This might shock you, but the number of sedentary jobs has grown exponentially by 83% since 1950. Meanwhile, only a fifth of today’s jobs are physically active. Reflecting the market change in the world of work, these sedentary jobs vary from low-skilled admin through to the modern tech jobs that have begun to characterise the skyline of Dublin.

But what impact have these trends had on employee health? Not a positive one at that. Some workers are now reportedly less active than the oldest pensioners, with minutes of exercise dwindling rapidly, while physical inactivity has become the world’s 4th largest killer, according to the World Health Organisation. Overworked and under exercised, it can easily take a toll on an employee’s health.

But is your business aware? If so, what are you doing about it?
 
Why You Should Act Now

As Richard Branson concludes, “business success is all about people, people, people.”

Your business relies on your talent – you need to make sure you nurture that talent in every way possible. By actively seeking out your moral duty of care to your colleagues in all aspects of your health, you can do good for your business and our ever-changing society as a whole.

Top risks of your workforce’s physical inactitivty can include diabetes, risking obesity, greater depression and cardiovascular issues, as well as certain types of the dreaded “C” – cancer.

By introducing new measures and taking the time to adequately plan a new approach to getting colleagues to go that extra mile for their own physical wellbeing, you can greatly improve the productivity and reputation of your company.
 
How to Help

• Encourage Colleagues

Adults are recommended that they undertake 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise weekly.

Awareness is key – making sure that your business actively encourages colleagues through training and internal encouragement could make a big difference.

This can also be enhanced by putting in place new activities for colleagues during working hours, for example a lunchtime running club or yoga class.
 

• Meetings on the Move
  

Holding meetings during a walk will get colleagues out of the office and into a fresh space that will encourage new ideas and give workers a break from the four walls.

Before you fret - this isn’t code for another break! It just means instead of sitting, struggling through a meeting and trying not to fall asleep, colleagues can get into the fresh air, get networking and get active all at the same time.
 

• Work Exercise Schemes
  

Whether it’s a cycle to work initiative or discounted memberships at the local gym, throwing such added benefits into an employee’s contract will encourage them to get moving and give them the access they need to ensure they get their weekly recommended exercise.

Not only will you be putting your colleagues health first, but the health and productivity of your company as a whole will be set high on the agenda.
 

• Upgrade Your Equipment
  

People are sitting too much, slouched in unsupportive chairs that do nothing for their posture and nothing for their health.

From standing desks and the use of exercise balls, to more advanced treadmill desks, this can encourage more movement amongst your team, a great step count and a greater chance of improving their health.
 
Walk This Way, Talk This Way

Clearly, we need to get our staff out of their chairs, onto their feet, and moving in order to maintain a healthy and fit workforce as we gradually move into a new decade.

Sending the odd encouraging staff newsletter or putting up posters in the bathroom isn’t going to cut it.

Start walking your way to a healthier workforce by planning and executing effective workplace initiatives and introducing practical workplace equipment which will encourage healthier lifestyles for those that work for you – do it the HR way!
 

Internships have experienced a popular rise in recent years, particularly amongst those career fields such as the arts that lack the funds for full-time, permanent roles.

But it isn’t just the interns that need the experience; businesses are increasing strapped to find the right talent & skills needed. While Ireland remains on the cusp of full employment, this multiple industry skills shortfall isn’t set to disappear any time soon.

Summer is upon us, schools and universities have finished up, and so too are its students & alumni. Why not fill those skills, give young talent an opportunity to develop their experience, and attract your future employees by offering robust and valuable internships? Check out why internships are important for your business, and the pitfalls to avoid.
 
Why An Intern?

• Performance Upkeep

As Summer holidays begin, many of your permanent staff may be looking forward to switching off and catching some rays somewhere for a week. But what about your performance?

While it may only be temporary, if a business is without several team members, productivity can slip and lead to customers or clients becoming unhappy.

Having a trained intern or two already available can help to level off some of this loss, and ensure your business keeps up its performance throughout the Summer period.

