of the series is all about developing a more strategic focus.

“My job is to do, not to think”

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, “Strategic human resource management involves a future-oriented process of developing and implementing HR programs that address and solve business problems and directly contribute to major long-term business objectives.”

Sounds fair enough to me. But why is a strategic approach seen as difficult for so many HR Professionals?  

One reason is that HR has traditionally been viewed as a predominantly administrative function focused on day-to-day responsibilities (think recruitment, payroll, employee benefits). And because of this stereotype, it can be difficult to not only change the mindset of others in an organisation in regards to HR’s function, but also for HR Professionals to change their own mindsets from an operational or short-term focus to incorporate a more long-term or strategic view.  This idea is echoed by respondents to the research I conducted:

“HR need to have eyes on the horizon”

“… HR needs to take more of a preventative approach”

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Why it matters

If we look through the lens of Martin Seligman’s Theory of well-being model (PERMA), not being included in strategy development of an organisation nor valued for its contributions can leave HR professionals feeling that they do not have a core purpose within an organisation (Meaning & Purpose).

And then there are the direct benefits to the organisation. For one, when there is alignment between HR and the company’s business strategy, the company is more likely to attain a competitive advantage through anticipating and responding to customer needs as well as engaging existing talent and attracting new talent.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, benefits of HR strategic planning include:

  • Avoidance of costly surprises that interfere with goal achievement
  • Promotion of employee productivity and thereby organisational success
  • A sense of direction to positively affect how work gets done
  • Employees are more likely to maintain focus on organisational goals
  • Strategic focus helps guide training and development initiatives
  • Gives leaders tools to help them focus and implement their own strategic initiatives.

How to get strategic?

Here are three key tactics you can implement as a HR Professional to help you get strategic in your organisation:

  1. Link your people strategy to corporate strategy
  2. Set Goals
  3. Free up time for strategy development

Photo by Ida Kammerloch on Unsplash

1.     Link your people strategy to corporate strategy

Being a strategic business partner means linking people (HR) initiatives and  activities with the long-term goals of the organisation as well as the various divisions within the organisation (finance, marketing, sales, operations, IT) even if the strategic plan does not explicitly address HR issues.

I cannot say it any better than Daniel Bloom:

“Being in a strictly transactional role places you within a silo who looks at only what the immediate demands are being placed on you. You do not operate from the macro view of the organization. Being in the transformation role places you at the format of the strategic decisions on where the organization is headed as we progress through these economic times.”

 

To get into a transformation role, HR professionals must develop a plan of HR initiatives to achieve and promote the behaviours, culture and competencies needed to achieve organisational goals. For example: If an organisation’s strategy is to be  at the leading edge of its industry through innovation, one HR strategy might be to build an innovative culture by attracting creative and innovative talent to the business through the development of talent acquisition tactics such as employee branding, diversity and inclusion initiatives and recruitment and selection processes aligned with that strategy. Why? because the way organisations are staffed has a significant impact on the execution of the organisation’s strategy.

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2.     Set Goals

A  strategic planning process does not need to be complicated. It is about setting goals (short and long-term) that will help the organisation implement its strategies through its people. One of my favourite approaches is the GROW model for goal setting and implementation:

GOAL: Clearly articulate your GOAL or desired future (you can use SMART or any other framework that works for you). Building on the example of the strategy to “build an innovation culture”, a HR goal might be to “build a recruitment and selection process that  attracts 50% more creative people to the organisation by xx date”.

REALITY:  This is where you ask the question “Where are we now?” and assess the current situation. In our example of a goal to attract 50% more creative people to the organisation, assessing the situation could include surveying the employee market for feedback on potential employee’s perceptions about the company and asking for feedback from managers/employees currently in the organisation.

OPTIONS: This is the fun part where you get to brainstorm the various options that might get you from A (current reality) to B (your Goal or preferred future). Once you have a list of options, you need to carefully evaluate them and decide which ones you feel will give you most traction towards your goals.

WAY FORWARD: This is where the rubber hits the road, where steps are taken to implement the preferred options. Ask yourself “Who will do what, when and how?” And make sure you monitor results and adjust accordingly.

