The force of strategic HR players: recruitment of forward-thinking and more strategic operators in commercial business

People are the lifeforce of any business. How employees work, engage, interact and play, directly impacts the success and direction of any company. Human Resources, the department charged with everything people related, may not traditionally be the first department which comes to mind when considering organisational strategy. Let’s look at how, and why HR players are becoming integral to successful, commercially viable businesses. 

The current strategic role of Human Resources functions is a far cry from the old fashioned, the traditional view of being a support department, there to provide the staple ingredients to organisations, to ensure employees are recruited, retained and paid. In today’s fast-paced, employer centric and digital world, HR teams across Australia are fast securing their spot as strategic leaders in every Executive team. The shift from the support structure to a strategic player has been hard-earned and gradual, with most forward-thinking companies now recognising the immense value of a strategic HR operator as not just the key to improved commercials but more engaged, happier employees. The power of a successful HR player is their in-depth understanding of every facet of an organisation – from onboarding to exit, and the connectivity between each cog in the gigantic wheel of any commercial organisation. HR has the capacity to utilise talent to proactively drive value, rather than just respond to the daily needs of the business, they have the power to truly to place people at the heart of every commercial decision, action and instruction. Customer and employee-centric organisations live and breathe their employees and customers; they are forward-thinking, disruptive to their industry and recognise that people focused organisations bring in 5.7 times more revenue than their competitors (Forbes). HR professionals are a strong contributor to achieving this people-centric culture, through strategic decisions made across multi-faceted touchpoints in an HR lifecycle.  

Why every organisation needs strategic players 

Many larger HR departments are setting up mini Centres of Excellence (COE’s) to position their business partners as experts, highly trained to offer strategic advice in varying areas. These COE’s offer an opportunity for HR professionals to immerse themselves into a leadership team as a strategic business partner. It is of course a challenge to find and recruit the right professionals to fill these important shoes – many leaders report having to scroll through candidates who have only ever experienced more operational HR roles and are completely new to being positioned as a strategic leader, in their own right. HR departments must, to stay ahead, not just proactively recruit and retain these talented individuals, but actively use the tools and analytics to support people-related decisions with data. Becoming a valued business partner, totally aligned to a business unit and held responsible for ensuring commercial decisions are employee-centric, is an attractive proposition for any ambitious HR professional and hugely advantageous for the rest of the leadership team. 

Access to talent has never been so readily available, with many professionals working from home, it’s an opportune time to reassess, reengage and position your HR business partner as a key driver to your commercial, and personal success.