Half of C-suite execs don’t know how to use HR effectively

The responsibility of HR

Pete Cooper, director of people, partners, and analytics at Personio, points out that many C-suite executives underestimate the evolved role of HR.

Cooper believes that HR’s primary responsibility is to ensure that employees, the company’s most valuable asset, are empowered to be productive and contribute to the organisation’s success.

With access to tools that measure engagement and culture, and being liberated from process-driven tasks, HR is now better positioned as a key driver of business success.

The study

Personio’s study involved 500 C-suite level executives and 1,000 HR decision-makers from SMEs in the UK and Ireland.

The research shows that over two-thirds (67%) of C-suite executives want a better understanding of their HR team’s functions, and three-quarters (75%) believe it would be beneficial for HR to demonstrate their impact on business success.

To gain recognition, HR professionals should be proactive in offering recommendations and create clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics that align with corporate strategy and workforce performance.

Cooper emphasises that HR has access to a wealth of data, such as recruitment data, career progression data, personal development reviews, and staff satisfaction data.

By analysing this data, HR can improve decision-making, enhance employee satisfaction, and optimise processes, adding value to the company and keeping the C-suite informed.

By becoming more strategically involved, HR can work more effectively, avoid burnout, and address the root causes of backfires in the organisation, such as constant revolving-door recruitment and poor organisational design and performance approaches.

Free HR advice for SMEs

Human resources should ensure that managers are trained to manage workloads effectively, including identifying workplace pressure and methods to prevent and relieve them.

Although decreasing workloads may not be realistic, employers can support their staff in managing them by exploring creative solutions such as offering training and education on organisation, prioritisation, and delegation.

Implementing these changes can be difficult when you don’t have an HR team to cultivate change in your business. That’s why we provide free initial advice to help get your business back on track.

We offer 24/7 free ACAS advice and assistance to guide you through the processes and procedures for HR and employment law issues.

Please speak to one of our HR and employment law advisors free at 0800 152 2287 or fill in the form here to request a callback.