By Jessica Miller-Merrell
The role of HR and recruiting has done a complete 180 degree
turn from where it once began. Many years ago, HR was born out of the need for
companies to be in compliance, complete paperwork and develop processes and
controls. This area of the business was seen as a necessary expense, and
certainly not one that boosted the company’s bottom line. HR teams grew as
business leaders realized that the organization was in need of essentials like
an employee handbook, onboarding and orientation for our new hires and
consistent interview processes. HR professionals spent years working as the
administrative arm of the company, meeting the needs of the organization but
not considering their revenue.
As we all know, however, things change as time goes by, and
the human resources industry is a perfect example of just how that happens. We’ve
gone from everyone
hating us and misunderstanding us to business
leaders prioritizing talent, and have earned our role in the
executive ranks due to our specialty, which is the human capital that propels
the success of companies.
Today, HR’s effect on the business extends far beyond the
initial hire. Talent management leaders are responsible for many facets of the
business that make a significant impact on the organization and its people.
Beyond
talent acquisition
It is true that the HR department and recruiters are
expected to be more innovative in their talent acquisition than ever before,
but there is so much more to building a workforce than recruiting and
onboarding. HR professionals are also expected to deliver when it comes to
developing and engaging our current and future organizational talent. This
means that we are constantly honing our talent acquisition strategy to bring in
the best and brightest, as well as cultivating leaders within our own
organizations. Today, we know that our jobs don’t just start when we receive an
application and they don’t end after the employee’s first day. Our role is more
long term than it has ever been before. We’ve gone from executives simply
looking at recruitment costs to understanding how a long-term approach
increases retention and saves a significant amount of money.
Leading
the technology front
A relatively new aspect of HR that we are seeing is being tasked
with selecting technologies to help us engage our workforces focused on the
future of our company. From talent networks to interactive training and the
many other areas of technology we cover, the decisions we make have a huge
impact on our employees. The technology we choose for our candidates and
employees help them engage and grow while also helping us do our jobs
effectively and efficiently.
Focusing
on the future
There may have been a time when HR was simply focused on the
next hire or the next employee promotion, but we are no longer there. The
ability of a company’s HR department to be forward focused is one of the most
significant ways we bring value – real monetary value – to our organizations.
As an industry, we’re future focused, data driven and
developing talent strategies that compliment instead of compete with the
business and market projections at our company. We’ve earned a seat at the table,
which allows us to see and hear firsthand what the organization’s goals are and
make sure ours help to accomplish what the company seeks to achieve.
Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is a workplace and technology strategist specializing in social media. She's the Chief Blogger and Founder of Blogging4Jobs. You can follow her on Twitter at @jmillermerell.
