INSIGHTS IN THE HR MARKET IN AUSTRALIA
What HR should not be doing.
HR should not be the organization’s “bad cop.”
They should not be expected to handle every difficult performance conversation because a manager is uncomfortable having it. They should not be asked to “fix the culture” without the active involvement of the senior leadership team. They should not spend their time managing the fallout from poor leadership decisions, or constantly appearing at Fair Work , when they could be building leadership capability and preventing many of these issues in the first place. And they should not be permanently pulled into the weeds, fighting fires and reacting to problems.
As businesses grow and change, the role of HR needs to grow with them. HR leaders should be given the space to work with leaders, not instead of them; building leadership capability, strengthening culture, anticipating workforce challenges and contributing to the strategic direction of the business. If your HR leader is constantly firefighting, it may be worth asking these questions: 1) Do they have the skills to help support your business on the next level of growth and change, and 2) Are they given the space (and resources) from the executive leadership team to do the work they were hired to do.