People are the heart and soul of HR.
If you’re in HR right now you have a full plate. Groaning, more likely — and I applaud you for weathering through. Change is happening at velocity, but certain objectives remain the same: build, manage and support a workforce that’s productive, engaged and wants to stay in your organization. Adapting to transformation yet supporting these fundamental goals is turning out to be a challenge. We’re seeing dwindling levels of productivity among employees. Layoffs are creating havoc across certain industries and threatening to spread. Workplaces are having an identity crisis — on-site? Hybrid? Remote?
Growing Pains
HR has grown into a modern and far more encompassing role. It functions as a strategic partner in an increasing percentage of organizations: 83% of HR departments now play a role in broader organizational strategy. And no question, having HR involved as a strategic partner has undeniable advantages for the organization: When HR is a strategic partner, organizations are:
· 1.5x more likely to be highly effective at changing quickly at scale to capitalize on new opportunities.
· 1.3x more likely to be highly effective at generating and implementing new ideas.
· 1.3x more likely to be highly effective at diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Of course it’s also great news for HR, which needs to be involved in the big picture. But in the meantime, HR is also anchored to a traditionally managerial and administrative role, as it needs to be, when it comes to human capital. This duality may be causing its own friction. What HR teams may be losing in the process is a certain clarity around people management. It’s not a matter of which comes first — people or profits (or in the case of a nonprofit, people or programs). It’s a matter of having the bandwidth and tools to ensure we’re about to keep HR’s core functions strong. To be clear, I’m not blaming HR, but I am saying that HR could use a bit of a course correction and the tools to execute it smoothly so it can continue to play this dual role effectively:
So here are my 5 strategies for getting HR back to center, where we can function the best:
1. Pare Down The Frankenstack
I’m not saying don’t lean on digital solutions. Digital solutions are essential to how we operate and HR technology has been undergoing a Renaissance that’s a long time coming. But I’m also seeing some HR departments compensate for being spread way too thin by accumulating a multidimensional array of tools that don’t always integrate with one another, from administrative and management functions to engagement, communication, learning and development, DEI, compensation and benefits, and more.
In trying to keep up with every aspect of the transformed workplace and workforce, we’re relying on an unwieldy stack of applications without ensuring they all connect to the heart of what we do. The gaps between them are bound to cause weaknesses in consistency, fairness, transparency, and communication — and key factors in employee morale and engagement. Integration at its core is about a single source of truth, which is what enables HR to run strategically, be proactive rather than reactive, and be fair.
2. Reevaluate The EVP
The employee value proposition is more important than ever, but it has to reflect the realities of work right now. We do need to improve our employer branding — not to sell an image but to convey a fuller and more cogent sense of who we are as a company across multiple channels and formats.
EVPs should be part of the core of the brand, underlying recruiting, engagement, retention and any talent management functions. It should reflect the overall culture and people who work there, not just leadership. It should focus on the company that is, not the company you want it to be. It should reflect what your employees want and value, not what you want to provide them with. Step into their shoes and find out how they see the company and what matters most. Craft value propositions that resonate — and make them part of your employee outreach. And most of all, make sure they’re actually true.
3. Focus On The Hard Stuff
In February 2023 so far, tech organizations that have laid off portions of their workforce include Convoy (closing its Atlanta office and restructuring), Sprinklr (laying off 4% of its workforce), Twilio (17% of its workforce), GitHub (10% of its workforce), Yahoo (20% of its staff), GitLab (7% of its workforce), Affirm (reducing staff by 19%), Zoom (15% of its staff), VinFast (some “35 roles”), Dell (5% of its workforce), Getaround (10% of its staff), Pinterest (second round of cuts since December 2023), and Rivian (6% of its workforce). That’s on top of a pile of companies, including Amazon, Salesforce, Vimeo, Alphabet and Sophos, that had already cut percentages of their workforce by up to 30%).
HR has had the luxury of not having to deal with that hard stuff as much as the aftermath of people leaving, but we’re in a new era. This isn’t about quiet quitting or any other subtle form of employee dissatisfaction, it’s about being told to leave. Time to improve how we handle layoffs, and find a way to focus on the difficult conversations that reflect consideration, sensitivity, and a work culture that cares. Even more fundamental: perhaps layoffs aren’t the answer: the short-term cost savings may not be equal to the long-term losses in terms of knowledge, engagement, retention and productivity.
4. Focus On The Good Stuff Too
Employees are rattled, and for good reason: the old compact of going to a workplace and then going home and getting a salary is pretty much gone. Certain jobs work that way, but a lot of them don’t. Just as employees find their footing (and let’s not forget how quickly they had to adapt, and did), another certainty is going by the wayside, and that’s being able to keep one’s job. It’s the “party’s over” answer to the Great Resignation: instead of employees being able to determine their own fates, they’re now facing pink slips. Even new candidates are finding out that job offers may be rescinded in these tough times.
No surprise that many employees are now rethinking full time employment altogether. This would be a time to make sure that the employees you value know they’re valued, with digital recognition and rewards programs that feel meaningful and sincere.
5. Make The Mission Well-Being
Korn Ferry’s recent study of some 2,000 professionals found that nearly two-thirds are experiencing higher stress levels at work than five years ago. Among the reasons: more work and bigger workloads, more tensions between coworkers, the need to adapt to new and changing technology, and having to deal with a new leader —a new direct manager, for instance.
Further, stress has a direct and known impact on motivation, which in turn negatively impacts productivity and performance. When you factor in rising stress, the decrease in productivity makes sense. Well-being needs to be fundamental in HR’s approach now — meaning beefed up mental health benefits and a true commitment to inclusiveness and diversity.
Core Values Matter
The moral of the story may be that change doesn’t happen in a vacuum. As we position our workplaces for the future, it takes more than just adding processes and platforms. We need to make sure we’re not getting side-tracked from what really matters, and subverting core values for the sake of shiny new solutions. Make the tools count.