• Talent Gaps

On the other hand, Ireland has never been as close to full employment. Compared to 16% when the recession hit hard, unemployment now stands at an all-time-low of 4.4%, according to the Central Statistics Office.

Businesses across the island are finding it increasingly hard to attract talent, with competition driving up wage bills as a result.

Implementing internships can grab great talent early and give your business the opportunity to ‘sell’ and prove itself with these candidates. This will only make it easier to retain this talent permanently in the future.

• Fresh Perspective

Giving a candidate an internship will help them to learn new skills and develop a greater experience in your sector. However, an intern can also provide a fresh perspective and valuable feedback on your organisation from the ground up.

Whether it’s their views on the management model, to the training that they have received, this retrospect will only help improve your business and operations.
 
Pitfalls To Avoid
While internships are great for your business, it is important to tread carefully.

• No Pay, No Way!

Young candidates are growing increasingly weary of poorly paid or unpaid internships as a sign that your business will not offer practical experience, and that you do not care for your interns and the skills that they can bring.

Put simply, people are fed up working for free. In our low-level unemployment environment, young candidates will go elsewhere in their hunt for new skills and fair pay. Offering a reasonably paid internship will reap the best talent and the maximum benefits for your business.

• Poor Preparation

Whether you forget they are coming, fail to have a designated staff member to mentor them, or you haven’t enough tasks for them to work on, an internship can quickly become a boring exercise of administration.

While it might be great to get some tedious databases cleaned up, an intern won’t see it that way. Instead, they will view your business as disorganised and a negative place to work, leading to a poor word-of-mouth reputation when that intern returns to University during the next term.

Poor preparation for an internship will leave you without your skills gaps filled, while the Intern will fail to learn anything new or valuable, resulting in a waste of both time and opportunity.
 
Time for Skills, Time for Interns
The talent crunch is on. It’s time that you use your HR department to address this, seek out the skills that you need and implement robust, valuable internships that will reap these skills and introduce new talent to your business.

​Ensuring internships offer fair pay, a great experience and a valuable opportunity for professional skills development will attract the best candidates that could form part of your future workforce. 

When something goes wrong in business a common reaction is to try to shift the blame. More often than you may think, regardless of the position they hold, employees seek to find ways to avoid accepting responsibility for their mistakes. This leads to many companies having to deal with what is known as ‘the blame game’ on a regular basis. Of course blaming others - or indeed management processes - for mistakes is counter-productive and greatly decreases a business’ efficiency and effectiveness. Furthermore, it leads to companies wasting time finding out who, or what, caused a problem, rather than seeking to both solve and learn from it.

So, how can businesses avoid the blame game and encourage staff not to shift responsibility on to someone else when things go awry? Actually, one of the most effective ways of achieving this is through generating a strong, transparent and supportive company culture. Here are 4 ways in which HR can help create a company culture that turns the blame game on its head and boosts teamwork, productivity and efficiency.
 
1. Promote ‘Just Culture’ In the Workplace

Many industries, from aviation to healthcare to manufacturing, understand the importance of ‘just culture’ in the workplace. ‘Just culture’ – which makes up part of overall company culture - can be described as companies creating an environment wherein mistakes are seen as part and parcel of everyday business. Instead of being lambasted for their errors, employees are encouraged and supported to come forward if they do something wrong.

Businesses and HR departments that promote just culture facilitate honesty amongst employees and ultimately improve a company overall. It is only through employees owning up and having the confidence to face up to their mistakes that companies can learn and build upon errors that are made. A company that ignores ‘just culture’ risks having employees sweep mistakes under the rug, or incorrectly blame others for their wrongdoings, which can have hugely detrimental implications for a business.
 
As business owners and managers will know, more often than not mistakes are made because of bad management or incorrect processes. Harnessing a company culture that promotes admitting to mistakes allows businesses to learn and build upon them, ultimately improving company processes. Simply put, employees are much less likely to make the same mistake twice if their initial error has been openly discussed and they have been supported in rectifying it.
 
