Free Essay Sample: Human Resources as a Strategic Partner

Human resource departments have always been tasked with business process, placement, and authority. These have been used to ensure that they are working as strategic partners. I was only limited to HR working administratively through their provision of support, regulation of activities and implementation of various activities within the organization. I thought that they are only involved in addressing issues such as payroll, leaves, and insurances. However, human resources need to be more organized to ensure that they work at corporate levels. I have realized that there are more metrics as well as analytics that ensure they impact various programs leading to business goals. Additionally, human resources also ensure an improvement of human capital decisions of all leaders within an organization to reach a higher level of functional expertise of the business (Jaros, 2010). Human resources also need to establish various teams especially those with similar talents.

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Presently, HR departments are becoming strategic partners. At their line of duty, they become responsible for various tasks including choosing strategic options, designing organization structure as well as its support strategy, and finally developing acquisition chances. To be active strategic partners, they utilize their skills, activities, and the firm's design concepts in various strategic areas. HR professionals focus more on future challenges as well as business opportunities hence, ought to exhibit some qualities. HR needs to show patience, business acumen, critical thinking, have self-discipline, and be fair always. These qualities enable them to have various functions such as talent development, networking, and protecting the firm.

Human resources enhance talent development by creating an inclusive environment, enhancing team building, monitoring employee activities, and in serving as business partners. HRs work to ensure no discrimination in the workplace, various misconduct types and other hindrances towards meeting the set goals. Besides, they also create the desired corporate culture by monitoring employees through building specific programs for the organization (Chow, 2012). Through finding employee feedback and enhancing their satisfaction, they can solve any particular challenges while creating a good working environment (Conway, & Monks, 2008). Additionally, Human Resources create networking opportunities by identifying employees with talent and gathering them to a shared pool. Through talent, the organization's strategic goals can be met effectively more than looking for employees who are versed in particular fields of interest.

Finally, human resources work as strategic partners by protecting the company. Various meetings made can identify gaps in privacy laws, some set tax obligations, and other issues that could breach the organization's obligations. Human resources protect the company by ensuring that they address negative behavior and monitor the operations set for them. They also set inventories to prevent the repetition of unruly behaviors hence, work towards meeting organizational goals.

In my career, I will ensure that I aim at being a strategic partner through talent development, organization protection, as well as enhancing networking. I will make more decisions by incorporating HR skills and knowledge into the strategies for being a strategic partner. I will also incorporate various skills including the knowledge regarding organizational design, metrics, and business strategy since increasing investment in the HR competency level can help place them as strategic partners. Since the function of HR goes beyond administrative issues, I will participate more in the strategy formulation stage and partner with other stakeholders in creating plans that can lead to clear business goals. Besides, ensuring that HR works as strategic partners is dependent on capability and information (Boudreau & Ramstad, 2008).

References

Boudreau, J. W., & Ramstad, P. M. (2008). Beyond HR: The new science of human capital. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Chow, I. (2012). The role of implementation and organizational culture in the HR-performance link. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(15), 3114-3132.

Conway. E & Monks, K. (2008). HR practices and commitment to change: An employee-level analysis. Human Resource Management, 18(1), 72-89.

Jaros, S. (2010). Commitment to organizational change: A critical review. Journal of Change Management, 10(1): 79-108.