HR: The backbone in business today
The days of HR being treated as merely 'just another function' in business are well and truly over. HR specialists believe that the function has reached a turning point – and businesses will either be ready to capitalise on it or fall behind. Innovation, and the consistent release of solutions to help companies improve their HR capability, is certainly a chief catalyst in uplifting the profile of HR in business.
Traditionally, HR has - for the most part - been viewed as mandatory and its importance was generally confined to a transactional scenario involving the dynamics of supply and demand. Skills required were sourced, incorporated and remunerated but HR was applied if and where necessary. This has changed radically. Today, HR is considered a priority and a game-changer for businesses across all industries. There is a great deal more credibility given to the HR's role as a business driver and revenue generator.
The more the market realises that this transactional type environment can be effectively managed with technology, the more influence HR will have in businesses. HR technology is at the heart of the rapid development and growth of HR.
However, despite the obvious maturity of the HR industry, some businesses have yet to experience the true advantages. HR industry research, including the 2013 Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report, suggests that many organisations have yet to realise the benefits of the evolution in HR and HR technology.
I agree and believe one of the main reasons for this is reluctance by HR to rely entirely on HR technology to perform a large part of the job accurately.
However, this is mitigated by ensuring that the relevant HR technology is acquired and that this is underpinned by a good service provider that understands your business and reacts proactively.
Partnerships have become critical in the HR space
As soon as business understands there are solutions that address the various HR needs, they will get an immediate ROI on using the correct partner with relevant HR solutions, despite the change management challenges.
With any high-growth market, there'll be those who embrace the technology quickly and identify credible partners so that they are well positioned to leverage off the growth. At the same time, there will be those who struggle and will have to adapt or die. The fact is that HR has emerged as the backbone of any competitive venture today and there is a growing need to have HR strategy develop alongside the business and support all levels. That is the reality of the market today and that is the reason why aspects like change management have become critical to any operation.
The HR process and relevant functionality has to be maintained proactively, regularly enforced and always given priority. This is the only way this 'backbone' can be strengthened and offer the support it should.