2. Ensure Psychological Safety
 
‘Just culture’ helps to foster an environment where employees are more honest and open, and therefore feel more psychologically safe. This is crucially important in business. Firstly, and most obviously, psychological safety of employees is essential in industries like healthcare and aviation where the psychological wellbeing of employees is vital to keep those that use the services safe.
 
However, it’s not just about keeping customers safe, ensuring employees feel psychologically safe is of paramount importance when it comes to the mental wellbeing of staff members. We all know the age-old mantra, a happy worker is a productive worker – and unsurprisingly a big part of that happiness comes from mental wellbeing. Businesses and HR professionals should empower employees to admit to mistakes by promoting the idea that, in owning up to a mistake, they are helping rather than hindering the company. This makes for a more open, happy workforce and more efficient and effective management processes. A win-win for all.

3. Encourage Looking Out For Each Other
 
Employees who feel isolated are more likely to try to cover up mistakes and, if they get away with it, they could fall into a vicious cycle of hiding wrongdoings. Making sure that employees look out for each other is an important way to improve teamwork and prevent covering up mistakes. Rather than making employees feel like they are grassing on one another, employers should encourage staff to assist those that seem under pressure and make sure workers know they can ask for assistance when necessary. Promoting the idea that employees are ‘all in it together’ is a great way to stamp out a cover-up culture and detect issues among staff early on. After all, early detection of an issue is the best way to prevent it from spreading and becoming a much bigger problem for the business as a whole.

4. Educate HR in Dealing with Reported Problems
 
Let’s be clear, mistakes in business are commonplace. There will always be issues that arise and making sure that the HR department is prepared to deal with problems which are reported is crucial to the smooth running of a business. Knowing how to support staff in need, how to correctly report, react and file an incident when it occurs, and how to treat those who have made a mistake in the correct and appropriate manner are all areas in which HR professionals should be well versed. As a department, HR is often the first port of call when it comes to reporting workplace problems – therefore it would be foolish not to ensure that all HR staff are well drilled in dealing with these situations as and when they arise.

Generating a company culture that treats mistakes as blips that are actually necessary for the advancement of the business not only empowers workers to admit to mistakes, it improves productivity and benefits a company in the long run.
 
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We’ve all heard about bullying bosses. More people than you think have experienced managers who abuse their power and cause hurt towards those below them. In fact, one study from the Employment Law Alliance reported that a staggering 50% of employees surveyed had been the target of a bully boss. Whether it be intentional or unintentional, workplace bullying is a very real problem that must be tackled in our organisations.
 
Just last week I wrote an article outlining the important role company culture can play in preventing workplace bullying and harassment. However, the truth is that this is a hugely important topic which can only be addressed by a multi-faceted approach. For that reason, in this post I want to look beyond company culture and unpack how management and HR professionals can have a real impact in helping to eradicate workplace bullying and harassment.
 
Are there management styles that can be adopted to help limit harassment? Are managers currently doing enough? What needs to be done on the office floor to put an end to bullying and harassment? Here are three measures that can be taken to try and address these questions and ultimately reduce workplace bullying and harassment:

1. Educate Line Managers
 
Educating line managers on how to identify, mediate, and ultimately prevent harassment and/or bullying is by far one of the most important ways an organisation can prevent bullying and harassment.

There are two reasons for this. Firstly, line managers are in prime location to spot any bullying or harassment issues that may come up in the workplace. Secondly, the more educated a line manager is on bullying and harassment policies and standards, the less likely they are to commit any offences themselves. Additionally, the better the education around these issues, the more likely managers are to be both sympathetic and empathetic towards those who are victims of harassment.

When it comes to actual material that should be taught to both managers and HR professionals, it is imperative that it’s not solely focused on policies and guidelines (it goes without saying that every company should have clear policies in place). Too much theory is hard to transfer to real life situations and can make people lose focus. Training programmes should include role-play examples and incorporate emotional intelligence in order to ensure that managers are well versed in dealing effectively with their teams.
 
