On the heels of the HR Technology Conference & Expo, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means for human resources to be “strategic.” I’ve been working for HRmarketer.com for just over six months and am an experienced HR person with over 20 years in the space, mainly in high tech start-ups at the director/manager level. I’m writing this blog from the perspective of an HR professional, directly to you vendors who are reaching out to the HR Professional.
The last 10 years in the human resources profession has experienced a gradual shift in its ultimate goal: the change from being considered a cog in the wheel (those folks in HR, I know what they do, they process new hires and enroll people into their benefit plans) to a department responsible for strategic succession planning within an organization.
Many years ago, it wouldn’t have been uncommon for the HR department to be the “last to know” when executive management made changes in the organization’s business plan, or even when an employee left the organization. Now, HR is expected to plan in advance for changes in their workforce, instead of being reactive, and to help contribute to the bottom line. Many HR folks are already sitting with the C-suite (and not getting the coffee like I have done in past HR incarnations).
So what’s the point? The point is to anticipate what will be surfacing next as a strategic “need”? What will be outsourced next? Which vendors will be ready for this trend? Hopefully you, the HR suppliers, will be ready (and based on our latest marketing research report, many of you are, especially HRmarketer members).
It seems clear to me that we HR people need someone to help us be strategic. What does that mean? It will be different for each vendor, depending on your market niche. Of course it has been happening in recruitment and staffing for many years already. The best recruitment agencies have been partnering with their clients beyond just filling open positions. They help with the overview, planning, and execution of recruitment strategies. This can and will apply to many more areas of human resources. HR can’t be the expert on everything, that’s why we hire you! So make sure you understand human resources – know your buyer!
If you have any feed back on this post, please let us know. Have a great weekend!
Posted by Dawn PassaroLabels: HR suppliers, human resources, recruitment and staffing, succession planning
