Contemporary View of HR Roles

1. Strategic Partner
In today’s organizations, to guarantee their viability and ability to contribute, HR
managers need to think of themselves as strategic partners.

In this role, the HR person contributes to the development of and the accomplishment
of the organization-wide business plan and objectives.

The HR business objectives are established to support the attainment of the overall
strategic business plan and objectives. The tactical HR representative is deeply
knowledgeable about the design of work systems in which people succeed and
contribute.

This strategic partnership impacts HR services such as the design of work positions;
hiring; reward, recognition and strategic pay; performance development and appraisal
systems; career and succession planning; and employee development. When HR
professionals are aligned with the business, the personnel component of the
organization is thought about as a strategic contributor to business success.

To be successful business partners, the HR staff members have to think like business
people, know finance and accounting and be accountable and responsible for cost
reductions and the measurement of all HR programs and processes.

Why there is need to make HR as Strategic Partner:

 To increase productivity of the labor force and thus, profitability of the organization
 Competency and talent management
 Onset of information technology and the vast amount of knowledge used in the
course of the activities of organizations
 The changing business environment
 Effect of globalization on the business landscape
Why there is need to make HR as Strategic Partner:

Profitability
Profitability is one of the primary reasons why human resources management should be
a strategic business partner. As a strategic business partner, human resources
management gains support for enhancing employee skills and training employees to
meet business demands. These are two of the most effective ways to improve
productivity and employee engagement, which in turn prepare the workforce for
challenges associated with production and business demands.
Funding
As a strategic business partner, human resources management can justify adequate
funding for human resources activities. Funding for training, employee development,
competitive salaries and benefits packages strengthens the company’s position and
competitiveness in attracting and retaining valuable talent and expertise. Without
employees’ talent and expertise, the business risks losing production capabilities – the
inability to achieve maximum production levels directly affects revenue, profitability and
company standing in relationship to its competitors.
Perception
Human resources departments have traditionally been viewed by employees and
leadership as merely operational areas with limited input in employment functions
beyond hiring and firing. Since the 1980s version of personnel administration, human
resources management has transformed into a department with greater influence on
employee satisfaction, engagement and retention. As a strategic business partner,
human resources management can continue to carve out its rightful position as an
integral component of the business. Inclusion of HR management in strategic business
planning improves employees’ and leadership’s perception of human resources.
Balance
Human resources management enables executive leadership to strike a balance within
the organization. Developing strategy based solely on the organization’s capabilities
related to production and revenue fails to take into consideration the company’s
resources that make it possible to succeed. Human resources management, therefore,
brings a broader perspective to the boardroom table. Including human resources
management as a strategic business partner enables better decision making because it
takes into account the actual workforce that supports organizational success.
Value
The value HR management brings to strategic planning is paramount in attaining
organization-wide goals. Implementing strategic plans is nearly impossible without the
input of human resources and employee involvement. Recognizing the value of HR
management is a critical step in developing business strategy, and it takes human
resources management’s forward-thinking principles and business acumen to put those
plans into action.

2. Employee Advocate

Definition of employee advocacy

"One of the enduring HR managers is to serve as an employee advocate- listening to
employees' concerns and representing their needs to managers to make certain that the
interests of employees and the interests of the organization are aligned with one
another. Effective employee relations provide a support structure when disruptive
changes interfere with workers 'normal daily activities". (Bohlander & Snell, 2009)
This role focuses basically on supporting the rights and needs of employees and can be
evidenced by innovative policies and programs in the areas of occupational health and
safety, grievances, work-life balance, diversity, and employee assistance.
However, in some focus groups employees expressed a desire to be better understood
by HR. Aspects limiting HR's capacity for a greater understanding of employees included
a limited ability for regular face-to-face contact with staff. This may be due to
insufficient numbers of HR staff, HR structures that centralize HR staff and limit the
connection to the business units, a disconnect between the working hours of HR and
other staff (e.g. where there are high numbers of shift workers), and the location of
employees over a large geographical area.

As an employee sponsor or advocate, the HR manager plays an integral role in

organizational success via his knowledge about and advocacy of people. This advocacy
includes expertise in how to create a work environment in which people will choose to
be motivated, contributing, and happy.