Organisational psychologist, Patricia Murray believes that about, “one third of the time, people are blind to their own engagement in a negative transaction with someone.” If this doesn’t highlight the need to further educate line managers in bullying and harassment issues I don’t know what will.
 
2. HR Must Engage Regularly With Staff

Consistent HR engagement and communication with staff at all levels is a major way to help put a stop to bullying and harassment. HR professionals should not underestimate the value of immediately sending out a message to all employees if an incident has occurred as this has the potential to knock a bullying issue on its head right from the off. Of course, it’s not always that easy and bullying and harassment in the workplace can be extremely complex. It may sound clichéd, but making sure that open lines of communication exist between HR professionals, line managers, and all staff encourages workers to come forward, harnesses trust and shows staff that when it comes to these very serious issues they have someone in the workplace to talk to.

3. Be Open to New Management Styles

Finally, businesses shouldn’t be opposed to adopting or trying new management styles that may make the workplace more open and transparent, and ultimately help to reduce bullying and harassment. Agile management, for example, focuses on a horizontal management structure, with much less of a hierarchy between workers. As cases of bullying and harassment often come from power dynamics and abuses of power, creating a management structure wherein workers are on much more of a level playing field has the potential to reduce incidents of both bullying and harassment. Even minor changes like the size of teams or the number of office managers can go a long way to helping to find a solution to bullying issues in the workplace.

That’s not to say that changing management structures is guaranteed to reduce bullying and harassment – there will always be incidents that need addressed in the workplace. Finding out what management style best suits your business and helps teams gel together most effectively is very important when it comes to reducing workplace bullying and harassment, and increasing talent retention and acquisition.
 
As my last two articles have shown, there is a vast array of measures which companies both can and should be adopting to tackle this pressing issue. HR as a department must take a stand against bullying and harassment of all sorts in the workplace – luckily we are very well placed to make a true difference.  
 
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The recent reports of workplace harassment, especially in the tech industry, are nothing short of appalling.  Some of the biggest tech companies in the world, from Uber to Squarespace, have found themselves at the centre of harassment scandals as more and more people come forward to unveil their traumatic experiences. With a shocking 60% of surveyed women working in tech in Silicon Valley saying they have been subject to unwanted sexual advances, the time for action is long overdue.
 
Let’s be clear, harassment comes in many forms – be it sexual or otherwise – and it is certainly not confined to the tech industry. While the Employment Equality Acts are in place to ensure all employers are obligated to prevent harassment in the workplace, more can be done when it comes to developing a workplace environment that stamps out harassment of all kinds.
 
Being the go-to department for dealing with harassment in the workplace, HR is crucially placed to help companies knock both harassment, and bullying, on the head. Of course there are many ways to tackle this issue – from having harassment policies in place to disciplinary action, however, there’s one aspect of business which is becoming increasingly important when dealing with harassment in the workplace: company culture.
 
So, here are 4 ways in which organisations and HR professionals can promote and uphold a strong company culture that is open, fair, and fosters the necessary conditions to help prevent harassment in the workplace.  

1. Ensure Voices are Heard

Speaking out is often one of the hardest things to do for victims of harassment of any kind. Organisations simply must create a company culture where speaking out about problems or issues, no matter how big or small, is the norm. This relies on HR professionals ensuring that all employees are encouraged to speak their minds and are not afraid to express how they feel.
 
Importantly, what may seem like a small issue to one member of staff may not be for another. It is vital that HR departments realise this to ensure that harassment in all forms is being prevented. Giving employees both the confidence and the platform to talk about issues affecting them at work creates a company culture that promotes fairness and equality. When employees know they have a voice and are being listened to, it’s more likely for them to find the strength to come forward - in turn creating an invaluable company ethos and team spirit.

2. Clear the Grey Areas
 
When it comes to identifying and stopping workplace harassment it is very important that a company, as far as possible, sets out policies that are void of grey areas. This means generating a culture that is always open and crystal clear with what is, and is not, tolerated in the workplace. In turn, each and every employee must know the boundaries which cannot be crossed. One person’s joke may be another person’s insult – HR professionals must always keep this in mind and treat every issue of harassment with the seriousness it deserves. In a nutshell, the clearer an organisations policy is, the less likelihood of grey areas.

