Changing the Role and Perception of HR

The days of HR as a simple payroll processing and timekeeping department are long gone. In modern organizations, HR leaders – backed by countless studies and surveys conducted across the world – are recognizing the growing influence they have at nearly every level, from overall business productivity to employee retention. This growing influence requires a deliberate effort on the part of an HR team to adapt their roles and change the perceptions surrounding them! Read on to learn more about these ever-changing roles of HR teams. 

What is HR's Role for a Modern Workforce?

In a modern organization, HR’s role is expanding beyond tracking payroll and employee performance – though these are still key tasks. In addition, the changing HR landscape recognizes that HR plays a vital role in improving employee retention, boosting company culture, and improving productivity by investing in employee development and continual skillset and technological expansion. Aside from the traditional duties that most HR teams are familiar with, organizations should focus on providing three additional vital services for their organizations.    

3 Things That Human Resources Should Provide Your Company

In addition to critical functions like talent acquisition, payroll management, and compliance regulation, your human resources team can and should serve as a primary resource for maintaining employee satisfaction and employee development, while taking the initiative to use technology in ways that boost your organization's productivity and competency. If implemented correctly, these three additional duties can be integrated seamlessly into your existing HR structure while simultaneously redefining their current roles and the perceptions that accompany them! 

1) Improve Employee Satisfaction and Retention

Countless studies have shown the value of employee engagement and satisfaction when it comes to staff retention. Not only are organizations with engaged staff up to 21% more profitable and 17% more productive than teams with disengaged employees, but 1 in 3 professionals surveyed across the United States cite a lack of engagement as their reason for leaving their most recent position.  

HR teams have a unique opportunity to improve your organization’s employee experience by boosting staff job satisfaction and, as a result, boosting performance and retention. From top-line onboarding programs to collecting employee feedback and promoting recognition for well-done work, your HR team can be a significant driver in these areas.  

2) Utilize Technology and Analytics to Improve Productivity

HR departments are in a perfect position to take advantage of the latest technological and analytical developments in fields like time tracking, productivity monitoring, and more. The key focus here is researching and implementing HR systems that save time, eliminate errors, and simplify repetitive tasks like payroll processing and time tracking. Investing in automated software can free up your HR team to focus on your people instead of your data, all while improving the quality and output of these key tasks.  

3) Provide Leadership and Development for Employees

One of the most vital roles that HR can play is in the continuing development of your organization’s staff. Aside from performance reviews, your HR leadership can and should implement ongoing developmental strategies for staff, including establishing goals and benchmarks for learning and perfecting new job-related skills, mentoring and coaching employees, and incentivizing employee development through rewards programs.  

Once your HR team goes all-in on investing in your team’s continued growth, the leverage afforded by their unique position within your organization can enable them to effectively implement critical new strategies for employee development.  

Your HR Team Must Adapt to the Changing Landscape

Regardless of the size of your organization or what industry you operate in, adaptability is one of the key cornerstones of a successful business. Times are changing, and it's time for your HR professionals to find new ways to leverage their skills and their specialized positions to elevate people, increase productivity, and drive a positive company culture at all levels of your organization. Your HR team plays a critical role in adapting and adjusting to this change, and it starts with developing a strategy that matches your new vision of what they're capable of bringing to the modern workplace! 

How to Improve the Perception of Human Resources

When reinventing a role, one of the first steps to take is addressing existing perceptions surrounding that role or department. If your HR strategy has only consisted of your team managing hiring, firing, tax compliance, and payroll, your leadership teams may have to take extra steps to communicate any new responsibilities that will be dedicated to HR. As business leaders, it’s critical to recognize that overcoming any existing negative perception of your HR team and their duties is vital to implementing any new strategies down the line.  

Engage with Employees Throughout Their Tenure

In many organizations, HR practitioners only interact with employees in a few specific circumstances: when new staff is hired, when staff is fired, let go, or resigns, at performance reviews, and when trouble crops up somewhere in between. Instead, aim to develop an HR team that engages with staff throughout the duration of their employment with you, from onboarding new employees and regular follow-ups to check-ins with other staff. Embrace your HR team’s ability to boost employee relations and drive engagement!  

Promote a Positive Work Environment

Investing in and developing a positive work environment and top-class company culture should be near the top of your revamped HR agenda. From providing opportunities for ongoing training and development to employees to working with staff to dial in the ideal work-life balance, your HR team can play a key role in your organization’s work environment, which can have a significant effect on employee retention and productivity over the years. 

Encourage Skills and Career Development

One of the best long-term HR initiatives your team can make is to mentor, coach, and incentivize your staff to continue developing transferable skills and reaching for career goals. Your HR team can play a key role in several aspects of performance management, including setting up rewards programs for staff that complete additional training, pushing attendance for classes and seminars, and more.  

Consider Outsourcing HR Roles

Some of these key strategies can be time-intensive to set up or continuously maintain. If you don’t see a place for them in your current business strategy, consider outsourcing positions or roles to get the best of both worlds. By outsourcing HR techs and similar roles, you can benefit from the increase in employee engagement, retention, and productivity without overwhelming your current team or taking on additional supervisory responsibilities.  

Horizon is a Top-Rated Partner for Businesses of All Kinds

If you’re in the market for a trusted strategic partner with decades of experience in the HR profession, look no further than Horizon! Take advantage of our top-rated HR solutions to maximize your organization’s productivity while boosting your employee engagement and retention to bring your workplace in line with the modern workforce.   

Trusted Solutions for HR and Payroll

Our top-rated HR and payroll solutions are adaptable and suitable to a wide variety of business needs, no matter the size or industry in which your organization operates in.

Horizon’s industry-leading services can help bring the best out of your human resources, with specialties in talent management, payroll processing, and more! 

Experts with HR Processes, Compliance, and More

We recognize that HR fulfills one of the most important roles in your organization, which is why our services are designed to meet every major need! From full-service talent acquisition to recruitment process design, human resource management, and more, our expert team can match your needs with our industry knowledge backed by years of experience.  

Professionals in the Field for Over Two Decades

Horizon has been providing our trusted brand of HR solutions for more than twenty years. Our decades of industry experience working with organizations of all sizes and niches have helped us build a comprehensive range of services that can accommodate any of your personnel needs.  

Contact Us Today for More Information

To learn more about our top-rated HR and payroll solutions, contact us today for more information.