It’s not a secret: Many organizations still perceive the Human Resources (HR) Department as an insignificant contributor to the overall business success.
The truth is: Human Resources is the least understood and the most underutilized department out of all the major business functions. HR Professionals are constantly faced with scrutiny from C-suite perceptions; the policy police, the paper pushers, and the biggest cost center…so we are told!
The reality is: Most HR leaders still find themselves on the outside, spinning from C-Suite initiatives that undermine the people management to which they weren’t invited to take part in the discussion. HR has evolved in leaps and bounds over the years, way beyond justifying their existence through traditional metrics. The HR community has the power to break through these outdated perceptions by implementing creative ways to block and tackle this challenge.
As a Human Resources executive, I share inside tips that have worked for me over the years, and believe it or not, succeeded in shifting the most traditional mindsets. So, are you ready to disrupt and make a change? If you answered yes, then now is the time to sharpen your perception pencil.
Let’s dive in and start the process of gathering results to showcase HR’s true contributions to organizational performance by using the following three simple foundational principles:
1. Imagine you are a Chief Savings Officer (CSO) focused on savings and cost avoidance, now by applying your new HR mindset start by:
a. Writing down every achievement within the last twelve months
b. Quantify each attainment by adding specific results
c. Gather relevant historical data (if available) for validation purposes
d. Compile all the data for a side by side comparison
2. Create a visual dashboard to showcase these contributions and details that are not so obvious to the non-HR experts. In the spirit of sharing a real-life example of a company mandated goal, assigned to all functions to cut costs by at least 10%.
In reviewing HR historical budgets, I found the biggest savings opportunity was in the area of recruitment. I devised a plan to encapsulate the CSO thought process: I had no internal recruiter expertise, yet I could proactively develop our current HR talent, memorialize not only the cost savings, and but also prove HR’s value-add in multiple areas throughout the company.
Let me elaborate by providing a sample using this strategy applying one result that can paint a picture of many business contributions.
3. The most important step is sharing and marketing your quantifiable results and wins no matter how small, with everyone. I began doing this on weekly staff calls, monthly management meetings, quarterly leadership overviews, and annual group achievement wins.
By using this new way of thinking, acting, and working differently you will surely disrupt some traditional perceptions and challenge C-suite members to listen.
We fellow HR Warriors have taken giant leaps to evolve in business and people strategies - and yes, we can prove it!