3. Keep Check on Positions of Power

Unfortunately, abuses of power are often the cause of workplace harassment. It is vitally important, therefore, that HR professionals make sure to treat all members of staff on a level playing field when it comes to dealing with issues of harassment. Remember, there is a vast array of different types of harassment, which may be hard to detect. For example, not giving someone a promotion due to their age, gender or race, is a form of harassment that HR professionals may not spot at first. So, it is astutely important to keep an eye on the inner goings on of the office, especially the power dynamics, to prevent all forms of harassment. Creating a company culture that bases its management system on respect and fairness throughout its ranks will go a long way to helping stop workplace harassment.
 
4. Promote Diversity
 
Last, but by no means least, harnessing a company culture that both promotes and champions diversity is key to preventing workplace harassment. As businesses diversify more and more, drawing in talent from all over the world has become an essential way for organisations to increase talent acquisition, productivity and profitability. After all, it is only through a diverse workforce that businesses can have a fair, well-measured opinion on the requirements of its customers. Of course, HR professionals need to be aware that a melting pot of cultures and opinions can lead to more workplace clashes and managing this is a crucial aspect of HR nowadays.

Clearly, company culture is not a silver bullet for dealing with workplace harassment. However, upholding a strong company culture that encourages employees to speak up and promotes diversity can go a long way when it comes to tackling workplace harassment. Businesses striving to create the most open, fair and value driven processes they can is no longer an option - it’s a necessity.
 
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It’s one thing being intellectually smart, but are you emotionally smart? This is the big question businesses need to get to grips with when both hiring and training employees. Compassion, empathy, understanding and interpersonal skills – these are just some of the attributes that make up emotional intelligence, or EQ as it is also known. Ensuring that workers have a high level of EQ is vital, not only when it comes to internally managing employees, but also for creating an open and fair company culture, encouraging teamwork and attracting top talent.
 
More and more, companies are appreciating the value and necessity of EQ when it comes to running a productive and effective business. The fact of the matter is that when workers have a high level of EQ, productivity is heightened, teams gel together more efficiently and company leadership is more effective.
 
That being said, EQ can be tough to teach, propagate and promote. So, here are 4 tips for HR professionals to encourage emotional intelligence in business:
 
1. Use Your Head in the Hiring Process
 
According to one study entitled, The Emotional Intelligence of HR, only 30% of companies look for emotional intelligence during the hiring process. Clearly, this needs to change. Looking out for prospective employees who are able to express their feelings accurately and coherently, and are both compassionate and understanding, will ultimately mean they contribute more to your business.

Of course, intuitively spotting candidates with high emotional intelligence isn’t the only way to ensure businesses find employees with great EQ. Companies can always test EQ through performance testing or surveys– however, be warned, results are not always totally accurate and may not correlate to the real working environment.

2. Train Staff and HR Professionals in Emotional intelligence 
 
When it comes to businesses offering training in EQ, there are two main areas which need to be focused on. Firstly, as they are central to hiring, businesses must make sure that their HR Professionals are well versed in EQ. Of course, spotting emotional intelligence in the hiring process requires a high level of emotional intelligence in itself. While HR professionals should have experience in putting people first and therefore have a high EQ, this is not always the case. Businesses should ensure all of their HR staff are on the same page when it comes to emotional intelligence and what to look for in prospective employees.
 
Secondly, workshops, conferences and training days can be effective ways to train current employees in EQ and highlight the importance of emotional intelligence when it comes to controlling emotions in the work place and understanding the needs of the customer.  Crucially, employee training in EQ should be offered to all levels of a company, including senior management, and training could even be considered in the orientation process for new employees.
 
