Reimagining the HR/Leadership Partnership

DO’s and DON’Ts for Business Leaders to Consider When Working with HR

I recently came across this LinkedIn article, “Debunking Common HR Stereotypes” and it got me thinking more about what HR leaders want business leaders to know about how to leverage HR for the greatest impact for everyone involved.

Whether you are an HR Leader or Business Leader, listen up! I’m on a quest to revolutionize the role of HR. This means that HR needs to be ready and able to assume the strategic partnership role AND business leaders need to engage HR in ways that they may never have thought of before.  Think of this as a sort of “open letter” from HR to their organization’s leaders on how they can work better together today.

Based on my own experience as well as what I hear from a lot of my HR clients, here are a few DO’s and DON’Ts for business leaders to consider when working with HR:

1. DO engage us early and often.

We want to help you and your team to succeed! We are collaborative by nature and while we don’t have all the answers, we do know that 2 heads are better than one. We want to be involved at the get-go and not just used as a delivery/roll-out vehicle. We have ideas and can offer a perspective that will likely help you get where you want to go faster. We’re also great at creating connections across the organization, given our broad exposure to different parts of the business. Pulling us in at the end for execution of a rushed or not fully thought out plan just makes us feel dumped on and doesn’t set us up for a long and fruitful relationship.

2. DO own your own decisions.

HR often is a trusted advisor and takes a consultative approach with leaders on many sensitive topics.  It is important that we are all clear about who the decision maker is (YOU!). HR doesn’t own your hiring/firing/promotion decisions; our job is to inform you of your options, assess risk, and make recommendations to help you make the best decision for your team as well as the company. Remember, HR straddles a fine line as an advocate for both employees and the company. You, as a business leader, are responsible for making the final business decision and need to be prepared to stand by it. So, know that you CAN decide to go against HR’s recommendation, but you need to own it. Whatever you do, don’t ever say, “HR made me do it.” That’s just a cop out.

3. DO your part and set the example w.r.t. compliance.

HR doesn’t make the laws, but we are all responsible to ensure the company remains compliant, so that we can have a work environment that is pleasant and equitable for all employees. We know that certain mandated training may feel cumbersome (harassment prevention training, anyone?), but know that they are there to protect everyone’s best interests. Believe me, HR works hard to shield leaders from the vast majority of the compliance items that come our way, but there are times when your effort is required. We hate pestering you just as much as you do.  So, when we ask, know that it’s important for you to do your part in the timeframe allotted. The sooner it’s done, the sooner we can all move on to bigger and more interesting things.

4. DO NOT ask us to plan parties or fix employee morale.

Believe it or not, keeping your employees engaged and morale up is YOUR job as a leader! Yes, you as a manager and leader have the greatest direct impact on your employees’ engagement and happiness. HR can certainly partner with you to assess situations and come up with ideas on how you can increase your team’s engagement, but the heavy lifting is yours! It is critical to ensure you’re recognizing and celebrating successes/wins regularly (especially in the remote or hybrid-working environment). If a company-wide party is a way you decide you want to celebrate, form a cross-functional, volunteer committee to plan and execute these celebrations. It really shouldn’t fall on any one person’s/function’s shoulders. And you don’t need a party to celebrate achievements, btw, although they are fun! An individual or group shout-out at an all-hands or team meeting can go a long way too.

5. DO leverage us during times of change.

HR Leaders are masterful change agents and influencers. The only constant is change, so we’re always at the ready whenever something new needs to be rolled out, whether that’s a system, process, reorganization, acquisition, new leadership, etc. Don’t go it alone. You can count on us to be a partner to help you scope, identify and understand stakeholders’ needs, communicate, and gain buy-in on whatever change you’re contemplating to ensure long-term success. This is an area where HR is often overlooked or brought in too late to make an impact.

6. DO let us help you hone your communication skills.

We all know how important communication is and that it’s a skill that’s developed over a lifetime. As a leader, you often find times when you need to summon up the courage to have a difficult conversation on a critical topic. (2020 ring any bells?)  HR is a safe place to hone your message and practice delivery in advance to ensure the message and tone come across as you intend, whether it’s an individual discussion or an all-hands meeting. We can also help you anticipate any stumbling points/obstacles and help you frame your responses to ensure a smooth and productive discussion. It’s so much easier for us to help you in advance versus trying to pick up the pieces of a poorly handled communication after the fact.

7. DO tap into our facilitation skills where appropriate.

From time to time, you may want to leverage your HR partner’s skills to facilitate a critical meeting where you need to be an active participant. This is a great use of our skills and allows you to, but exercise caution when your HR partner is part of the team and should really be a participant. For example, if you’re pulling your leadership team together for a strategic planning session (and your HR partner is part of your leadership team), they should NOT be the facilitator. Instead leverage an outside facilitator so your HR partner can fully participate in the meeting too. It is impossible to fully participate and contribute while playing the facilitator role. You won’t want to miss the unique perspective HR can bring to the discussion.

I hope you find these tips helpful as you adopt a new mindset about HR and how to engage and partner most effectively with us. We all come with prior work/life experiences that may have formed an outdated perspective of what HR can/should do. Working together in partnership with your HR leader can make you more effective and your work so much more enjoyable! Strong HR/Leadership relationships have the potential to drive widespread alignment, engagement, and performance across your organization.

Trust me, once you harness the power of your HR, you won’t want to go it alone again!

HR Leaders, what DO’s/DON’Ts have I missed?  Comment below.

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