Articles

HR - Business Partner or Business Pain?

The “HR as Business Partner” model requires a symbiotic relationship between HR and the line based on mutual respect and HR delivering tangible organisational benefit.

As Predaptive have worked to support (sometimes design from scratch) this relationship dynamic we have developed a summary that is unerringly accurate in identifying whether the basic building blocks are present for HR to connect in the ways needed to fulfil the Business Partner role.

Some of the points may seem obvious, but it’s surprising how often they are ignored by HR as reasons why their relationship with the line is foundering:

• Quality and accuracy in work delivered by HR

• Consistency in policy application to the extent of being predictable

• Meeting commitments, on time and on budget

• Positioning their role as an enabling one rather than a policing one

• Rapport with all stakeholder groups, particularly demonstrated by being solution, rather than obstacle minded

• Confronting appropriately; time, place, style and level of force

• Integrity underpinning ethical behaviour

• Proactive in generating more than just additional bureaucracy i.e. tools for change, support for action, processes that deliver tangible benefit 

• Using creative approaches to challenge orthodoxies, the status quo and received opinion

• Connecting all activity back to line manager problems and exploitable opportunities

• Confidential and discreet to the point of total trustworthiness 

When these things are present HR Business Partners really do begin to inhabit the role.  

To find out how Predaptive can help your HR function deliver real value to the business contact:

Claudine McClean
T: +44 (0) 1789 734333
E: claudinem@predaptive.com