As a HR leader for most of my career, I sometimes hear…well let’s say less than complimentary stories from business associates regarding their “ineffective” HR teams. It is very frustrating to hear as of course my unbiased opinion is that effective HR leadership and services in an organization are critical to business success.

In my work, I have had the opportunity to work with many leaders and, even if they cannot articulate it, I’ve found they thirst for only a few things from the Human Resources team.

3 Actions HR professionals can take to be viewed as valued business partners include:

1. Learn & Know the Business

First, know the business. I don’t mean know how things work in Human Resources.  I mean the business of the company.  How does the company make money?  What are the key cost drivers?  What is the flow of work?  What are the financial levers.  How is the company positioned relative to competitors?  Understanding these pieces will allow you to have intelligent BUSINESS conversations with other leaders.

2.  Connect HR Directly to Business Drivers

But of course, know YOUR business as well. You could argue that every HR professional knows their business but, how is information communicated in the organization? As an HR leader, I had to educate my teams on what it was that was important for us to measure and why that information was relevant to the rest of the organization.

For example, everyone in the company will understand the simple metric of turnover.  However, having a conversation with a manager regarding their turnover rate, how it compares to the rest of the organization and trends that are revealing themselves is extremely valuable information.  That allows them to change something in their area of the business.  It makes an impact and as their partner, you are giving them tools and information to make their business better. Do this and make sure you speak their language.  No one outside of your department understands HR jargon.  Speak in business terms.

3.  Support the Business with Solutions (not Policy)

That leads me to my last point regarding changing the reputation of HR from policy writers/enforcers to a solutions group.  Don’t respond by quoting policy every time you get asked a question. Listen to the business issues, understand them, get an indication of the magnitude and scope and offer solutions that work within the context of the business and the culture.

Human Resources is more than a Organizational Function, it is a Business Imperative

These 3 simple actions make a world of difference in how HR is viewed and the value it brings to the organization. I urge HR leaders to challenge themselves, and their teams, to examine if they are valued business partners that drive a successful business (or hinder it). It will interesting to ask operations and business development leaders their view.