Fundamentals over Fads- Making a 2X HR Impact

A well run HR function lays the foundation for not only the organisations current success; but a template for the future.

Focus on fundamentals institutionalises long term thinking, ensures purposeful budget spend and an assertiveness in the HR team borne out of expertise. Here are some ideas for the HR Function to make a 2X impact

Develop your HR team. . An HR team not developing itself – is a Cessna pilot asked to handle the space shuttle. If your budgets are small- here are 3 online courses you can run for your HR team in the first 6 months of the year!

1. Learning How to Learn – McMaster University & University of California on Coursera ( Open course/ no fee /small fee for certification)
2. People Analytics– University of Pennsylvania on Coursera
3. AI for everyone – Deeplearning.AI on Coursera- ( open course- no fee/ small fee for certification)

Employer Branding – Employer branding run like consumer branding results in budget spent on eyeballs and events that massage the leadership teams ego. Here is what you can do better

1. Continuous Campus interaction– Not just at the time of hiring – create a continuous interaction through guest lectures ,co-authoring papers , sponsoring research or Projects and /or sponsoring students for merit + means.
2. Social Media is a “Sutradhar” – use it to tell the story being told by your employee value proposition, the culture of the organisation and the behaviour of the leadership team. HR functions which make social media the panacea of all things Employer Branding are lazy and have no story to tell ( read more here)
3. Exit with Grace– Build a proud alumni- who want to be brand ambassadors . Most firms end up making exits as fun as root canal treatments. ( read more here)

Recruitment & Selection

1. Create a talent cloud – If you do not have a strategy to identify roles that can be done by a flexible/ remote workforce or a policy on how to attract and compensate for a talent cloud – you are living in the dark ages. A Talent cloud also creates a more diverse and innovative team.
2. Structured Interviews– The most underrated fast kill in the history of Human Resource . Create a process for structured interviews , train your recruiters and hiring manager and see selection improve dramatically. ( read more here)
3. Pedigree is overrated Pedigree is the little blue pill for all corporate dysfunctions – From Market Share, to Innovation, Productivity or even Cultural integration- there is nothing this pill cannot solve. The efficacy of the pedigree cure is rarely questioned – and HR teams should take the lead in questioning it. ( read more here)

Performance management A modern Performance management has the following features

1. Feedback is continuous and not once or twice a year when triggered by or mandated by Human Resource function. In some organisations like Adobe- the frequency is controlled by the person being assessed rather than the reporting manager.
2. Linked to Development, separate from Compensation– if you remove the threat of award/ punishment ( in the form of compensation) people are more amenable for developmental feedback . ( read more here)
3. Create a business case to pay your best performers out of the market. This can be in the form of monetary compensation Or career & development opportunities.

Succession & Development – Nothing says I care for you – as promoting / identifying leaders from within and developing them

1. Remove information Asymmetry – Too often we reject internal candidates on actual performance criterion while external ones are hired because of “potential” as their is information asymmetry ; i.e.- data available on the internal candidate is extensive and in depth- while data on the performance of the external candidate is controlled more by the candidate and what the executive search team or recruiting team can gather from the market. But both the data/ information are analysed with same weightage by a hiring panel which does not understand the information asymmetry ( Read more here )
2. The best trainers are inside Google found the the best learning transfer happened when they used internal “trainers” . The shared context, goals and culture creates a potent combination. A note of caution here- do not overwhelm a manager volunteering to coach/ train; creating content, training and followups take time and energy- it is upto HR to create this time and energy for the volunteer.
3. A work life balance/ quality is the best investment in Employee development . The best training and development programs can feel like a nuisance when you are stressed and scared that the sky might fall on your head tomorrow

Great teams are not created by chance- Ask us how you can win the war for talent.

Omar Farooq- Founder & CEO AceProHR ( omar@aceprohr.com)