 3. Understand that EQ is integral to Company Culture, and Vice-Versa
 
Company culture and EQ are inextricably linked. Having employees with a high level of EQ is more likely to generate a strong company culture that promotes fairness, compassion and openness. Equally, a business with EQ training in place and consisting of employees who have a high level of EQ will generate a company culture that is more perceptive, understanding and welcoming. Therefore, if harnessing a strong company culture is a central role of HR, so too is encouraging emotional intelligence amongst employees at all levels. As I have said before, people are at the heart of HR – after all, it’s called ‘Human’ Resources for a reason.
 
4. Realise that EQ is About More than Just ‘Soft Skills’
 
Compassion, empathy, and understanding: these ‘skills’ may seem a little abstract and intangible. However, the reality is that these traits are absolutely essential for dealing with some of the most sensitive areas of business. When it comes to day-to-day HR tasks from managing redundancies, taking disciplinary action or tackling workplace discrimination for example, a high level of EQ is indispensable.
 
Emotional intelligence isn’t just about interpersonal skills and having a good connection with workers – it’s also involves making tough, sensitive decisions in the correct manner. In a nutshell, soft skills are often required to manage hard issues.
 
So, a good worker is intellectually smart, but a great worker has the brains and the emotional intelligence to go with it. As one HR professional put it, sometimes knowing when to ask a question is more important than what you’re asking. Of course, not everything in business revolves around emotional intelligence, however at a time when teamwork, listening and understanding consumer needs is more important than ever, it is vital not to underestimate the value of emotional intelligence.

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As I am sure we are all aware, a key role of HR is to monitor employee performance with the aim of maximising a company’s efficiency and profitability. In fact, according to a recent PwC HR Survey, 97% of businesses use a formal performance management program. That being said, HR departments themselves should also understand the need to have their own effectiveness monitored for exactly the same reasons.
 
Of course, it can be difficult for companies to tangibly measure the effectiveness of its HR, especially as the department deals with so many areas of the business. Consultancy, payroll, holidays, sick pay, auditing – there is a vast array of everyday aspects of a business which are controlled by HR, making it really tough to monitor. In addition, with the role of HR continually adapting and updating due to new technologies and workplace demands, measuring HR performance is becoming increasingly more taxing. The reality is, when it comes to measuring HR success, companies don’t know what to look for.

While it would perhaps be too time consuming, costly and unrealistic to analyse and evaluate all aspects of HR, here are a few areas to focus on to see how your department is getting on and where it needs to up its game:

Employee Retention
 
Without doubt one of the biggest measures of HR success is employee retention. Retention rates go to show that hiring techniques are working effectively and HR is helping to find the right fit for the organisation. They also go a long way to indicating employee engagement and happiness in the workforce – after all, the happier the employee the less likely they are to jump ship. What’s more? Employee retention is easy to calculate and can be done regularly, even on a quarterly basis, without the need for too much manpower.
 
As job-hopping becomes more and more common, particularly amongst millennials, the hallmark of a good, strong company might just be how well it holds on to its current talent.
 
Promotion
 
Again, a crucial role of HR is both training and developing staff and providing them with transparent career paths. Therefore, a high number of annual internal promotions would suggest strong employee development within a company and prove that HR’s role in training and mentoring is helping staff climb up the career ladder. Granted, promotion is not solely down to specific staff training programmes but there is no doubt it is an indicator of overall internal company development that is, at least partly, influenced by HR initiatives.
 
Employee Satisfaction
 
While promotions and employee retention are relatively easy to calculate, employee satisfaction can be a little trickier. One of the most effective ways of measuring the happiness of your workforce is by offering your staff a satisfaction survey. Surveys that can be done in private tend to glean the most reliable results, as employees are not put under immediate, face-to-face pressure to respond.
 
As HR is responsible for day-to-day operations in an organisation – managing everything from payroll to mediation to disciplinary action - employee satisfaction is a good measure of the effectiveness of a company’s HR department. The age old saying, a happy worker is a productive worker, is certainly true and HR plays a big role in ensuring this is the case.  Listen to your employees, ask them what they think, and ensure that line managers understand the need for constant feedback from staff – it’s the only way to really know if a company is on the right track internally.
 
