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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Creators of the Egyptian pyramids understood teams, as did every military leader in recorded history, which is why it’s rather astonishing that the concept of teamwork in business is so recent. Anyone who is interested in history will know that the term “teamwork” wasn't really used in the organisational vernacular until the 1970s. It’s not known why it appeared so late, perhaps the turbulent economy or the shattering of social unity caused researchers to look into why some teams fail and others succeed.

It has been said that two large pizzas should be enough to feed a team. The most popular reasons for using the two-pizza rule is that as well as keeping teams agile and responsive, when teams comprise of a dozen people or less, each member is more likely to care about the others, and are more likely to share information.

As teams scale up, unity tends to come apart. At 100 people or more, team members may get on with each other but they aren't as likely to care about their roles and helping them out to complete a task.

Building an excellent small business team is about more than just employing the correct people. It's important to inspire your team with a vision, nurture their individual talents whilst appreciating their dynamics as a team. A business succeeds when employees invest in its success, so take a read through my tips below to ensure you choose the right people to succeed with:

Be a Thought Leader

Top talent doesn't work for average companies with ineffective brands. The more a company can be positioned as an authority in its industry, the more talent will naturally be attracted to working for it. Thought leaders in an industry share expertise with others, which in turn indicates to potential hires that the company is respected within its field.

Don’t Settle for Mediocre

Employers have a habit of often settling for the first run-of-the-mill person they hire, which in turn, can lead to weaknesses within a team. Once it becomes apparent that a member of the team is performing at a mediocre level, it’s essential to discuss the challenges they are facing as well as letting them know that is there is support for them to do better. If there’s no improvement within a few months, it’s time to find a new person for the team.

Forget the Money…at First

People who have passion for the company they wish to be a part of should be strongly considered when hiring, especially if money is not their number one priority when accepting a job offer. It’s important for employees to be interested in the success of the business, and if all they see are euro signs, their hearts may not really be in it.

Trust is Crucial

An employee may be highly intellectual and work hard, but if there is little or no trust in the working relationship, it’s advisable to let the employee go. Daily operations generally become negatively affected if untrusted employees remain in a workplace.

Personal Lives are Important

We all have personal lives and it is important to recognise employees’ lives outside the workplace. Celebrating team members’ significant moments, such as birthdays or weddings, and supporting them through giving necessary time off, helps build loyalty with them, and they often pay it forward with other members of the team.

Diversity Brings Innovation

Diverse thinkers aid in building a strong team. A range of sexes, ages and races often make a team think outside the box and solve problems from many different viewpoints.

Maintain Systematic Processes

Once success has been achieved in a particular space, it is necessary to create a process that mimics that success time and time again. Whether it is through using check lists in the workplace or adopting the same successful approach for different clients, the process increases the effectiveness of a team.

Use People’s Strengths

Employees have both strengths and weaknesses, both of which should be recognised and considered. Each team member should spend time using their skills to the best of their advantage, but weaknesses should be improved upon to create a skilled all-round employee.

Great Teams Read

It’s a well-known saying that ‘leaders are readers’, so to create leaders within a team, they should consistently read. Try to share articles and books amongst the workplace to keep on top of upcoming trends and stimulate strategic thinking.

Invest in Your First Five Employees

Training should be invested into all staff, however when more time is spent training the first five employees, less time is invested in training employees who join the company at a later date. Time needs to be reserved to assist team members and to prepare them to demonstrate the same support to further employees as the company expands.

It’s OK to Be Friends

More often than not, co-workers spend more time with each other in the workplace than they do with family in general. Getting on with team members creates a positive working environment whilst also increasing performance levels. As long as targets are being hit and people are being held accountable, it shouldn’t be unusual to manage a team that is made up of friends.

Give Recognition

Recognising employees when they do something extraordinary not only gives them a sense of accomplishment; it inspires other team members to make the effort to also go above and beyond their normal duties.

It takes time and effort to put together a dream team, but using the above strategies, an amazing team of brilliant employees is most definitely attainable. Remember that scale can hurt focus. The greatest leaders keep their teams small and bright.



The contents of this article are necessarily expressed in broad terms and limited to general information rather than detailed analyses or legal advice. Specialist professional advice should always be obtained to address legal and other issues arising in specific contexts.

People change jobs for a wide variety of reasons, and in the majority of cases, leave a role with a very positive outlook of their previous employer. In recent years, it has become more popular for employees to return to a workplace they may have left to seek employment elsewhere, in turn, being labelled as ‘boomerang employees’.

