Your 3-Step Roadmap for HR Success in 2011

January 7th, 2011

Recognizing how to best manage your most valuable asset - your human resources - will be the differentiator between success and failure in 2011 and beyond

 

In 2010, The Workforce Consultants conducted a survey of the organizations listed on the Profit 100:  Canada's fastest growing companies.  In order to be listed on the Profit 100, organizations are assessed and ranked according to criteria such as revenue, growth percentage and profit margin.  The purpose of the survey was to determine what successful organizations are doing within the HR field and where they see themselves heading in the future.  Bottom line:  they recognize their mission is to review, reinvent and realize.

 

The Profit 100 Survey revealed a 3-Step Strategy for HR Success:

 

STEP 1:  According to Canada's fastest growing companies, putting the human resource function at the executive table is a first step towards getting the results businesses need.  Long gone are the days when HR was solely a function that existed to handle complaints and paperwork.  Today's HR function looks and acts very differently.  HR must be considered a true partner with the business in driving results.

  

STEP 2:  The second step involves a trend we are seeing with increased frequency: HR Outsourcing.  The survey of Canada's fastest growing companies has revealed that outsourcing is commonplace within top-tier organizations and vital to the survival of business operations. If someone else can do it better for cheaper, you lose out by doing it yourself.  Substantial outsourcing benefits include having access to expertise on an "as needed" basis rather than permanent staff and providing access to the latest and greatest in terms of knowledge, skills and abilities that would otherwise not necessarily be available.  Top areas currently being outsourced include all aspects associated with recruitment, training and management coaching.

 

STEP 3:  Communication is Key.  Interpersonal relationship building, collaboration and communication were highly prized amongst Canada's most successful companies.  Communication is critical every moment of every day. Good communication will have a good impact on the bottom line but great communication will have a substantial impact.  Knowing how and what to communicate is as much an art as it is a skill.

 

But what about doing something other organizations aren't doing that will give your organization a leg up on the competition?  That step is Evaluation.  It is the evaluation of programs, processes and policies.  According to Wikipedia, evaluation is the "systematic determination of merit, worth and significance of something or someone using criteria against a set of standards."  Organizations fail to evaluate and thus miss out on potential opportunities.