Company Culture

As I have highlighted in recent blogs, HR is playing a vital role in creating a strong company culture in business. Companies that exude a strong company culture highlighting values of fairness and equality tend to see improvements in talent acquisition and retention. HR is essential when it comes to promoting this company culture and ensuring that all employees are on the same page.
 
Company culture, however, can be even harder to evaluate than employee satisfaction.  Holding values such as openness and transparency high within a business, promoting diversity initiatives, ensuring there are no gender pay gaps - these are all measures companies should be taking to harness a strong company culture. Clearly therefore, increases in employee retention and acquisition are good indicators that a business has a strong company culture that HR is effectively promoting.
 
While they may be costly or time consuming, measuring and analysing successes and failures in HR, or any department for that matter, are always worthwhile tasks. The trick is to ensure that the business elements which are being measured and built upon will ultimately add value to the overall strategic aims of the business. After all, we can’t improve on what we don’t know.
 
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Many companies are evaluating the role of HR in their organisation. With businesses constantly striving to keep up to date with new technologies and battling the skills shortage, HR departments are finding themselves in the spotlight more and more. For some businesses, this means increasing HR’s role within the organisation, especially at a senior management level. In fact, according to the Great Place to Work HR Trends Survey 2017, a massive 82% of HR professionals cited that the credibility and influence of the HR function in leadership had increased.
 
So how important is HR when it comes to company leadership and how can HR professionals positively influence top-level management for the benefit of a business as a whole? Here at the HR department we have come up with 4 crucial ways HR can and should be contributing to leadership:
 
1. Strategic HR  
 
Making sure HR is well versed in the big picture aims of the organisation is vital, especially as it’s the department responsible for hiring new workers. Traditionally HR has been criticised for being too focused on the day-to-day operations of a business and therefore accused of lacking strategic vision. Ironically, it may be precisely due to a lack of HR representation at senior management level that HR as a department isn’t fully aware of, or up to speed with, a company’s overall goals.

So, in order to gain full insight into a company’s ethos and aims, and to help drive a business forward in the right direction, HR professionals need to have a seat at the top table. This will ultimately develop the skills and knowledge of HR staff while making sure all employees are in line with company objectives. 
 
2. Act as Role models

There is no doubt that HR, as a department acts as a role model for the rest of an organisation. Often responsible for disciplinary action, payroll and making sure workers abide by codes of conduct, HR professionals play a vital role in workplace management.
 
In this sense, it is also HR’s role to keep senior management in check, even if that means HR professionals being unpopular with leadership. In order to effectively carry out this task, and act as somewhat of an intermediary between senior management and the rest of a business, HR must have an influence in the C-suite. Not only is this important internally, it also helps to portray a company as being one of openness and fairness and employees may appreciate HR taking up a mediating role throughout a company.
 
3. Company Culture Creators
 
More often than not we are seeing how HR can help to create and uphold company culture. A strong company culture is vital when it comes not only to attracting new talent, but also holding on to your best workers. HR, through mentoring, training and development, for example, can help to harness a company culture that encourages and empowers workers - ultimately making them happier employees.
 
Company culture greatly influences how your business runs on a daily basis. From flexible working hours to maternity leave to promotions – all of these details, managed by HR, are very important for harnessing a great company culture. Senior management in an organisation should recognise this and give HR the appropriate role in leadership to facilitate the enhancing of company culture throughout a business.

4. Key to Employer Branding

Continuing on from company culture, HR plays a central role in diffusing and promoting an organisation’s brand externally. In fact, when asked what department was most responsible for employer branding in their organisation, 42% of those in the HR Trends Survey 2017 cited the HR department – 12% greater than even the marketing department.
 
Effective employer branding helps to ensure that companies find suitable and talented workers which saves time, money, effort and improves employee retention. Undoubtedly, employer branding, along with talent acquisition and retention, is even more effective if it is done collaboratively between HR and senior management. Teamwork in this area between HR and management increases the ability to spot top talent early and assess the abilities of prospective employees, while ensuring businesses find an employee who is the right fit for the organisation.

