Tips on HR Business Partnering

This is not my article but felt it is a good reading for people who want to know what is HR Business Partnering ...

1. Know what the business drivers for change are. What do managers need to be able to do to deliver what the business requires? What will HR need to do to support them in this?

2. Decide how best to structure HR to support the line. Review how well HR is currently meeting these needs and make changes to deliver what is required.

3. Involve the business and HR in implementing partnering. It is important that people are involved in any changes that take place, as imposed models have little chance of success. We need to understand how the approach will work for everyone involved.

4. Ensure senior management are seen to be driving the changes. This is not just an HR initiative or fad, it is an organisational change and a whole new way to deliver support services to add value in a cost-effective manner.

5. Recognise the impact it will have on line managers. Are managers 'willing', 'able' and 'allowed' to change. You will find resistance if any of these conditions are not met.

6. Be very clear on the roles within HR. Ensure everyone is very clear as to their responsibilities. Wherever possible, ensure that it is the HR business partners that drive what is required within HR to meet the needs of the organisation, rather than the more central parts of HR or indeed line managers themselves.

7. Know how all the roles will work together. Choose some key situations, such as implementing a new organisational strategy, developing the people plan, disciplining a very senior manager, implementing a new job evaluation program or managing a large scale recruitment, and track through with the whole of the HR team, exactly who will do what and where the 'hand-off' points will be and how they will take place. Be clear on the entry points for managers as well as those for other employees.

8. Continually review effectiveness of the model you have introduced. It is unlikely that you will get the model that suits you straight away. Making the necessary tweaks and changes as required will increase chances of long-term success. Include line managers in your reviews.

9. Make sure you have the right people in the right roles. Not everyone is suited to the more strategic role of the HR business partner and it is often down to preference and attitude as much as it is to skill. Put in place a development program for all individuals and roles to help people to meet their career aspirations.

10. Where possible, use virtual teams and align to different parts of the business. By introducing a formal HR business partnering approach, you will have broken the service up into bits. It is important for the line that these areas then work together again in teams to deliver a seamless service for different parts of the business.

(Source: http://www.hcamag.com/resources/learning-and-development/steps-to-successful-hr-business-partnering/113976/)