A great week as a Business Partner

I often get asked by my friends and family what it is that I actually do at work, it's a tricky one to try and explain when you're working to change the culture in the organisation you're working for. I thought it'd be interesting to reflect on a great week at work and share it with those that are interested. So here are the highlights:

Monday - Worked with colleagues across HR to help them understand how they can interpret a huge data report. This included making links between cause and effect, and how to identify the priority areas. Went to an off-site meeting with a market leading manufacturer to discuss the benefits of creating an OD Best Practice network and kick off the next steps. Exciting things to come!

Tuesday - Led a career coaching session with a manager focussing on positive psychology and strengths. They've now gone to do a Realise2 assessment which we'll discuss at the next session and have joined a "Management Huddle" group. She now feels like she can see the wood for the trees!

Wednesday - At a transformational project board I put forward a business case for working up a bespoke approach to resolving resourcing issues. I will now lead a session bringing together a wide range of stakeholders to diagnose the issues before working up solutions. Held the first ever Management Talent session where we calibrated our talent pool, identified our succession risks and our priority performance issues. They now have a plan!

Thursday - Worked 1 on 1 with a manager who leads a 850 person service to analyse his workforce supply. We looked at his spans and layers, productive time, workforce characteristics and talent profile. He now has to undertake some work to identify the gaps between his supply and his demands. He is now clearer on what his issues are!

Friday - Began to implement a new approach to exit interviews to ensure that we have the right evidence to work on before proposing new retention strategies. Analysed a great deal of HR data for my Senior Director to allow him to focus on the key issues over the next 6 months to the end of the financial year. Wrote up a case study document on a new approach to management transition management called JUMP Start which I have been trialling with my customers. Management teams are benefiting from the simple approach!

All in all a good week to be a Business Partner... with a wide range of projects, customers and of course some HR & OD practices (but notice that this was the final point). The consistent factor underneath it all was keeping HR simple for my customers so they can focus on delivering their business objectives.