Corporate HR Function – Responsibilities and Limitations II – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1014

Corporate HR Function – Responsibilities and Limitations II – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1014

Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1014 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here.

Credit: Andrea Piacquadio

Credit: Christina Morillo

Credit: Mizuno K

HR – Human Resources Department – as it is mostly referred to, is among key functions in any corporate. 

In this 2-part blog post, I have addressed the following points:

• What are key functions of HR – in a simplified way

• Is HR performing its functions the way it is required to do? If not, what are the limitations?

• What should be done to make HR effective and leading?

Reasons HR is Not as Effective as it Should Be

Ineffective Performance Management Systems

Performance management is often seen as a bureaucratic process rather than a tool for employee growth and organizational success. Traditional annual performance reviews may not reflect real-time performance and needs. This is why most corporates have taken up other systems such as KPIs, where quarterly assessments are done. This reflects the performance over time in a better way.

Failure to Retain Talent

High employee turnover can be a result of ineffective HR strategies for engagement, recognition, career progression, or compensation. HR alone may not be entirely effective in controlling turnover, because most people stay or leave due to their bosses, and they are not controlled by the HR. However, HR can devise ways and means where employees are not coerced in to leaving but are offered opportunities for learning and growth.

Lack of Adaptation to Technological Advances

Some HR departments are slow to adopt new HR technologies, making it difficult to streamline processes such as recruitment, performance management, and employee engagement. Non-adoption of technology also reflects a mindset which believes in living by the old routines rather than embracing change. They will probably be strong in documentation, but not in other HR activities.

Compliance and Regulatory Challenges

Keeping up with constantly evolving labor laws and regulations can be overwhelming, and failure to comply can result in legal issues. I have observed that HR managers do not give clear picture of penalties on violations, which in many cases leads to prolonged litigations, fines, and financial losses.

Inconsistent Succession Planning

Many organizations fail to have a solid succession plan in place, leaving critical leadership positions vulnerable when employees leave. Succession planning is an issue worldwide, because seniors do not wish to develop juniors. The inherent insecurity among seniors is so strong that it thwarts all efforts of the top management to do effective succession planning.

What Should be Done to Enhance HR Effectiveness?

Measure Performance Formally

Along with KPIs, it is important to establish clear metrics to measure HR performance, such as time-to-hire, employee engagement scores, training ROI, and retention rates. This will allow HR to demonstrate its value to the organization and make data-driven decisions.

HR is now performing several core functions, as elaborated in the first part. For each function, relevant metrics should be applied so that reporting becomes more precise. Another way we adopted in a corporate was that every department maintained its log of those things which were related to HR or another department. For example, Marketing wanted to hire 5 staff, so they would log in the date of sending the requisition to HR and the date it was fulfilled. Similarly, HR will also log when they received the requisition and when it was completed. In this way, a regular accountability was created among departments. 

Collaborate with Other Departments

HR should actively collaborate with other departments to understand their unique needs and challenges. This helps align HR functions like recruitment, training, and workforce planning with the organization’s overall goals.

Presently, in many developed organizations, the concept of HRBP – HR Business Partner has already been introduced. An HR staff is posted within each function, like finance, marketing, Production, supply chain etc. The role of HRBP is to settle HR related matters of his/her assigned function in a dedicated manner.

Build a Strong Organizational Culture

HR should lead efforts to create and maintain a positive organizational culture. Despite all efforts, most line managers tend to misuse their authority. Another big problem in our corporates is the silos that all bigwigs make; exceptions are rare. It is not easy to break, but must be challenged by HR.

HR should work to improve employee engagement by conducting regular surveys, creating employee feedback mechanisms, and implementing engagement programs tailored to employee needs. HR should also improve communication channels to ensure transparency and responsiveness. This should also include promoting diversity and inclusion, encouraging collaboration, and creating a sense of belonging for all employees.

HR must focus on building a strong retention strategy by offering competitive benefits, clear career progression opportunities, and work-life balance initiatives. HR should also monitor turnover trends and use exit interviews to understand and address the root causes of attrition.

Include HR in Strategic Decision Making

HR’s role in strategic decision-making should be enhanced and HR leaders be included in executive discussions. HR should proactively present data and insights about workforce trends and how they impact business goals.

And it is not just about presenting data on HR. HR can contribute very useful insights about several other related matters. In any case, the corporate goals are meant for all departments, directly or indirectly.

Invest in Developing HR Staff

The HR is responsible for training and development of all employees, but they also need to build their professional skills continuously. The organization must invest in the training and development of HR staff. In fact, investing in their training shall benefit the whole organization.

HR professionals themselves should also regularly update their skills to stay current with HR trends, technology, and best practices. Keeping updated will ensure they remain capable of addressing emerging workplace challenges.

Investment must also be done in modern HR technologies such as applicant tracking systems (ATS), employee engagement platforms, and learning management systems (LMS). HR professionals should also learn data analytics to leverage workforce data in making informed decisions.

Sum Up

HR departments play a vital role in ensuring the success of an organization. They do so by managing its most valuable asset: its people. While many HR departments try to perform their functions adequately, they often face challenges that hinder their full effectiveness. By addressing issues such as resource limitations, poor strategic alignment, and outdated processes, HR can become a more impactful and strategic partner in organizational growth and success.

Concluded.

Disclaimers: Pictures in these blogs are taken from free resources at Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash, and Google. Credit is given where available. If a copyright claim is lodged, we shall remove the picture with appropriate regrets.

For most blogs, I research from several sources which are open to public. Their links are mentioned under references. There is no intent to infringe upon anyone’s copyrights. If, however, it happens unintentionally, I offer my sincere regrets.