Giving the HR department more of an influential role at senior management level clearly has its benefits. The reality is that many of the current weaknesses of HR departments stem from the disconnect between HR and leadership within an organisation. Bridging the gap between HR and senior management is a mutually beneficial undertaking that will result in a more productive, strategic and forward thinking business.
 
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The way companies are being managed is changing rapidly. As the need for greater transparency and customer centric business increases, many companies are restructuring their management system to meet these new demands. Couple this with the fact that the workplace has become more fast-paced than ever - not least due to the rise of digitisation – and it is easy to see why companies are rethinking the structure of the workplace.

One management style which some companies – especially those that are tech based - are adopting to meet the challenges of the global marketplace is known as agile. Agile management, championed by companies such as Google and music streaming giants Spotify, essentially divides a business into small teams of workers that act like start-ups in their own right. Agile centres on the idea that employees should be largely self-organised and collaborate on a level playing field for the benefit of the business.
 
Clearly these types of changes to management have vast implications for HR departments. It is important to note that agile management has many different facets. The focus here is to look at how HR Departments should adjust and adapt in a business switching to, or thinking of taking on aspects of, agile management.
 
So, here are 3 ways that agile management can influence HR:  
 
1. Making Everything Continuous/Ongoing
 
In this day and age, product and project cycles work on a month-to-month or even week-to-week basis, rather than year-to-year. Agile management stresses the need for ongoing, continuous feedback and review of company progress, as opposed to annual reports. Here are three main areas HR departments should be prepared to tackle on an ongoing basis:

- Talent Acquisition:

Instead of hiring once or twice a year, companies are much more likely to hire as and when they require skilled staff. This means HR departments should be constantly on the lookout for staff suited to their business and regularly sounding out areas of the business that might be understaffed.
 
- Feedback:

Rather than providing yearly feedback to staff, HR departments in an agile management structure should be much more ready to give regular feedback to employees. While this may be time consuming, it helps to encourage and motivate staff and make sure the business is as productive and efficient as it can be.

- Training:
 
Under agile management, HR departments should see training as a continuous process, rather than a one off thing. Making sure your employees are regularly well trained and up-to-date in their department will ensure your company is more effective. A key role of HR is also to monitor performance – providing regular training is one way to keep all employees performing to the best of their ability.
 
2. Demands a Concentrated Focus on Teamwork
 
With agile management there is much less importance placed on the individual employee - it’s all about teamwork and how employees collaborate with one another. This means that the HR department must move away from focusing on individual merit and instead hone in on how teams work together, helping to ensure the smooth running of the team as a whole.

Of course this also changes the role of the managers in a company. It is essential that HR departments encourage managers to be much more interactive, hands on, and engaged with their team. HR must preach the idea that employees are on a level-playing field – something which can be hard for many managers to handle. HR may even be required to come up with new roles and methods of assessment that promote cross-functionality between teams.

3. Changes in Company Culture
 
Clearly, with an agile management system, the company ethos will have changed greatly. Having a harmonized company culture is essential, especially when it comes to hiring new talent, and it’s an area where HR can lead the way.  HR should make sure there is a homogenised company culture that all employees understand and support.
 
In addition, current employees may not be used to organising themselves and being given more flexibility – HR can assist in these areas in order to make sure companies get the best out of their staff and ensure talent retention. The key here is for HR to demonstrate that with agile management, leadership takes much more of a bottom-up rather than top-down approach. Clearly this is unconventional and may take time for employees to get used to, however it has the potential to make a company more effective and efficient, while promoting equality in the workplace.
 
Of course, agile management isn’t suited to every business. Companies may well pick and choose the ‘best-bits’ of agile management and implement them as they see fit, or opt for entirely different systems. However, the reality is that as companies look to change their management structure to meet the every day pressures of a fast-paced and ever-changing working environment, HR needs to make sure it doesn’t get left behind. As different companies adopt different management styles, the HR department must be versatile and adapt to any changes in order to stay in line with the rest of the business and remain an integral part of its success.  
 

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