Today's HR Executive

Today’s Human Resources Executive

The HR Executive of today has to be an individual that not only knows how to run the department, but they must be one who is passionate about driving the business into being #1 in their market. They must be driven to drive cost out of the business. The executive should be constantly be reviewing all HR processes and remove wasteful steps to make them as efficient as possible. The status quo or “we always have done it this way” should never be accepted.
They must also be passionate about delivering to its primary customers, the employees. Employees request should be handled quickly, and efficiently at all times. There is nothing worst for a business than to have employees make a request that either is handled incorrectly or not at all. When the telephone rings it should be answered, if it goes to voicemail ensure that calls are return within 24 hours at the latest. The executive should be one who is very visible within the business, walking the floor interacting with employees, getting to know them not only as individuals, but also knowing and understanding their job functions are.
They must be an individual who not only can identify issues in the organizations, but also have recommended solutions for resolving them. Ensuring that key HR processes such as Succession Planning & Workforce Planning are critical elements for the business that must be seen as useful tools to the business, and not as another HR burden. Identifying and assessing the business talent skills and development needs and ensuring plans are in place to respond to the needs assessment is critical.
They must be one who cannot only source top talent for the organization, but also be able to retain them. Implementing a reward and recognition system, as well as a performance management process, are essential for retention. In today’s tough business environment one must have a strategy for keeping top talent.
They must be a coach to managers and a mentor to employees. It is truly their responsibility to be consultants to the management team regarding issues in the work place, as well a counselor/ mentor to the employee base. They must be seen as one with unquestionable integrity. If employees do not feel that they can discuss issues with Human Resources leader in confidence they will stop coming and the leader’s effectiveness will be dramatically diminished.
The executive must also be one that is committed to driving business results. HR managers must ensure that they understand the issues of the business, the direction the business is headed, and the tools that managers and employees need.
An effective Human Resources Executive is one whose vision and leadership is demonstrated in tangible ways and they are embraced as a full strategic business partner.

The Essentials of Talent Management

It is my belief that the Human Resources function of any organization has the lead role in the business Talent Management Process. The process should have two components: Workforce Plan & a Succession Plan.
Workforce Plan:
The Workforce plan is a process that would include identification elements of the whole workforce. Key elements of the plan would be:
* Age – What are the ages of all personnel? How many are of retirement age? What positions to individuals hold who are of retirement age? Are these positions critical to the organization?
* Years of Service – How many years of service with the company? In their current position?
* Education – High school, college, technical
* Training – OJT, seminars, On-line classes, in-house classes
The outcome from this process will help the organization to identify the following:
* Potential Retirees – Individuals with age and years of services who are eligible to retire
* Education – What is the education level of our workforce across the organization, and what is the appropriate education level for each position?
* Transfer of knowledge – When does an organization begin the sourcing and training of backfill candidates for any position within the organization?
Completion of the process will not only give the organization insight into when to recruit and what positions to recruit for, it can also be a valuable tool for the Succession Planning process.
Succession Plan:
This process should only encompass the top two or three levels within an organization. Key elements of the plan would be:
* Identifying the Key and /or critical senior level positions within the organization. Though all senior level positions may be important, they are not all key to managing the business.
* Identifying the Key and / or critical senior talent within the organization. Are they in the right chairs? Have we identified the developmental needs they may have.
* Identifying bench strength and backfills for key positions. If a position has no backfills identified, what is the sourcing strategy to fill position, and when should it be executed?
* Blockers in key positions – Individuals in key positions who have reached their vertical potential, may still bring value to the organization, even if in another role. How do you handle them?
* Hi-Potentials – Individuals with upward mobility, needing the opportunity perform in key or critical positions. What are their developmental needs? How do they get an opportunity to advance? How do you retain them and keep them motivated?
* Identify other Senior Level positions which are important but not necessarily key – What positions; Who are the incumbents? Who are the backfills? Is training needed for these position (s)?
* Identify key Women & Minorities, if there are none in Senior Positions, who are candidates as backfills.
It is my belief that having these selection mechanisms in place will not only allow the organization to have a talent process which is a living document. It will also demonstrate to the business that HR is a valued business partner.