Executing a Successful HR Transformation

It’s no secret that these days, your approach to talent recruitment and retention is more important than ever to your company’s bottom line. Increasingly, enterprises are dependent upon human resources to manage human capital in a way that’s aligned with your organization’s business strategies. That essentially calls for an overhaul of your department. Now, that does take some doing – but it’s necessary. Here’s what you need to know about executing a successful HR transformation.

The Issue

Largely owing to the pandemic, human resource’s role has increasingly and dramatically changed. Before, it fell upon most HR departments to simply build and maintain the workforce. Now, that role has leveled up: HR is working alongside leadership to create and meet business objectives. More is simply expected of what used to be a functional tool.

What Does HR Transformation Mean?

Transforming HR is more than simply digitizing the department and being invited to meetings with your company’s leaders. Genuine HR transformation happens when you, HR, becomes a partner in your organization’s business success. That means assuring that all talent efforts are lined up with business goals. And that takes an integration between business and HR. Once that happens, HR is positioned to advise the company on business goals.

For instance, HR can apprise the organization on goings on – trends, stock prices, etc. – in the business realm. In addition, it would fall upon HR to let leaders know whether the company has the talent to pursue other territories or industries. Also, HR would deliver insights about whether work should be performed in person or remotely, say, and whether, in certain situations, people-performed work could be supplanted by machines.

What are Some Suggestions for a Successful HR Transformation?

There’s no one-size-fits-all panacea here, however, there are some steps you can take before you begin the transformation. To wit:

• Put people first. You simply can’t pull HR transformation off sans the backing of employees up and down the organization. Now, no one is saying that’ll be easy. People in general can be averse to change. That’s why it’s important for you to be transparent about what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it. It’s also vital that you get a feel for how your employees receive the coming change. This will help you understand how to guide them through the transformation as well as gain their support.
• Get your leaders’ backing. Senior management simply must be all in. These execs must have your back or it’s not going to work. And not only that, but your leaders must become champions of the effort and lead by example, hopefully resulting in the workforce’s embrace of this nascent culture. So, get your leaders involved from the start.
• Employ the proper technology. Don’t neglect to factor in technology as a key part of the transformation. However, as we’ve mentioned, digitalization alone accomplishes little, as change doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Rather, the implementation of technology should be viewed as one of the moves you must make to ultimately establish a more strategic role for HR.
• Plan before acting. You simply must produce a strategic plan for transforming HR’s role, one that includes what you want to accomplish and why, and that involves all the stakeholders and their roles. You also need a communications plan and a list of all the tools and processes necessary. In addition, you must establish measurable success metrics.

Executing a successful HR transformation is more than a notion. In fact, it’s a huge move for your company. That’s why we suggest getting external help with making the transformation happen. We’ve found that the consultant Mercer has the experience and approach necessary for the customized upheaval you need.