The role of human resources in organizations is evolving.
No longer simply a business function with which to build a workforce, HR is transforming into a critical strategic business partner responsible for helping companies set and achieve business goals. As Asmus Komm, Florian Pollner, Bill Schaninger, and Surbhi Sikka at McKinsey & Company explain, “HR will be the driving force for many initiatives” to “build the organization of the future.”
That’s why it is critical for chief human resources officers to create highly-effective HR teams of professionals whose capabilities extend beyond the traditional functional tasks required of them. They must now also possess business acumen, understand data and analytics, understand organizational design, and possess a high degree of digital literacy, writes Kristin Burnham at Northeastern University.
Here’s how CHROs are recruiting and retaining forward-thinking HR teams.
Casting wider nets to source the best talent
Finding HR professionals with this wide range of skills requires CHROs to reach past their go-to sourcing channels. “If you always post your jobs on the same career sites, including your own if you have one, you will probably get the same mix of people you always get,” warns HR consultant Barbara Mitchell.
Just as HR teams are doing for company-wide talent acquisition, CHROs are expanding their applicant sourcing to reach a wider range of qualified candidates.
AI-backed software tools allow them to post job descriptions to more sources to reach target candidates. The software can also find people in different geographic locations and at different career levels, such as those just coming out of college or highly experienced passive candidates. The technology is also capable of searching beyond job requirements to find candidates whose complementary skills align with those needed for the job.
This enables CHROs to build more diverse teams with the skills needed to guide the department and the company.
Creating individual career pathways
The challenge of creating a highly-effective HR department doesn’t end with bringing the right people on board. CHROs must also be able to retain that talent. Creating career roadmaps is one way to ensure top-quality professionals choose to stay with the company.
Career maps provide vital information to employees about their value to the company. The roadmaps allow them to visualize their future at the organization and how they can advance their careers, which motivates them to stay.
Career paths are also great motivators for employees to continuously grow in their roles and careers. “They push workers to become better in their current roles so they can eventually reach their goals,” writes Evelyn Long at Training Journal. “This motivation means they’ll learn more skills, gain experience, and seek additional education.”
That benefits both the individual and the organization, she notes.
Offering learning opportunities
Learning is key to helping employees on their career path. Providing employees with educational opportunities so they can develop skills to succeed is a key strategy for not only recruiting quality candidates but also retaining them long enough for them to progress with the company. This is why CHROs provide professional development opportunities to team members.
Mentorships, subject matter expert speakers, job shadowing, job rotation, corporate universities, and virtual or in-person classroom-based learning are all examples of educational opportunities that enable CHROs to build stronger HR professionals, stronger departments, and stronger companies.
What’s most important is putting the employee at the center of these training and development programs, writes Margaret Rogers, VP at business consulting firm Pariveda Solutions. “Help your workers shape their learning and long-term contributions for the better” by personalizing the learning experience.
It’s a big moment in time for human resources. To meet the demands of HR’s new role as business partner, CHROs are focused on recruiting and retaining top HR talent. Widening their sourcing, developing career maps, and providing learning opportunities are key strategies CHROs can employ to achieve that goal.
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