 

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3.     Free up time for strategy development

And of course steps 1 and 2  are not possible if you don’t have the time to develop and implement HR strategies that align with the organisation’s strategies. This likely entails a mindset shift and overcoming an addiction to ‘doing’. For more, read my previous article about HR professionals accessing adequate resources to not just do their jobs, but to thrive.

To recap, three key tactics you can take as a HR Professional to help you get strategic in your organisation are:

  1. Link your people strategy to corporate strategy
  2. Set goals
  3. Free up time for strategy development

I have purposefully made sure that each of these 3 tactics broad enough to allow for your own unique circumstance, your own unique personal preference in terms of how you go about approaching each step.

Why? Because I didn’t want to overcomplicate things to the point of making you feel that it’s all just too difficult or that the tactics do not apply to you. I want you to feel that it IS possible for YOU to take a strategic approach to HR and to provide real value to the business, over and above being a purely transactional or operational resource.

About Shift Consulting

As a Workplace Psychologist I want to support HR in the workplace because I believe that real change happens where the people are. And none of us can do it alone.

If you want to know more about shifting mindsets through coaching or groupwork, check out my website www.shiftconsulting.com.au or get in touch via email, phone or on LinkedIn.

If you are interested in receiving my follow-up newsletters, click here to get on my mailing list for your HR Support Insights newsletters. Also, if you find you have similar support needs highlighted in this article, I am also offering a 20-minute quasi-coaching session on how you might get the support you need. Obligation free.

small shift – Big Change

The Results are in: What Support Does HR Need and Want?

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Last month I Googled “What support does HR need” and was not especially surprised by what I found.

Google’s search suggestions were all about what people want and need from HR professionals. What customers want, what employees want. But what about the HR professionals? I decided to find out more by going directly to HR professionals. I asked them about the challenges they face and the support they need.

Key Themes

Figure 2: Thematic Interdependencies

Figure 1: Key Themes

Here is what I found… Overall, the key themes that emerged from HR professionals across a range of industries (see Figure 1) included first and foremost a desire for the backing and support from leadership within their organisations, emotional and psychological support in what is often a stressful and ambiguous role, and respect for the value HR can and does add to the business.

My interpretation of the other 4 key themes (strategic focus, limited resources, soft skill development and aligned expectations) is that they are irrevocably intertwined with the other three key themes of leadership backing, emotional & psychological support, and respect for value-add. Let me explain (for a diagrammatic explanation see Figure 2 below).

  • If HR has leadership backing and is respected for the value they can add to an organisation, they are likely to be included in and expected to contribute to discussions around strategy (rather than being seen as an ‘order taker’.
  • Similarly, with leadership backing and respect for their value-add, HR is more likely to have access to the resources (time, financial, headcount).
  • Having sufficient resources to manage operational HR functions efficiently gives HR the capacity to take a more strategic focus.
  • Leadership backing is also likely to influence the respect others in the organisation have for the value HR adds and vice versa. That is, if HR is seen to be respected within and outside of the organisation, leaders are more likely to back HR when needed.
  • ‘Soft skills’ development such as communicating with influence, having difficult conversations, and time management, also requires adequate resourcing.
  • Increased capability in ‘soft skills’ should help build credibility and thereby increase the likelihood of leadership backing and respect for HR’s ability to add value.
  • Strong ‘soft skills’ will likely positively impact HR’s ability to access the resources they need, be viewed as strategic member of the leadership team, and ensure that expectations (both at the leadership and employee levels) about the role of HR are aligned.
  • Where expectations about the role of HR are aligned between HR, the leadership team and the business overall, respect and leadership backing will likely follow because open and robust conversations happen when there is respect and trust.
  • Adequate resourcing is more likely to follow where there is an alignment of expectations.
  • If expectations of the role HR plays is clear, then HR is able to more effectively contribute meaningfully to the strategic direction of the organisation.

