HR: Path to Relevance, Impact, and Measurability?

Why is it so difficult to articulate the contributions made by the HR teams in organizations? Blamed for easy lives with no accountability by the business leaders and employees alike. Laughed at and joked about the vague engagement events and costly offsite. Scoffed at being talking loudmouths about social and community endeavors like diversity, inclusion, skill gap reduction, and women empowerment. Flaunting vague certifications and designations of gardeners, learning officers, mentors, change leaders, etc. The answer is HR teams have to get to the job they are hired for in the business.

We are here to deliver to the business. There is no HR. No Sales HR, Business HR, Payroll, Administration, Employee Engagement, Compensation and Benefits, Talent Acquisition, Training, Talent Development, Learning & Development, or Rewards. There is only one concept that survives that makes sense, which keeps us all HR professionals relevant and impactful in corporations. There is only supreme aim, Business.

Don't romanticize the textbook concepts and come to work every day thinking that one HR course, one MBA, a few certifications, and a role or two, solidify our identity. That limits us in a parochial manner. It shackles us down to our own identity. We are here to do business. Corporations are businesses CEOs are responsible to boards and promoters. We need to drive the CEO agenda we need to Think business, Enable business, and contribute like a business.

We are like an architect that designs home. Every detail about the principles of laying down the foundation, bricklaying method, cement composition, plumbing principles, masonry, electric circuits, woodwork and veneers, and light and lux levels doesn't need to be explained to the users. Homeowners want a safe home that suits their needs and an architect provides them with the output. In the HR case, the output is business, more sales less cost in a sustainable consistent progressive manner, and having a positive impact on all stakeholders.

Listen to the promoters, CEOs, and Business Heads and adopt the agenda of the organization as your agenda. That's when HR creates value and credibility and contributes in an impactful manner. The rest are all concepts. Good to know, read and talk about. Only concepts change nothing.

Don't do HR for the sake of doing, offsite, conclaves, coaching, development centers, training, talent review, mentoring, analytics, hybrid working, skill gap development, and many others for the sake of doing. Genesis should always lie in the Business agenda. That's when we become Relevant, Impactful, and measurable. That is where the answer lies to all the HR accountability problems.

If one thing HR professionals should learn in Finance. The P/L and balance sheet. How the EBIDTA comes. What is profitability and then think about how we impact that. Can we lower the cost of hiring, and build cheaper resources with better skills within the company than external costly hiring? Think business and make yourself relevant, impactful, and measurable.