HR BUSINESS PARTNER STRATEGIC HR
Singapore - The recession has raised the profile of HR professionals significantly in Asia as business leaders gave their vote of confidence in the importance of HR to the company.
A survey by centre for research and executive education Roffey Park says more than two thirds of 900 business leaders polled believed that their HR added value to the company and it was influential during the economic crisis. Jo Hennessy, director of research and international development, and author of The Management Agenda Survey 2010, says senior executives and line managers are slowly giving HR professionals the respect they deserve. "In previous recessions, HR has perhaps been seen as the executioner's assistant, there to make cuts determined by their line colleagues," she says. "This time around, they are more actively working alongside senior management in thinking creatively around the people agenda, finding ways to do more with less."
Furthermore, there has been a steady realisation of the importance of HR in Asian companies, especially in Singapore, says Hennessy, citing the recent set up of the Human Capital Leadership Institute as an example. When Roffey Park's senior consultant Alex Swarbrick met a group of HR practitioners from various government sectors in Singapore recently, he says there is a "growing appreciation" of HR as business partners. "As HR is seen to add great strategic value to the business, it will gain even greater credibility amongst Asian managers."
This is also reflected in the survey where over two fifths of managers polled said HR has been taking on more of a business partnering role in their organisations. Nearly half of them added that the introduction of HR business partnering had led to better support of business strategies, improved HR performance and improved perception of HR within the organisation. Some ways Hennessy says HR professionals are helping their business peers include finding ways for them to draw on core competencies and leverage existing plus future resources. Gaining the full backing of employees is another top priority for them.
However, there is still room for improvement if HR professionals want to "play a full and active role" in the organisation, says Hennessy. Less than half of the respondents say they felt HR business partners consistently delivered against their expectations.
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