Adding value to HR role - some key aspects

Bob was nervous. It was difficult for him to answer his managing director's query at his first induction meeting -"How can you add value to your position?"

Bob could not answer though he was a MBA graduate from Bradford UK. He had just joined as HR manager at a multinational company in Dubai.

As HR manager what he is expected to deliver? To be more precise, how to be more successful in running a human resource department?

Bob is a young professional who is directly charged with building the system to attract, retain, motivate and develop employees. He is an esteemed member of the management team.

But how is he going to maintain the creditability of the HR profession? What he can contribute and how? What is new in the HR department's function? What are the significant characteristics of a HR manager? What is the profile of a good HR manager?

This is one side of the observation! Let us also know about the type of business and the culture of the organisation. Sure, the success of HR practices depends on the language of the business.

How can HR ensure the ability of employees to get the best possible return on capital invested? Where is the corporate vision?

So first of all, Bob should have the ability to communicate with the senior management in the language of business, ie., to understand the corporate objectives and goals. If a HR manager does not understand the commercial existence of business, he cannot add value to his role!

Finance, marketing and operation departments are focusing on cashflow, income, expenditure, assets and liabilities, sales, costs and profits. It is very rare for HR/personnel managers to think about business.

But one thing they do talk with feeling. Dealing with emotions. Managing the behaviour. Sometimes operation managers underestimate that HR has neither an understanding nor interest in financial matters.

Therefore, HR managers are never invited to sit in on business plan meetings. Later on, the HR manager is told what the role would be to execute the project. At that point, it is too late for HR managers to add value to his role.

The best way to gain competitive advantage is to manage people more effectively. The present scenario in the Gulf affirms that chief executives consider HR issues to be important to their business and want them addressed effectively by HR managers.

This is evident from the fact that more qualified staff are in demand to handle HR matters. However the growth of HR specialists working in the organisation do not guarantee a fair practice in labour.

There remains a strong gap between staff requirement and reality in many companies. It is extremely difficult for some HR managers to change the way people are managed.

Some employers continue with past practices of employing cheap labour, and cutting down the employees packages to maximise profit.

Experiences show that policies and programmes guiding HR functions do not always reflect changing business needs.

Available HR programmes simply assist companies survive the competition, but do not provide any competitive advantage.

So HR strategy is important. Adding value to these practices depends on how the strategies are formulated and implemented.