Human Resources professionals are usually the lifeblood of an organization. However, HR has been getting a bad reputation and is dealing with an 'image problem.' In this newsletter we are looking into HR's value problem and what we can do about it.
HR'S VALUE PROBLEM
"Over SHRM’s 75-year history, the human resource profession has shifted dramatically from being purely transactional to serving as a strategic partner. More recently, HR has led the way in helping businesses survive the pandemic and align employer value propositions with workers’ changing expectations. Yet a critical issue still plagues the profession: Put bluntly, HR isn’t widely valued.
How do we know this? In November 2022, SHRM Research asked 585 non-HR employees in the U.S. what they valued about their human resource departments. Overwhelmingly, the most common theme in their responses was, well, nothing. This is certainly disappointing news for HR professionals, but it’s not necessarily surprising. In fact, more than half (57 percent) of the 1,373 HR professionals SHRM Research surveyed in March 2023 said their companies’ own employees don’t understand HR’s value. One reason could be many employees’ perception that HR is on the side of their employer, not them. Indeed, more than half (55 percent) of the employees SHRM Research surveyed identified HR’s most important priority as to “keep the company out of legal trouble.” But if that were the case, surely business leaders would appreciate HR’s value, right? Yet nearly half (47 percent) of HR professionals said their organizational leaders don’t recognize their value either." Learn more
HOW TO SOLVE HR'S IMAGE PROBLEM
"The HR profession has always had a tightrope to walk. While it exists to ensure that employees are paid correctly, receive the training they require and have somewhere to air grievances in confidence, for instance, it ultimately serves the needs of the employer.
In recent times, though, questions have been raised about whether it’s been getting this tricky balance right. Research published by Harvard Business Review in Q4 2022 suggests that, at the very least, the profession has an image problem. When conflicts inevitably arise from time to time between their interests and those of their employer, people realize that HR won’t be taking their side, but the study reveals that most workers, if they had a serious problem with a colleague’s behavior, “would rather reach out to most anyone before turning to someone in HR”. This apparent lack of trust poses a challenge for the profession, which generally considers its goals to be twofold: to have a seat at the top table to advise business leaders on cultural matters and to speak up for employees while in that position.
Caroline Walsh, managing vice-president at Gartner’s HR practice, is not surprised that people are becoming less willing to approach HR for help. She believes that this is mainly because the function’s remit has become more complex and strategic in recent years. “It’s not that employees don’t trust HR. It’s that they trust managers more, as they interact with them more frequently,” Walsh argues." Learn more
WHY WE NEED TO VALUE HR
"Business leaders, undeniably, have a lot on their plate right now. There’s economic uncertainty, struggles with accessing and retaining talent, and unresolved tensions around working structures — not to mention incoming 2023 people-centered issues such as how to get better managerial effectiveness, where to improve the employee experience, and how to create a good future of work. As such, alignment between business priorities, people management on the ground, and HR strategy and practice is going to be key for both survival and success. This is exactly where an HR business partner (HRBP) can be worth their proverbial weight in gold." Learn more
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