The Evolution of Human Resources

Shaun Enders

Evolution can be both exciting and intimidating depending on how you position yourself. For those in Human Resources that embrace change, these are exciting times. Deborah Gogliettino from SNHU says that strategic partnership is the future of HR.

How to thrive

To thrive, you must understand how a company works at the macro level. You must understand everything from recruiting and staffing to talent development, compliance and brand stewardship to name a few. It’s also salient to not underestimate the importance technology and the impact it plays in the advancement of employee engagement. HR professionals now have the ability to contact employees, store files and analyze employee performance from a 360 degree view.

So, what is strategic human resource management? Gogliettino says “your job is to build the workforce.” If you think about that statement for a moment, it reminds us how far HR has come from the early days. We now realize, to be effective, you have to look through the windshield and the rear-view, not simply the rear-view. In yesteryear, many employees viewed HR as a complaint and policing department. What’s worse is HR was viewed as a cost center.

Evolve up

Moving forward, Human Resources must position themselves as thought leaders, protecting and advancing the most important asset, employees. We are seeing clear evidence of this shift with titles such as People Director, Chief People Officers or Employee Experience Manager. HR must remove the legalese and think like marketing. HR should enable, empower and create experiences.

Some of you are fortunate enough to work with visionary leaders or progressive companies. What about the companies where HR doesn’t have a seat at the table? It’s time for you to change the narrative. Show the leadership team evidence of advancement through collaboration. Show them your excitement and willingness to work closely with other departments to best meet their needs. You must spend time with individual employees and departments to find how HR can best support them and drive their strategies.

It won’t be easy, but it will be fun. It will be strategic and I bet your passion for your position will reignite as HR evolves for the future.

In the era of disruption, none of are safe from evolving up.

About the Author

Shaun Enders is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Transition Staffing Group located in San Diego. Shaun is extremely passionate about recruiting and developing others to bring out the best version of themselves.