by Linda Itskovitz
In yesterday’s Advisor, Linda Itskovitz, vice president of marketing for GuideSpark, discussed strategic HR and presented the first 3 of her 10 ways to deliver it. Today, Itskovitz presents her next 7 tips (plus a bonus) for embracing a more strategic role, along with final thoughts on the subject.
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4. Embrace technology. With increasing demands, decreased capacity, and changing user preferences, it is more important than ever for chief human resource officers to rely on technology to extend their reach and deliver results. Key to achieving this is the use of new technology and multimedia communications—particularly video—to communicate, educate, and inform employees.
5. Consider bottom-line cost savings. Like any line of business, HR must produce tangible results while remaining cost-efficient. Adopting a critical eye to its operations and programs will help to maximize value. This includes finding opportunities to reduce duplication and overlap in roles and responsibilities and improving budgeting and reporting.
6. Define and execute on measurable goals. Key to business success is ensuring the team is in full alignment, with each employee familiar with his or her job and how it contributes to the overall business. Introducing realistic and meaningful goals and objectives will help the entire organization become more efficient and drive individual performance.
7. Prioritize employee engagement. Disengaged employees are a growing problem at many organizations, and the impact can be drastic—losing a top employee can often cost 1 to 2 years’ worth of pay and benefits. Identifying the root causes of disengagement and developing solutions to counteract it is essential.
8. Prepare for shifts in the workforce. With retiring Baby Boomers, the rise of Millennials and Generation Xers, and an increasing number of freelancers, HR must be able to manage workforce shifts effectively. This requires rethinking how HR can redefine factors like performance management and teambuilding in this changing landscape.
9. Drive leadership development. As companies grow, it is essential that they have the right talent pool to foster tomorrow’s leaders. HR must own the conversation and assume a greater role in shaping its leadership pipeline, focusing on delivering coaching, professional development, and succession planning.
10. Tackle culture head-on. A strong workplace culture is often what holds a company together, and it increasingly serves as a tool to attract right-fit talent. To shape and maintain a strong culture, HR must develop programs and activities to create awareness of the company’s culture, traditions, and values, while tying each stage of the employee life cycle to that culture.
Bonus Tip: Overcommunicate. Transparent communications go a long way. Consider an internal communications plan in which you share more—business goals and challenges, as well as quarterly objectives and results. Open communication leads to greater engagement (#7), and greater engagement drives productivity.
Achieving More Strategic HR
As business priorities change and new talent challenges emerge, companies will increasingly look toward HR to guide them through these obstacles. To address the rapidly changing workplace and ensure they’re able to rise to the challenge, HR must figure out how it can be more strategic. Recognizing the need to redefine the role of HR—as owners and not just as business partners—is only one step. They must also take the lead in ensuring companywide alignment, partnering with the right stakeholders, and implementing the technology and process changes to address current needs and prepare for the road ahead.