Stop Complaining, Start Engaging!

According to a recent survey on Managing Change by XpertHR, half of 114 HR professionals surveyed were unhappy that their expertise was not maximised to its full potential during change management programmes. Nearly all (96%) respondents said HR should be involved at the earliest possible stage of the change management process so it can minimise the negative impact on employees. Two thirds said they want to be more involved at the pre-planning stage.  Additionally, most HR professionals feel that change programmes are driven by finances and then presented to HR with short deadlines for execution, as well as, achieve savings.

So what's new?  Sadly this is an all too familiar refrain from HR practitioners and it is closely aligned to the "we don't have a seat at the table" cry that surfaces on an all-too-regular basis.  Part of the problem undoubtedly stems from management who are completely blinkered as to HR's ability to add value other than acting as a bureaucratic mechanism for personnel control and management.  However the larger part of the problem is that HR spends far too much time complaining over a lack of participation from leadership and not enough time being proactive in engaging with the Business on a commercial basis and proving our abilities so that we don't get locked out of the room when the grown up meetings start.

The way for us to address these issues is not hidden, nor is it rocket science.  If we are to be successful, we must find ways to market our ability to think in terms of the total business.  So said Adrienne Talani in 2006.  Her 10 Steps for HR to become a strategic partner still hold true today:

1. Understand your organization's business and financials. Know the key drivers of your organization and the realities of your business.
2. Spend time in each HR staff meeting educating the team about company matters. Be a communication conduit.
3. Measure and publish total workforce return on investment--not merely HR metrics.
4. Be a business partner, not a police officer. Don't make your first answer "no." Find something to say "yes" to.
5. Push the responsibility of policy administration ownership on line management. For example, if HR is told to create an organizational succession plan, offer HR's help in facilitating the task, but point out that management must "own" the task and responsibility.
6. Increase the organization's intangibles--such as integrity, customer service and quality of product--through collaboration, innovation, efficiency and risk management.
7. Develop and prepare all the resources of the organization to perform at their highest level by auditing and creating organizational capabilities.
8. Find other ways to get transactional tasks done to free up HR to work on more strategic, more value-adding activities.
9. Build and cultivate relationships. "Get out from under your desk" and talk to managers about what's going on in HR, Talani said.
10. Keep abreast of developments in your professional area of expertise by reading professional books and articles, attending seminars, and taking classes.

I would also add to the list that you should not ask about people in your first question during conversations with Leaders, ask them instead about how they are moving towards achievement of targets, what are their drivers and challenges.  That way, you are engaging with them on their level and, actively listening to their response, you can start to focus on HR solutions and services that can enable the reduction of their challenges where staff are concerned.

Now I know that, reading the above, you will say you are already doing all of the above and still the leaders won't engage you before the decision is made.  If that is indeed the case, then ask yourself why that is.  Are you really demonstrating a true understanding of the business? Engaging with leaders on their level, not yours?  Focusing on the value add, reducing the transactional?  If you are not, then try harder.  It will change.  If you are doing all of the above and still nothing changes, then you have two choices; wait for a change in management, or, find a company that responds to what you have to offer.  Either way, stop complaining and start engaging!

All the best

Jim