Human Resources Is Redefining Itself
My friends over at Namely got my attention with their latest campaign. It’s about redefining Human Resources.
This isn’t about another tech vendor trying to redefine a category. Or, about anyone telling HR they need to change. It’s really an observation of the change they see taking place and facilitating a much needed conversation in the industry. In fact, they’re asking everyone to share their definition of Human Resources and its value (instructions here), and then they will in turn share it with the world.
I see a new HR emerging, too.
In fact, I would say it’s a revolution of sorts. It used to be that we looked to large employers for innovation in HR. But, as I’ve engaged with employers in what we like to call the middle market, I’m finding that they’re leading the way in innovation. It makes sense. They’re more agile and nimble than their larger counterparts. However, they’re no less complex. They have remote teams and global offices. They’re leveraging the contingent workforce, and they’re leveraging HR data in strategic ways.
Like Namely, I pay a lot of attention to employers with between 50 and 5,000 employees. It’s where I’m seeing the promise of strategic HR being delivered more consistently. It’s where HR is too close to the business to be anything but “people first”. It’s where HR’s impact isn’t just measured, it’s felt.
The new HR is the business of getting work done. It’s the business of collaborating. The business of people. The business of alignment. The business of feedback. The business of caring. The business of leading. The business of coaching.
The new HR understands that they can’t be everywhere at all times. So, they enable and support their managers to be effective. They advocate for employees. And, they look out for the company culture.
It’s an exciting time to be in HR. The way we work is changing fast, and Human Resources is changing with it.
Contribute your definition of HR to the conversation here.
I’m honored to have a bird’s eye view to the redefinition.
In the spirit of full disclosure: Namely is a LAROCQUE, LLC client.