Editor's Note

Is HR good or Bad, should they have a seat at the table, Is it time for companies to fire their Human Resource Departments, Should we let the HR function disappear? Well…discussions are aplenty and you will get hundreds of articles pertaining to the topics. Whatever the topic, one thing is sure - HR related discussions garner huge Internet hits, as they are widely searched for. In this issue of the magazine, we too bring you articles related to this love-hate approach towards HR.

HR Strategy and Planning July 2015 Advertisers

Distant HR, Bad HR...: Good HR must be part of the business!

If you don't read Lucy Kellaway's articles in the Financial Times, you really should. Her "Dear Lucy" Agony Aunt column is at the same time fascinating and witty, as she gives common sense advice to readers writing about problems concerning all sorts of work life topics of various importance, from sexism to email greetings. Yet one of her last articles on Dress code regulation made me react. Not on the topic itself, but on one specific sentence: "The most usual sort of drivel is intermittent, comes from someone distant, usually in HR, and is routinely ignored by all." For non-native speakers like myself, "drivel" means "silly nonsense" according to Oxford Learner's Dictionary.

HR Technology Investments: Building the financial case

Every time an organization’s financial leader makes a decision on where to allocate budget, the head of human resources faces a dilemma: Often, the company’s technology for human capital management is complicated and inelegant. The need for something new can be pressing, yet the challenge to build a compelling case for its replacement is tall. Problems with overly integrated, typically premise-based solutions for HCM are clearly evident, yes, and the superiority of modern HCM technology, based in the cloud and delivered via software-as-a-service (SaaS), is readily apparent. But a chief financial officer might see the return on investment as unclear or uncompelling.

Dear HR: Are You Ready To Hire Data Scientists?: Practical tips for HR leaders

I had yet another call today with a brilliant data scientist working inside of a Human Resources Department of a major business. This HR data scientist has both a strong analytics and predictive analytics background. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics and a Master’s Degree in Predictive Analytics. She excels in R, math, predictive modeling, machine learning and all things quantitative. She is also excited about applying data science from other domains, to solve interesting workforce optimization challenges.

Leveling the Playing Field For HR and Finance: How to do that?

It’s time to put HR on an equal footing with Finance. Who decides what is the right budget to cover the people resources or how many resources are affordable within the budget? Typically it's Finance. Still, because people are hard to define only by numbers, CEOs want the CHRO to be a strategic talent advisor who can also speak the language of the business with hard data. A February 2015 study -- conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Visier -- surveyed 301 corporate executives and revealed key traits that can help elevate HR’s profile in the business.

Don't Waste Money On Predictive Analytics: It doesn't exist in HR

Did you know that scientifically, the only way to guarantee predictive analytics is to set up a randomized double-blind controlled trial? In other words, this is the only way to guarantee that a particular set of predictive metrics is causing the desired outcome rather than some other factor that you hadn't thought of. This is why they're used when testing new drugs because the risk of incorrectly predicting the effects of a drug can be catastrophic.

Why HR Is Far From Extinct: HR has everything you need to be a rockstar

HR is having a 50-year-old identity crisis. Born out of the personnel management world in the 1960s, Human Resources has struggled from the early days to be seen as a critical strategic partner. And while there are lots of strong, strategic HR superstars, the profession continues to be mocked and undervalued. For decades, we have loved to hate HR. The bolder backlash started with a Fast Company article in 2005 called “Why We Hate HR”, and ten years later, despite every effort to combat it, many organizations are still unhappy with their HR function, or use it as the scapegoat for all people-related issues.

Increase Employee Retention and Engagement: Why HR should use stay interviews

Gallup recently released its State of the U.S. Manager report. They’ve been reporting on U.S. workplace engagement since 2000 and the findings have been pretty consistent.
Americans are simply not “engaged” in their jobs in any given year. Disengaged employees and the tentacles of disengagement are felt throughout the organization in terms of costs, productivity, morale, and retention.

HR Professionals Must Be Great Communicators: Visual communications key to successful HR

Of all business professions, Human Resources has the most challenging and varied communications responsibilities. We need to be masters of exploration and persuasion when recruiting, have empathy in employment relations, craft nuanced employee communications, design effective training, and simplify the complexity of compensation structures and benefits plans. It is no wonder then that HR has been on the visual communications forefront, leading the charge with concepts like corporate storytelling, graphic recording, video-enhanced training, etc.