Why We Should Be Thankful for Human Resources (Yes, Really!)

11.07.23Olivia Hernandez

Do you think of HR as a necessary evil for your company? Or do you see it as a business partner that can support your success and help you achieve your business goals?

Over the last two decades, Human Resources has evolved to accommodate the new work of work and can contribute significantly to an organization’s success by helping it manage its most valuable asset – its people. HR isn’t just about paperwork and policies. It impacts many crucial aspects of the workplace, making HR indispensable to the overall functioning of the organization. This includes:

  • Talent Acquisition: HR can help to identify and attract top talent. By recruiting and hiring the right employees, HR helps to build a strong and talented workforce that can help the company achieve its goals.
  • Employee Development: HR supports the professional growth and development of employees through training, coaching, and mentoring programs. This helps individuals enhance their skills and knowledge, benefitting both the employees and the organization.
  • Employee Relations and Engagement: HR is instrumental in creating a positive work environment and fostering employee engagement. This includes handling employee grievances, conflicts, and other issues that may arise in the workplace. By promoting a culture of open communication and employee engagement, HR helps to improve morale and reduce turnover.
  • Compliance and Legal Support: HR ensures that the company complies with employment laws and regulations, including anti-discrimination laws, health and safety standards, and wage and hour laws. By managing compliance and risk, HR helps to protect the company from legal and financial risks.
  • Performance Management: HR plays a role in setting performance standards, developing effective performance appraisal processes and implementing performance improvement plans. This process helps employees understand their goals and improve their performance.
  • Total Rewards: HR professionals can assist in developing, implementing and managing compensation and benefits programs. This includes ensuring that employees are paid fairly and competitively, providing benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans, and offering incentives such as bonuses and stock options. These programs not only attract top talent but also enhance the overall well-being of the current employees.
  • Diversity and Inclusion: HR assists with diversity and inclusion initiatives, fostering a more inclusive and equitable workplace. This not only benefits employees but also helps the organization tap into a wider range of perspectives and ideas.
  • Organizational Culture: HR professionals can contribute to shaping and maintaining the organization’s culture. They help establish policies and practices that reflect the company’s values and mission, creating a positive and productive atmosphere.
  • Strategic Planning: HR is involved in strategic workforce planning, helping the organization align its human resources with its long-term goals and objectives. They ensure that the right talent is in place to drive business success.
  • Employee Well-Being: HR addresses employee well-being by providing resources for mental health, work-life balance, and stress management. Supporting employees’ overall health and wellness is essential for productivity and job satisfaction.
  • Onboarding and Offboarding: HR manages the process of onboarding new employees and offboarding departing ones, ensuring a smooth transition into and out of the organization.
  • Employee Feedback: HR can facilitate feedback such as surveys to help the organization continuously improve and adapt to changing employee needs and preferences.

Without all of this, where would your organization be?  And if you need help from an HR professional with meeting the needs of your employees, your organization and achieving your business goals, we can be your trusted partner. We also assist fully functioning HR departments, that may want an outside perspective on issues, policies and projects or that may be juggling other priority projects.  Our consultants have also filled in temporarily for HR or Recruiting employees on leave. Whatever your HR goals are for 2024, we can serve as your strategic partner.  Contact your HR consultant directly or our business development team here.


Author: Traci Hagan