How does HRBP build a business advantage?

In order for HRBP to reach its potential, there is still work to be done on the "business" element. Why is it so hard for HR people to be credible business leaders? Many HRBPs have a real intuition about what's good for the business, but still need to be upgraded.

1. Talent is the key differentiator and game-changer for enterprises to maintain success

HR people have always known this, and business leaders have finally understood it. Talented employees are voting with their feet against employers who treat them as commodities, providing a launchpad for HR personnel working with businesses, regardless of their position, for effective talent approaches that will deliver real value.

When business leaders make sweeping statements, they simply appear stupid, assuming that everyone will comply with the unique role that HR plays in navigating the new environment of employee power and managing the associated risks. Co-create, talk to employees – Counseling must go down to the individual level, and HR needs to get to know employees on a deeper level, listen and engage them. Business leaders look stupid when they make sweeping statements assuming everyone will comply.

2. Put business results at the heart of human resources

Does this rebalancing of employee power help build HR's credibility when HR is focused on business outcomes. A shift in mindset happens when you start from a different place, you can call it reverse engineering, starting with the results that the business needs and working from there.

Tough business thinking doesn't come naturally for HR people. If their core motivation is hard numbers, they won't be well prepared for the job. We can help HRBPs redefine their goals and build the numbers to prove it. There's a virtuous circle – if it's good for people, it's good for business, and vice versa.

3. How does HRBP build their business acumen and show it?

While this is a great place to start, understanding your organization means much more than just mastering spreadsheets, it requires tremendous curiosity and learning from key stakeholders and how they see parts of their business, and how they view talent. Gaining a deeper understanding of the operational and strategic drivers of success within and outside your organization makes it easier to build a strong connection between talent investment and business outcomes.

HR people tend to approach business leaders with HR topics and HR language, and this must change, which makes them think that HR doesn't understand the business.

For business leaders, talent must be analyzed as a resource or operational input. Their world is driven by numbers, and the columns on the spreadsheet need to be analyzed objectively – the right talent, the right place, the right time – so that's what HR has to offer. Do your own analysis, start with the business outcomes and work your way back so you can prove the value of what you're doing in terms of HR

Fourth, establishing a clear link between people and operational results is a core challenge

Employee care can no longer be separated from corporate care. For HR personnel, this connection is often so obvious that they overlook the importance of making it clear: "How you acquire, distribute, develop, deploy, and retain talent is just as important to a company's success as putting the right money to the right business priorities, and that's what HR departments must prove and quantify."

It's a tough job, it's a more skilled job than ever, and those who say 'I love working with people' now need to be business leaders."

HR personnel need to provide a clear link between people input and business outcomes, which requires a level of proficiency that doesn't come naturally to many. Calculating the actual cost and business risk of losing staff is not too difficult and can have a huge impact on discussions, such as those about culture.

5. If you don't get it, you can't give it

To convince others, you first have to convince yourself. Do your own analysis, start with the business outcomes, and then work back so you can prove the value of what you're doing in terms of HR. "Don't do what you want to do until you define your needs. It's a skill that BP needs, and it's important for the function to understand this and be guided by it. We're here for the business – with what, why, and then you can start designing and delivering.

"When a business leader says, 'You don't understand what I want' – you've done the design and delivery, but missed the definition – so you're spinning your wheel and you don't know how it's going to impact the business strategy.

So, this brings us back to the starting point – an in-depth understanding of how the organization works, what drives success, and how this relates to the desired performance of the people within the organization. This must start at the top.

Sixth, the role of the Chief Human Resources Officer is critical – they must lead the effort

In the boardroom, you're going to look at the business as a whole, ask business questions, and at some point, they'll connect with talent and people care. So instead of using HR jargon at the negotiating table, you're looking at it from an enterprise-wide perspective, and you have to be able to anticipate talent and connect talent to numbers, and that's when the CEO and other stakeholders listen.

The entire function needs to be well-versed in the business and work with it – if they don't all do it, then they don't realize what their role is and don't get into their own HR world – focus on where the business is going and upgrade the entire function.

7. The value of the HRBP role must be clearly defined in advance

When the Chief Human Resources Officer creates a clear message for HRBP, they will be able to define projects that will increase the visible business impact. Nothing happens in silos, neither the definition of strategy or projects, nor the execution of those projects.

How is HRBP measured?How often is this question asked?To what extent are HRBP's KPIs integrated with the business's KPIs?Engaging all stakeholders in answering these questions builds clarity and ownership for everyone.

The world of work has changed dramatically, so must our key HR roles

There's a huge potential for organizations to get tangible results from a good HRBP, so we need to know what they need to get out of this role. We've found that figuring this out can prove to be a surprisingly long conversation when working with clients – there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and stakeholders in the same organization often have different perspectives.

8. A new approach to HRBP capabilities

The world of work has changed dramatically, so must our key HR roles. Business Mastery is an important thread in our new HR Business Partnership program, and our research has brought us 5 new features that will ensure HRBP delivers measurable results.

9. Everyone in the HR department must see themselves as BPs

Entire functions need to be well-versed in and work with the business, and if they don't all do that, then they don't realize what their role is – don't get into your own HR world – focus on where the business is going and upgrade the entire function.

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