Why HR Can’t Be Left to HR

HR's seemingly endless struggle "to get a seat at the executive table" is reminiscent of the battle that IT executives have been fighting for years. Now, I don't hate HR -- and I'm not in HR. I just think we've got the HR "issue" completely balled up.

A partnership between HR and the business is a noble cause, and for some organizations, it may be the right path. For others, an administrative role for HR may be what the company needs instead. If there's a function for which "one size fits none," it's HR.

While HR and other executives sort out this multi-decade mess, it's essential for the leaders of the business to forge a different strategic partnership with the people who make the business run -- their employees.

Developing and retaining people should fall squarely in the laps of those with the deepest knowledge of the business and its people: the company's managers. Why kick such a responsibility upstairs to someone in HR?

HR must perform (or support) the functions that impact the employee population, like payroll, benefits, and regulatory requirements. And HR can put together strategies to help with career management, succession planning, and headcount management. But the people who are closest to the action should be the coaches, mentors, and leaders.

Too often, there's an HR disconnect. Business unit leaders delegate crucial processes, like performance management, to HR and wonder why that doesn't work. HR executives put together programs for retaining people and scratch their heads when people continue to flee the organization.

If nothing else, HR and the rest of the business leadership team must come to the table to clarify their roles because it's not HR or the executives that get stuck in the confusion, it's the employees.