The role of HR in operational success
It’s no secret that the role of HR can have a significant impact on organisations. It brings measurable value against a vast range of measures, yet there seems to be some lingering perceptions out there in the world of work that HR is just about the compliance factors. Of course, meeting compliance obligations is a critical part of HR, but it’s the other raft of value-adds that can help an organisation level up.
Think about it: if you believe that success and growth is the result of strategic design rather than accident - which we absolutely do - then a people and culture strategy that builds organsational capability and capacity will be a critical driver. Why? Because strategy is implemented by people!
We’ve written before about our tailored, bespoke approach to working with our clients. Our work often starts with an HR audit and review that allows us all to get clarity on the strengths and weaknesses of a workplace which then scaffolds how we maximise your return on investment from your people practices. It’s about getting clear on the gap between how your people perceive your culture now, and where (and how) it needs to be in the future to meet your desired goals and vision.
‘Desired’ is a key word here - sometimes clients reach out to us with a desire to ‘level up’, and to that, we ask from what to what? Levelling up, no matter how you define it, relies on an engaged and thriving workforce. When people practices are aligned to building a thriving workplace culture, the subsequent increase in engagement and productivity boosts a multitude of factors, not least of which the bottom line. It’s those multitude of factors that we like to get clarity on at the kickoff point because our bespoke approach is all about crafting solutions to specific needs.
For example, a client recently needed an influx of talent to take advantage of an opportunity and so we put into place a seamless (and experience-filled) recruitment and onboarding process that wowed talent from their very first contact with the organisation. Before this, though, we worked with our client to design a culture that talent would be drawn to. We looked at elements such as structure and consistency against compliance obligations, as well as a consistent and positive employee experience where people know what to expect in their workplace.
So, what does this gap-finding exercise look like?
We have a range of tools, processes and accreditations that we work with, depending on the need of the organisation. When it comes to measuring people practices and workplace culture, engagement surveys can be incredibly powerful. So too, key people metrics such as turnover, Employee Relations processes and culture feedback. Another way is through employee interviews, which can pinpoint specific challenges and opportunities in greater detail. As ‘outsiders’, we have some distance and perspective which means that when we speak with a selective range of people from across an organisation, we can get a sense of how opinions vary across portfolios, with no preconceptions. We tend to use a cross-selection of staff at all levels, including senior leaders, middle managers and junior employees. We also look to include people who are newbies to the workplace as well as those who’ve been with the organisation for much longer. Staff see a third party interviewer as an opportunity to speak freely. We intentionally create a space where people feel comfortable to speak honestly about their experience, which gives us as people and culture experts a deeper understanding of the genuine state of play.
Again, this is just one of the ways we can see if the gap between where you are now and where you want to be is a hairline fracture, or if it’s a chasm to be traversed. Other ways include:
Reviewing policies, job descriptions and contracts
Assessing and analysing processes for hiring, managing and exciting employees
Examining your employee value proposition
Taking cultural health checks
And much more.
Once we know that state of play we can get to work to design a strategic response to address the gaps that take into account key insights, strengths and weaknesses, the top challenges to be addressed first to improve culture, efficiency and performance, as well as identifying the key projects to realign your culture, processes and structures to systematically support organisational goals.
Our People and Culture audit and review program typically takes between three to four weeks for a medium-sized organisation with 30-300 team members. We’re incredibly proud of the response we receive after each and every audit. Our clients find it invaluable to understand their key challenges within the context of a roadmap to systematically and strategically improve their workplace culture. We love it because it’s an opportunity to partner with a client for the long term to help them create and curate a thriving and successful workplace.
Would you like to know more? Just reach out.