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What makes a great HR business partner?

Gone are the days when HR was confined to administrative tasks and labelled as the 'personnel department'. Today, HR is all about proactively aligning people strategies with overall business objectives and vision.

01 Nov 2023

Catherine Ngo

Content writer, presenter and podcaster

The HR business partner (HR BP) role has evolved. We are witnessing the pivotal role HR plays in an organisation's success, acting as a strategic partner to the business. To be successful in the role, professionals must embrace various approaches, skills, and mindsets.

This article explores how HR professionals can effectively partner with the businesses they support to drive growth and success.

First up, what exactly is HR business partnering?

Depending on the organisation, HR business partners have varied responsibilities in a company. Gartner identified that the HR BP role is actually comprised of four roles:

Strategic partner – develops and implements enterprise-wide strategies to address big challenges
Operations manager – measures and monitors existing policies and procedure
Emergency responder – provides immediate advice and solutions to emergencies
Employee mediator – provides advice and solutions to employee matters

Balancing these four roles can be challenging. For instance, the strategic partner role requires HR BPs to focus on chronic challenges, while the emergency responder role requires the exact opposite, which is a reactive response to challenges. Similarly, the Strategic Partner role also requires organisation-wide solutions (for example, rolling out a new HR Information System), while the employee mediator role focuses on smaller business areas or a one-on-one interaction (for example, handling a grievance).

HR BPs must understand the business inside out

To be an effective HR BP, professionals must deeply understand the organisation's industry, market position, and business goals. This knowledge is the foundation upon which they can build HR strategies that align with and contribute to the business objectives.

HR professionals should ensure all HR systems and initiatives, such as talent acquisition, talent development, performance management, and reward and recognition, are closely aligned with the company's short-term and long-term goals in order to achieve organisational success and sustained growth.

On top of this, as business environments are constantly changing, HR professionals must be adaptable and agile in response to market shifts, technological changes, and evolving organisational needs. Being nimble enables HR to swiftly adjust strategies, policies, and processes to align with the dynamic business landscape.

HR BPs must tell and sell the 'data' story

HR professionals must embrace data analytics to drive their decisions and strategies. By analysing HR metrics such as employee performance, turnover rates, and engagement levels, HR can identify patterns and trends to make informed decisions. This data-driven approach allows HR to guide decision-making that best suits the business needs and optimises talent and business outcomes.

However, it is not enough to crunch numbers. To be an effective HR BP, professionals must be able to collaborate and communicate the data and insights effectively. It's using influencing skills to ensure that the HR strategies are aligned with the broader organisational objectives and that HR's actions support the business's growth and development. Getting the business buy-in for HR initiatives is not always easy, which is why understanding the data and what 'story' it tells is critical.

An eye for talent management and development

Talent is the lifeblood of any organisation. Without people, there is no business. HR professionals should excel in identifying, attracting, and retaining top talent. This involves creating effective talent acquisition strategies, implementing thorough recruitment processes, and providing opportunities for skills development and career growth. It's also balancing the talent pipeline to ensure a diversity of candidates and advising the business where appropriate to prevent bias in the recruitment process.

HR BPs promote a healthy culture

The role of HR is to champion and help drive a positive workplace culture that reflects the organisation's values and promotes employee engagement and satisfaction. We all know that a positive culture contributes to increased productivity, innovation, and employee retention, which is essential for business success. Mental health and well-being are increasingly on the workplace agenda and usually fall under HR's remit.

HR BPs advocate for employee wellbeing, mental health support, and wellness programs. A healthy and happy workforce will likely be engaged, productive, and committed to the organisation's goals.

HR BPs invest in continuous learning and development

As the world is constantly changing, staying updated with industry trends, emerging technologies, and evolving best practices is essential for HR professionals. Continuous learning and development enable HR BPs to offer innovative solutions and effectively adapt to changes in the business landscape.

Over to you

To be a great HR business partner, HR professionals need to shift from an operational focus to strategic partners who drive organisational success. Understanding the business, collaborating effectively, integrating HR strategies with business goals, focusing on talent management, leveraging data, being adaptable, promoting a positive culture, advocating for employee wellbeing, providing strategic insights, and committing to continuous learning are some of the critical ways HR professionals can excel in their roles as HR business partners. By embracing these approaches, HR professionals can help their organisations thrive and achieve sustained growth in today's competitive business environment.