Fostering effective methods of goal setting, communication and empowerment through

responsibility, builds employee ownership of the organization. The HR professional
helps establish the organizational culture and climate in which people have the
competency, concern, and commitment to serve customers well.
In this role, the HR manager provides overall talent management strategies, employee
development opportunities, employee assistance programs, gain sharing and profit-
sharing strategies, organization development interventions, due process approaches
employee complaints and problem-solving, and regularly scheduled communication
opportunities.

The tasks of developing the HR employee advocate role may include the
following:
Representing the interests of employees within the management team.
Ensuring that there are equitable procedures governing the employment relationship.
Being responsible for health and safety, risk management, equality and diversity at
work.
Conducting regular opinion surveys among employees
Providing feedback from the organization to the top and line management
Providing the development opportunities for the employees to help them to keep their
value for the organization
Assistance to employees to get used to the changes in the organization and to help the
employees in the risk of the lay-off
Honest communication to the employees about the new business initiatives and the
impact on employees
Support building and developing the corporate culture
Communicating bad news to workers, such as impending closure or downsizing.

3. Functional Expert
HR professionals in the role as functional experts need to define and work on HR
systems, structure, culture, processes, and procedures that need to be developed to
move from present state to future state. HR professionals need to build effective HR
systems and plan for HRD audit to keep a track on how HRD systems and processes are
performing within the organization. HR professionals can contribute towards making
human resources into a competitive advantage by recruiting and selecting people with
the right intellectual, and emotional capital, training and development, organization
design (including legal compliance and HR measurement), performance measurement,
offering high quality work life, empowered work teams to enhance performance and
continuous development and career progress.
 4. HR Leader
Human Resources Leader Job Description Example:

The role of a company’s human resources leader is of paramount importance to the

accomplishment of its strategic goals as related to human resource activities.

The job description of the individual holding this position entails carrying out tactical
execution of strategies and plans on recruitment, training, and retention of highly skilled
employees.

It also includes ensuring top level staff performance, as well as executing the process
involved in compensations.

The human resources leader will offer proactive leadership on human resource
initiatives via business processes like information technology, finance, procurements,
and legalities.

An individual aspiring to building a career as a human resources leader will require a

wide base of knowledge on business, as well as expertise in human resource
development.

Persons who intend to progress to the position of the leader of human resources in an
organization may acquire advanced knowledge and skills by enrolling for a master’s
degree program in human resources.

To work in this position conventionally requires a bachelor’s degree in human resources,

business, or other affiliated courses.

Employers usually prefer applicants with higher degrees or certifications in human

resources with display of diverse skills and knowledge.

He/she will work together with the store leadership team to guarantee all supervisors
and leaders are constantly using the growth and coaching model.

Human Resources Leader Job Description Example, Including Duties, Tasks and
Responsibilities

The job description example below represents major duties, tasks, and responsibilities
commonly carried out by leaders of human resources in most companies in the course
of their job.
  Actively participate in developing each supervisor and their ability to enhance their
own teams
 Completely prepare and incessantly regulate coaching discussions with teammates
 Work on, arrange, and convey store training programs to teammates
 Collaborate with the human resources supervisor to reassess progress on role-
specific training for the organization’s staff
 Source for talents and perform active roles with store leadership group to convey
consistent and efficient recruiting process
 Work together with the team leader and the store leader to fashion out a
succession agenda for current team
 Evaluate expenditure and sales records to determine and rank aspects of
possibilities
 Organize the team to ensure maximum sales, as well as performance
 Enhance organization’s HR department by researching and earmarking human
resources issues
 Perform analysis of HR data and provide recommendation for company’s strategic
direction and thinking
 Set up human resources procedures that are in line with company objectives
 Hire new staff, set up training programs, process welfare packages, and manage
staff records
 Carry out talent acquisition programs

5. Human Capital Developer

Human capital developers play a distinctive role within employing organizations,
emphasizing the development of individual employees (especially managers) through
personal development programmes, coaching organizational leaders, and managing the
formation and development of effective management teams.

HR is the face of a company when recruiting top talent. Connecting with and engaging
talent is a critical function in any organization. The role demands a special skill set for
understanding each position being hired for, as well as how a candidate can evolve with
the company’s long-term goals. The workforce is not static; remaining competitive
involves being open to and planning for rapid change. To efficiently benefit the
company, an HR professional must be involved in strategic development.

HR departments need to be filled with skilled professionals possessing interpersonal,

analytical, and critical-thinking skills that help drive the company forward. Most
administrative work can be outsourced to companies so that key personnel can focus on
developing top talent.