Emotional and Psychological Support

Photo by Andrew Seaman on Unsplash

Finally, the second most cited area for support for HR was the need for emotional and psychological support including development of resilience. This is not all that surprising if we view the other 6 support themes that my research highlighted through the lens of Martin Seligman’s Theory of well-being model (PERMA):

 

Positive Emotion – lack of perceived support and respect from the leadership team and others in the organisation is likely to result in feeling negative emotions.

Engagement – doing work that is not aligned with one’s strengths or desires and having a lack of resources and/or skills to do one’s best work is likely to result in disengagement and frustration.

Relationship – lack of perceived support and respect from the leadership team and others in the organisation is likely to result in feeling disconnected from others, especially as a sole HR professional in an organisation.

Meaning & Purpose – not being included in strategy development of an organisation nor valued for its contributions can leave HR professionals feeling that they do not have a core purpose within an organisation.

Accomplishment – it is difficult to achieve and maintain a sense of accomplishment if you feel overstretched due to under-resourcing, that the goals you need to achieve are unrealistic and when you don’t feel you have the skills you need to achieve those goals.

To my mind, if HR feel they have the support they need across all other 6 themes, their levels of resilience will automatically lift, they will feel less pressure and stress and as a result require less extraneous emotional and psychological support with the exception of one area – dealing with other people’s (or their own) mental health-related issues where referral to a professional psychologist or professional training are the best options. Realistically however, it is likely that HR professionals will continue to experience challenges across the 6 key themes at least in the short-to-medium term and as such will likely benefit form additional emotional and psychological support.

So, what now?

While my sample size was relatively small, it nevertheless gives us an insight into key themes for where HR professionals are feeling the pressure and in what specific areas they would like support in order to be part of their organisation’s success.

After collating results and summarising outcomes, I want to offer some suggestions on what HR could do to get the support they need across all 7 themes. I have started by reflecting on Stephen Covey’s circle of influence (which suggests we focus on the things that we can do something about).

What can you do to get the support you need?

So, what might HR professionals do to build the support they need? Here’s a snapshot of my initial thoughts which I will be expanding upon in subsequent follow-up posts:

Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash

Leadership Backing – take a ‘customer insights’ approach and ask questions, lots of questions (about what your leaders want) and listen, then tailor your messages accordingly; identify a champion – someone influential in the organisation that ‘gets it’; have a vision and communicate it with passion and influence.

Emotional & Psychological Support – join HR networks; get a coach; use stress management and resilience building strategies to enhance wellbeing and effectively manage change.

Respect for the value HR adds – firstly be clear in yourself about what value HR adds to your business, then market your HR services and initiatives to show how they meet organisational goals and targets; use metrics – show how HR initiatives reduce costs, increase revenues; articulate clearly value add in language business leaders understand.

Strategic Focus – develop a people strategy that clearly links in with corporate strategy; make long and short-term goals; free up time for strategy development.

Limited Resources – look at your time management strategies; delegate; innovate.

‘Soft Skills’ Development – access training and development for yourself; consider getting a coach outside of the organisation; ask for feedback.

Aligned Expectations – ask questions and listen.

If you are a HR professional who feels like you are drowning in a sea of other people’s issues then it’s time to focus on the goals of strategy, culture, and engagement which you can clearly see in the distance. Don’t be dragged back down into the murky depths of other people’s problems.

Remember, whilst you might not have direct control over the backing of your leadership team or the respect for the value HR adds to a business, you DOhave control to change your approach and to reach out and get the support you need…be it coaching support, training and development, or peer support.

Changing your mindset and the business’ mindset about the role HR plays is no easy task. And it’s even more difficult if you try to do it on your own.

If you are interested in receiving my follow-up newsletters, click here to get on my mailing list for your HR Support Insights newsletters. Also, if you find you have similar support needs highlighted in this article, I am also offering a 20 minute quasi-coaching session on how you might get the support you need. Obligation free.

Why am I doing this?

As a Workplace Psychologist I want to support HR in the workplace because I believe that this is where real change happens – where the people are. And none of us can do it alone.

If you want to know more about shifting mindsets through coaching or groupwork, check out my website www.shiftconsulting.com.au or feel free to get in touch via email, phone or reach out to me on LinkedIn.

Small Shift – Big Change