HR Business Partner - A Journey...

I began my corporate career in 2006 and was keen to make a career in #Humanresources, although little did I know about the field and the opportunities ahead. I had the opportunity to witness the various stages of HR Business Partnering through different experience and sectors. In this blog, I'm sharing my personal experience of witnessing the change, evolution and my learnings.

It was during my role and experience with Aon , when i saw what truly is HR Consulting and mostly HR Business Partnering role, when we realized that the traditional HR structure couldn't keep up with the pace and HR began becoming virtual and offering employee Lifecyle support. Consequently we introduced "HR Consulting" and "HR Advisory Services" via virtual teams. Similarly during that time the concept of "Site Management" emerged as a way to bridge the gap between leadership and corporate HR. Its primary focus was on employee relations and serving as a channel of communication between local units and domestic businesses.

Over the course of the 17 years I have witnessed changes in the role of HR Business Partners (HRBPs) although these transformations have varied to some extent. While there isn't an model there are several fundamental principles that define their success.

The origins of HR business partnering can be traced back to Dave Ulrich model from the 1990s, which he elaborated on in his book 'HR Champions.' In this model he identified four roles within HR; I still remember reading about this during my MBA days - probably this tempted me to consider HR as a profession more seriously (it was called popularly as #ulrichhrmodel)

1. Strategic partner

2. Change agent

3. Employee champion

4. Administrative expert

This groundbreaking model laid down the groundwork for an HR approach that emphasized consultancy than merely taking orders and focused more on finding solutions.

My second encounter, with a core HRBP role occurred in 2009 while working for a global telecom giant.

The role combined responsibilities, of the entire employee lifecycle - including many on job skills that became important to learn. Though we were a lean and dream HR team - we quickly realized in a scale up and growth phase, defining clear and sustainable roles with recruitment increased wasn't a choice. Despite efforts to coordinate with the employee relations center of expertise there were regional roles required to balance the ropewalk between Site, Regional and Corporate needs.

To address this issue, the HR function introduced a Service management portfolio to tackle queries, sourcing function for recruitment and creating COEs to align with clear approach. This allowed HR Business Partners (HRBPs) to focus more on employee relations. By conducting weekly interactions, reviews and closely collaborating with employee relations experts they were able to improve alignment. The team also embraced performance consulting as a methodology prioritizing contracts, outcome reports, continuous education and data driven decision making.

In 2016, the third iteration brought about downsizing which resulted in changes. Globally Employee relations was centralized while HRBPs shifted their support from managers to vice presidents and above. This required HRBPs to possess qualities such as #relationshipbuilding skills, initiative taking ability, talent expertise, business acumen and coaching skills(this is now the core)

Throughout these iterations the HRBP role adapted itself according to the needs of the business. It serves as an example of why having one definition for an HRBP is not sufficient.

HR organizations must continually assess the effectiveness of this role by;

1. Monitoring performance against methodologies and business outcomes.(Plan)

1. Conducting reviews to ensure alignment with changing business needs.(Articulate)

1. Seeking feedback, from stakeholders regarding their experiences and perspectives.(Drive outcomes)

1. Gather input, from individuals involved in HRBP talent and their potential to influence performance.(Measure)

HR is undergoing continuous transformation moving away from tasks and focusing on initiatives that generate value for employees. Before embarking on your HRBP transformation keep these points in mind;

1. Define Success; Understand what "success" means in your context.

2. Identify Key Competencies; Outline the competencies to support the business effectively.

3. Nurture Skill Development; Provide opportunities for individuals to bridge any skill or competency gaps.

By possessing the competencies aligning with the HR vision and connecting HR strategies with desired business outcomes your HRBP community can genuinely contribute value to both employees and the organization as a whole.

"The ultimate goal of being a business partner is to create value, for both employees and the organization."         

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My next blog topic - "What Does It Mean To Be A HR Business Partner today?"

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