Have you been asked to deliver a Human Resources Strategy to management? But you’re not sure where to even start? Our top tips for HR Strategy will kickstart your people plan. And help you create something which will drive your business forward.
Not everyone is naturally strategic in their thinking. And many HR courses and qualifications will focus on the practical disciplines required. So you may find yourself challenged in a new role to suddenly deliver a key business strategy in a coherent and professional way, without any real preparation.
We work with a wide range of clients across the UK to set effective HR strategies. And from our experience in creating processes which meet business and commercial objectives, we’ve compiled our top tips to help you.
Our Top Tips for HR Strategy:
Involve Your People:
Too many strategies are still written in the HR Director’s office. Then we wonder in 3 years time why we are still losing staff.
Take Stock Of The Current Situation:
To set a direction and strategy you need to know where you are today. So gauge your culture and understand what you do well, and where you need to invest your time. Engagement needs to be independent and not managed internally.
Combine The 3 Key Stakeholders:
It’s a tripartite relationship. Get feedback from your staff, your business and HR. And put it together in a visible way.
Prioritisation:
This can be challenging for any business strategy. We suggest value mapping what is feasible, and what will have impact on the bottom line, to help you come up with your strategic objectives.
Don’t navel gaze:
Every suggestion you have that is internally facing you may wish to put on the “day to day list”.
Be More Strategic:
Any mention of policy, processes etc should be questioned. What will help grow the business? And increase bottom line profitability?
Tell the story:
Explain where you do want to be and how do you want the culture to feel (in words). This is the strategy part. It’s more than an action plan.
Get Business Agreement:
Make sure you get your business to agree the priorities and sign off on them. If you’re asked to add more to your strategy, then make sure you respond by removing something in turn. Don’t allow an increased scope and expanding workload set you up to fail from the start.
Timing:
Too often you can get hung up on being very focused only on the long term. Priorities and businesses can change rapidly. So keep the strategy short-to-mid-term, and set the actions annually.
Communication:
Make sure you’re communicating clearly and regularly to both employees and your business about what is resulting from their feedback. A great HR strategy will have a clear action plan which puts managers and staff as the people to implement new processes. It should be the responsibility of everyone to deliver the people section of the business plan.
Need More HR Strategy Support?
Hopefully our Top Tips for HR Strategy will reduce any fears you have. And help you to start developing your people plan. But if you do need more support or guidance to build an effective Human Resources Strategy which works for your business, then please get in touch.
