In The Words Of A Popular US Game Show, ‘HR, You Are The Weakest Link – Goodbye’

For HR to be heard, they need credibility and influence.

Less than 20% of HR leaders are strategically effective. This was a finding by the Corporate Leadership Council that surveyed 16,000 line managers. HR leaders were criticized for 3 things: lacking business acumen, bad workforce planning, and poor engagement strategies.

There are three ways to look at this data. From an HR leaders’ perspective, from the front-line managers’ perspective, and finally, how we change this data for the future.
 

Let’s begin with the front-line manager.

HR: A Front-Line Manager’s Perspective

‘Pink and fluffy’. Largely unwarranted, many front-line managers and supervisors often regard HR as “soft”. The perception is that they deal with people but there can be doubt in terms of the real impact they can make on an organization’s bottom line, especially as compared to the more visible areas of sales, production, or ‘where it all happens’.

However, the big piece that front-line managers often miss is that, as managers of people, the HR department is the one that has the employees’ best interests at heart. For example, when front-line management ignores an HR briefing on people strategy or chooses not to complete a succession planning template from HR because it’s not an immediate problem, or doesn’t want to write an onboarding plan for a new employee (and who later doesn’t perform), the root problem often lies with the attitude of managers to HR and, ultimately, that attitude can flow down to the employee level.

We’ve all heard the term that people don’t leave their jobs, they leave their bosses. This firmly rests at the front-line manager’s door. People leave because they are not valued, not developed, and/or not promoted. Yes, HR needs to provide the foundation, but managers should not only execute it but also value it. When it comes to hiring new employees, are your front-line managers willing participants in the interview process? If not, open positions can remain unfilled and impact your organization’s overall workforce planning initiatives. And when it comes to implementing new people-focused initiatives, front-line managers who simply pay lip service may mean that others won’t believe in it either and begin to disengage.

Understanding the vital connection between implementing organization-wide HR strategies and gaining the buy-in of employees actually performing the work is one that many front-line managers have not grasped. The consequences? Not enough people to do the work and those who are doing the work would rather not. After all, engaged employees will do +20% more than they should, and disengaged employees 20% less. A 40-point shift in what can get done.

A lesson line managers need to understand.

Line Managers: An HR Leader’s Perspective

We are the company’s punching bag.

Line managers are too busy doing what they think needs to be done. Too busy selling, making products, servicing clients, and our needs, which are their needs, are way down their priority list. But they’ll always be busy. It’s called having a job. To not prioritize people is short-term thinking for long-term destruction.

A frustrating experience for anyone in HR.

HR Leaders Becoming Stronger

Terry Leahy was the CEO of Tesco, a £50bn UK supermarket chain. He was famous for the turnaround in Tesco’s fortunes. During his tenure as Marketing Director, he believed that he had all the power Tesco needed to turn it around, as he had the voice of the shopper and with that, no one could argue. He later went on to be promoted to CEO and continued to lead the way with the shopper’s voice at the heart of all that Tesco did. Tesco is now the 6th largest supermarket in the world.

HR is the advocate for all employees, and without considering people, companies achieve nothing. The people’s voice is the one that HR represents. They hold the agenda, and with that voice, they need to be heard. For HR to be heard, they need credibility and influence. The latter comes from the former.

When did you ever see an HR person taking a stint in answering the phones in customer service? Attending a sales pitch? Or working on the production line? Rarely/Never. As it is with most people who work in their own silos and remain there. The reason that HR must be respected by other departments is for two reasons; To improve their business acumen – their understanding of the business, and to lead by example in being people leaders – and by understanding the whole business. With this mindset, HR becomes more rounded, more respected, and has a louder voice. In turn, line managers show more respect, and acceptance, and actually start executing some of the people initiatives that the organization so desperately needs.

HR... it starts with you. Take the lead and take what is rightfully yours - be the advocate for all employees, and make that voice heard loud and clear, earning your place as a strong link in the chain of company performance.

Author Bio

Darren A. Smith is the CEO of MBM. He worked in retailing for 15 years before setting up his company to help others be the very best version of themselves. Connect Darren A. Smith