Does your business need an HR Thought Partner?
Human Resources is a crucial function in any organization, regardless of the size, because of the responsibility related to supporting those driving the business to success…. the people. People are important to your organization, making HR critical to the business function of your company. As a business owner, more than likely your specialty is the industry that you’re in, the product or service you provide and not necessarily HR, and that’s okay! That’s why it’s important to have the right HR resources in place so that there are proactive and supportive measures to protect the business and the people.
We are going to explore what it means to be an HR Thought Partner and why it is important to your company.
What is an HR Thought Partner?
An HR thought partner is someone who collaborates closely with business leaders to understand their goals and challenges, to provide strategic guidance on how to achieve them through effective people management. This role requires a deep understanding of business, as well as a strong foundation in HR principles and practices. The HR thought partner can provide insights and recommendations to help the organization make informed decisions as it relates to people.
It's also a sounding board and someone to be able to bounce ideas off in a safe and productive way.
Why is an HR Thought Partner important to my company?
Having an HR thought partner for companies that have an HR department of one allows for the solo HR practitioner to collaborate with third party HR professionals and get a second opinion on challenging employee situations. This is important because some decisions are very difficult to make as an HR professional when we are balancing the impact on the business, ensuring compliance but also the human impact to employees. Having someone to consult with can really provide comfort and ease to ensure that all components are considered with someone in the same field and has the same level of understanding.
Engaging with an HR thought partner can also allow for an improvement in the employee experience. The focus of an HR Thought Partner is to ensure HR policies and practices are aligned with business goals to enhance the employee experience which can boost engagement, retention, and recruitment.
The best part about an HR Thought Partner? It can drive innovation. That’s right, INNOVATION! When business leaders and HR are aligned, the HR Thought Partners is an outside party that can think outside of the box and be creative with new opportunities and solutions that can drive business success.
Win – Win! Isn’t that what everybody wants? We know we do.