Hiring a boomerang employee generally has a high returns on recruiting investment, as the cost to re-hire a boomerang employee can be a third to two thirds of the cost of hiring a new employee.  However, whilst there are benefits to re-hiring a previous employee, there are also some drawbacks.  Companies should always have a rehire policy set in place for potential reappointment of past employees.

Boomerang employees generally fall into the below categories:

• Top performers who voluntarily left
  
• Employees who were in key positions
  
• Valuable workers with key skills, contacts, or experience
  
• Promising interns who failed to return
  
• Retirees who may have realised they weren't ready to retire
  
• Top finalists who accepted another job
  
• Long-term consultants or contractors
  

So what are the benefits and drawbacks of employing past members of your staff? The drawbacks are simple:

1. Employees can potentially return with baggage they left with, including any bad habits they may have formed on the job.
   
2. Returning employees may not get along well with employees that have been hired in their absence.
   
3. Employers have to fully consider the position that the rehired employee will assume. The workforce dynamic may have changed, such as a former junior employee being higher up the ladder than the boomerang employee.
   

The benefits of rehiring past employees far outweigh the drawbacks for most businesses:

1. Often when an employee re-joins a company, there is no need to train them like one would with a brand new employee. It may be necessary to give some training on new policies or projects, however in general re-hiring turns out to be less expensive and time consuming than hiring a new individual.
   
2. During a boomerang’s absence, there is also a good chance that they may have learnt new skills and strategies, achieving success in a different situation. They will have likely made new connections and expanded their network which in turn is a bonus to your company.
   
3. There are no recruiting costs with a boomerang employee which means employers know their skill set and have no need to hire an agency to recruit on their behalf. This also saves on time, as it is often the case that companies hire new employees only to find out they are just not what they seemed.
   
4. Boomerang employees can be valuable to an organization because they already understand procedures and the culture within the business. They also know the habits of other employees and structures which have been put in place. The procedures are familiar and so it becomes a benefit to the business, whilst also potentially bringing a fresh perspective from the outside.
   
5. Generally when a company rehires a previous employee, loyalty from that employee increases. This may be because they have seen other business practices and realised they weren't all they seemed. The boomerang employee finds that they want to come back where they prefer it, and in turn becomes more loyal to the company and the employers that they work for.
   

Hiring boomerang employees shouldn't be the chosen strategy due to it being cheap and easy - the decision to re-hire an employee should be based on a good role fit and that the employee has the right skills for the right job. Not every employee who voluntarily left is a positive candidate for bringing back into the company.

Consider the below if deciding to hire boomerang employees:


Stay in Touch

It can sometimes be tough to accept that a top employee has decided to move on, and often personal feelings can get in the way of professional decisions. If the employee has a good track record then an employer should offer to be a reference for any future opportunities they may have. Employers should keep in touch with past employees and make sure to catch up a couple of times a year. It is important to keep their contact details on file and keep them in the loop with company announcements via email. Even if the employee isn't re-hired, they could potentially be a new client or refer someone to the business due to positive relationships with the company.


Be Thorough when Rehiring

Boomerang employees that only left the company a few months prior don’t necessarily have to be re-interviewed and quite often, simply having a conversation with the leadership team will suffice. However, for those that have been gone for more than a year, a formal interview process is beneficial, as company factors may have changed after a year — staff, culture, processes, etc.

Within any company, employers aim to ensure they are hiring the most qualified people and so it is important to approach potential rehires in the same way as unknown candidates. Focusing on positive performance records, in any company they have been hired with, as well as professional references, along with skills tests if needed, ensures their knowledge and abilities are up to standard.

The formal interview also enables a company to revisit the employee’s exit interview and look at their reasons for leaving in the first place. Any previous issues mustn't be overlooked, because chances are if they felt it once, they can feel it again. Asking questions such as "What do you think you can offer our company now that some of our priorities and service goals have changed?" confirms that the employer is not taking the re-hiring process lightly.


Debrief Returning Staff

As touched on in the previous point, if a boomerang employee has been out of the returning work place for a considerable amount of time, they may need to be brought up to speed on new structures within the company. The person who they report to may have changed, or if they are being hired for the position they held before, certain responsibilities may have changed. Employers must encourage a returning employee to ask questions and provide them with a go to person in their department who can offer assistance if need be.

Boomerang employees may need to be retrained. At this stage of re-employment, managers should be over communicating with the employee as well as ensuring that they know there won’t be any special treatment.


