??Strategic HRM: Roles of HR Professionals??

In today’s context, Human Resource (HR) professionals have transformed from administrative to strategic contributors to business success. Roles define what work must be done; competencies define how the work is done. This article highlights the key roles that HR professionals must embody to drive value within organizations. These roles ensure that HR goes beyond traditional responsibilities and actively shapes the organization’s future.

Roles for HR Professionals

HR professionals are employee advocates. They are responsible for ensuring that the employer-employee relationship is one of reciprocal value. In addition to being advocates, they are also human capital developers, functional experts (in HR), strategic partners, and genuine leaders. Let's briefly look at each of these roles.

"Take care of your people, and they will take care of your business." – Richard Branson

1. Employee Advocate ??

As an employee advocate, the HR professional’s primary responsibility is ensuring employee well-being and representing their interests within the organization. This role focuses on creating a work environment where employees feel valued, supported, and motivated. HR professionals in this role listen to employee concerns, resolve conflicts, and promote engagement. It requires HR professionals to see the world employees' eyes. According to some surveys, HR professionals spend about 19 percent of their time on employee relations issues. Advocacy also involves managing diversity, ensuring mutual respect and inclusion, and proposing & implementing fair policies.

For instance, TATA Consultancy Services (TCS) has a robust HR advocacy program, ensuring that the company provides employees with the resources they need for personal and professional growth. HR professionals act as the voice of the employees, ensuring that their concerns are addressed promptly, and their work experience is fulfilling.

2. Human Capital Developer ??

Human capital is a key asset to any organization, and HR professionals play a crucial role in developing and managing it. As human capital developers, HR professionals focus on employee growth, development, and talent management. This involves designing training programs, leadership development initiatives, and succession planning to enhance the organization’s human capital.

Infosys, for example, is well-known for its focus on developing its workforce through continuous learning programs. Infosys’s HR professionals facilitate development opportunities such as mentorship, reskilling, and leadership training to help employees enhance their capabilities and grow into future roles. By investing in human capital, HR ensures that the organization stays competitive.

3. Functional Expert ??

As a functional expert, HR professionals must possess technical expertise in HR processes such as recruitment, compensation, performance management, and compliance. This role ensures that the HR department operates efficiently and aligns with organizational goals. HR professionals must have in-depth knowledge of best practices and be able to implement HR systems that support operational excellence.

Functional expertise operates at multiple levels - routine HR problems, programs or processes, diagnosis and solution creation, and overall policy and direction.

For instance, Wipro’s HR team has implemented advanced talent acquisition systems to streamline the hiring process. By utilizing technology and analytics, Wipro’s HR professionals ensure that the right talent is recruited efficiently, improving overall organizational productivity. This role ensures that the functional aspects of HR are optimized for maximum performance.

4. Strategic Partner ??

The role of a strategic partner is where HR professionals align HR practices with the organization's long-term strategic goals. This involves participating in business strategy discussions and ensuring that the human resources function supports the overall direction of the company. As strategic partners, HR professionals collaborate with leadership to align talent, culture, and processes with business objectives. Strategic partners are business savvy. They partner with line managers to help them reach their goals by crafting strategies based on knowledge of current and future customers and exploring how corporate resources may be aligned to those demands.

An example of this is Reliance Industries, where HR plays a crucial role in supporting the company’s rapid expansion and diversification strategies. HR professionals work closely with business leaders to ensure that the right talent and leadership are in place to drive business goals. By understanding the broader business context, HR professionals help shape the company’s future through strategic workforce planning.

5. HR Leader ??

Leadership begins at home, so HR leaders must lead and value their own function before anyone else listens to them. The role of the HR leader is the culmination of all the previous roles. An HR leader must embody the qualities of an employee advocate, human capital developer, functional expert, and strategic partner. HR leaders are responsible for driving the overall HR agenda, fostering a strong organizational culture, and ensuring that HR contributes to the long-term success of the business.

In Mahindra Group, the HR leader ensures that the HR function aligns with the company’s innovative business practices. By leading the HR team to focus on employee engagement, leadership development, and strategic alignment, Mahindra’s HR leaders have created an environment where both employees and the organization thrive. This role requires vision, leadership, and the ability to balance multiple priorities.

Creating Value for Other Stakeholders

HR practices impact not only employees but also other stakeholders. For example, employee advocacy leads to high productivity and higher productivity scores generally attract investor dollars. You can't treat employees badly and expect them to treat customers well. Leadership coaching builds investor confidence. Human capital developers help forge relationships between key employees and customers, improving customers' commitment to the company. Investors tend to be more interested in results than intentions. As strategic partners, HR professionals help deliver those results. Finally, HR leadership is integral to the value the function provides to all stakeholders in all its roles.

Concluding Thoughts ??

In today's business world, HR professionals are more than just administrators—they are key drivers of organizational success. Whether serving as an employee advocate, human capital developer, functional expert, or strategic partner, HR professionals play a vital role in shaping the organization’s future. The HR leader combines all these roles, driving value through a strategic and integrated approach.

HR is no longer about just managing processes; it is about creating value for both the business and its employees. By understanding and executing these five essential roles, HR professionals can truly become catalysts for transformation, helping their organizations achieve sustainable success.

Once the roles of HR professionals are defined, we need to develop/acquire HR competencies that would make a difference - topic of our next article.