Creating a Strategic Partnership with HR

People love to hate HR departments even more than they love to hate JR Ewing.  This week we discuss why this love/hate relationship happens, and what you can do (either as a manager, or as an HR person) to address it.

Monday’s Tip: Put good people into HR.  If you want high performance HR, then you need to hire, or promote high performers into HR.  If you only hire adminstrators, you will only get good administration.

Tuesday’s Tip: Insist that HR have a business plan.  HR needs to commit to, and be held accountable for a business plan, like any other business unit.

Wednesday’s Tip: Don’t let managers hide behind HR.  All managers are responsible for managing the human aspect of their business.  Manager who point the finger at HR, instead of confronting their people directly shouldn’t be managers.

Thursday’s Tip: Have a senior HR person on the senior team.  If people are your most important asset, then HR needs to be represented on the senior leadership team.

Friday’s Tip: Be very clear on what HR’s deliverables are.  Don’t let HR become the “catch-all” for all the jobs an organization doesn’t know where to assign.  HR should have a few, important and specific deliverables to be held to account for every year.