Re:locate magazine | Reports & Surveys | The changing face of HR

“Today’s HR departments are often judged on their success in meeting business targets, improving efficiency, performance and reducing costs. Changes in the HR function have created a huge shift in the way it delivers services and in its relationship with the rest of the organisation in order to increase business focus” says Vanessa Robinson, CIPD Organisation and Resourcing Adviser, commenting on new research from the CIPD and Institute of Employment Studies (IES). Of the 800 senior HR professionals surveyed, 53% have restructured their HR function in the last year and over 80% have done so in the last five years. “Structural change has been driven largely by a desire fro make HR a more strategic contributor to business success. There has been a drive to make it more business-orientated, more accountable and to demonstrate value for money.

“One major obstacle preventing progress rests with the balance between what are and should be HR and line manager responsibilities for people management and development. Three-quarters of HR professionals would like to go further in the transfer of people management responsibilities to the line.”

The survey finds that the HR function has, over the last three years, doubled the proportion of time it spends on strategic inputs. However, providing support to line managers and HR administration remain the most time-consuming tasks.

But what percentage of time is spent managing relocation or international assignments we wonder? If you would like your contribution in this specialist area to be recognised then why not enter the Re:locate Awards category ‘Inspirational HR director, manager or team of the year’.

The changing HR Function: Transforming HR survey is available to download at www.cipd.co.uk/surveys.

Clearly HR has a greater role to play as a business partner. “People are central to business success and HR can add real value to business by focusing on the wider business and outcomes as well as the traditional HR specialisms” says Shirley Dalziel co-author of the CIPD’s toolkit HR Business Partnering available from www.cipd.co.uk/bookstore.

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