Prepare Current Staff

As soon as the decision is made to rehire an employee, team members must be told immediately to avoid upsetting existing, loyal staff as well as allowing an employer to be notified of any potential hesitations or concerns. Managers should work especially closely with the group of employees to which the boomerang employee is returning and ensure that there is open and honest communication within the workplace.


Monitor Progress

Often, boomerang employees are reluctant to ask for assistance when they need it, for fear their employer will question the decision to bring them back. To ensure the employee is happy, managers must check in regularly to show interest in their progress and ask of any concerns they may have.

Transitioning back into an organisation may be slightly uncomfortable at first for boomerang employees, especially if there's been a lot of restructuring or staff changes since they left. Being considerate to returning employees’ needs can lead to them adapting more quickly and feeling positive about starting with the company again.

In an age where specific skills are increasingly limited, it is irrational to believe that departure from a company has anything to do with lack of loyalty. Individuals with the most valuable skills are always offered new opportunities, and if a valued employee accepts another position, due to flexible work arrangements, higher pay or growth opportunities, it could be seen as the employer’s fault for failing to retain the employee, and not the employee’s fault for taking advantage of market conditions. Rehiring former employees who have the skills a company needs is not only the right thing to do, it’s good for business.



The contents of this article are necessarily expressed in broad terms and limited to general information rather than detailed analyses or legal advice. Specialist professional advice should always be obtained to address legal and other issues arising in specific contexts.

The job of human resources has been developing for some time, with HR having become a strategic collaboration with daily business policies. Human resources can be helpful for much more than simply processing payroll or handling the open enrolment season once a year, and now regularly contributes to significant business decisions, advise on critical transitions, and develop the value of the employees.

In any company, HR should be responsible for the following outcomes:

• Strategy Execution
  
• Administrative Efficiency
  
• Employee Contribution
  
• Capacity for Change 
  

Through delivering these outcomes, HR should also play the following corresponding roles within a business:

• As a strategic partner working to support business strategy
  
• As an administrative expert working to develop organizational procedures and provide basic HR services
  
• As an employee supporter, listening and responding to needs of employees
  
• As a change representative to manage and change processes to enable an increase in the effectiveness of the organization
  

Instead of focusing on one area to another within the company, HR should deliver value to all divisions of an organisation.

When considering working with a HR person, consider hiring people who will be successful business partners, strategic thinkers, and people who will understand the pressures of running an effective business in today's market. It is also important to note that HR leaders are often in a distinctive position regarding the insight they can bring to the table, which should not be confined to a traditional HR agenda. It is imperative to push conversation around business direction, where to capitalise in resources and top level talent issues, such as leadership development and the talent pipeline.

There are some common steps and activities that will increase the likelihood of success with incorporating HR into your organisation:


Strong HR Leadership

As with any major adjustment, a strong leader can develop a clear vision, motivate others to share that vision, and help them work toward achieving it. In order to alter the role of HR in a business, the HR leader will need to work both within the HR team and with the company leaders to restructure expectations of what HR can and will deliver. The realisation of the change will depend on HR's capability to meet the requirements of the organisation and the credibility it develops.


Future Positioning

One way that HR can provide valuable knowledge is by understanding how changing environmental, organisational, and personnel factors will likely influence the business, foresee the associated HR needs, and be prepared to provide suitable solutions to meet those needs. By sustaining emphasis on workplace developments, HR can prepare to evaluate the impact that particular changes are likely to have on a company’s staff and processes and be equipped to work with business leaders on deciding how to respond to being ahead of the curve, not behind it.


Flexibility and Creativity

An HR group that is effective will likely be one that is receptive to the varying requirements of its client. Awareness and response to the changing world of work will involve being flexible as needs and priorities will change alongside any organisational transformations. In addition, traditional processes may not be adequate to meet unique needs of the future, and so HR leaders will likely rely on the creativity of their teams to achieve effective results. Increasing globalization of various markets will require both flexibility and creativity as businesses strive to succeed in new locations with a new workforce.


Delivering Value

HR is often still wrongly perceived as simply a non-revenue generating function. It is important to see the value provided by working with the HR management team to hire the right people, manage them well, pay them appropriately, and build a working environment that encourages success.

The answer to why human resources is important is not simple, however, understanding the advantages of strategic HR will assist you in determining whether in-house HR, outsourced HR or a combination of both suits your company’s needs.



The contents of this article are necessarily expressed in broad terms and limited to general information rather than detailed analyses or legal advice. Specialist professional advice should always be obtained to address legal and other issues arising in specific contexts.