What does it mean to be a HR Business Partner?
The role of the HR Professional has evolved tremendously in recent years. What started as an administrative function in every organisation has now developed into a critical business department overseeing employee engagement and culture.
Today, it’s widely accepted that strategic HR practices and programs can drive sustainable business growth. It only makes sense that HR Leaders are involved in management decisions to ensure alignment with human resource goals with business goals, so, out necessity, the HR Business Partner role was born.
But what does it actually mean to be a HR Business Partner, and how does the role differ from other positions within the HR sphere?
For an effective HR Team to succeed, there are 3 main groups that must collaborate to deliver:
- HR Operations ? service centre, responsible for maintaining systems, records and execute processes
- Centres for expertise ? specialists focused on specific aspects of HR i.e. talent acquisition, recruitment, remuneration and benefits, learning and development
- Business Partners ? our focus group. They are the face of the HR function within a business, these individuals are aligned to specific departments within the company or per geographic locations/branches. The HR Business Partner works closely with senior leadership and collaborates regularly with them to ensure HR is part of a wider organisational strategy
The key focus for a HR Business Partner is to build up employee performance in line with their organisation’s specific objectives and goals.
As an individual you will need to;
- Continuously think outside the box, be innovative and proactive
- Be collaborative
- Build a conducive environment promoting growth, progression and productivity
Ultimately, a successful HR Business Partner must be able to develop relationships with Line Managers and Department Heads, to be able to understand talent requirements within their business and identify solutions as a result becoming a Partner and an Advisor.
HR Business Partner roles can offer enormous value to an organisation, by putting forward a bigger picture view from both the company perspective and employee perspective. As the HR Business Partner role evolves it’s important you continuously develop your capabilities so you can be an expert and advisor on strategic human resource issues and trends.
Peopleconnexion PNG: Recruitment, Training, Payroll & HR Services