HR tips: How to build an HR department

Building such departments, especially in smaller companies, is still debatable. How long is creating an HR cell needed? What does the HR department bring to the organization? What should he be doing? And above all, is it really necessary as HR people themselves think?

Until recently, HR departments were perceived by many people mainly as those that dealt with administrative as well as HR and payroll tasks. Moreover, some companies still believe that the HR department is not always needed for the organization to develop and be successful on the market. How does this relate to today's situation - is the HR department really necessary, what are its functions and how to create a friendly department dealing with human resource management?

The structure of the HR department is not only a topic for directors. It turns out that often even HR beginners do not know what roles can be played in the area of ​​HR. This article was written to explain the basic information related to the areas of work of HR people and building the structure of the HR team. To decide which components should be included in the structure of the HR department, you need to consider what your options are.

HR activities - what exactly are they based on?

As mentioned above, from employees, HR departments are very often associated with departments dealing with developing HR policy. Understandably, specialists in this department must know the company's situation best, but these are not the only tasks in which they should specialize.

Nowadays, HR departments also deal with training, workshops for creative employees, assessment of the work performed, as well as the development of talents and competences. Moreover, an increasing number of companies decide to implement the automation of HR processes, i.e. the introduction of modern technologies aimed at supporting the work of these units. All this to coordinate activities so that they are as effective as possible.

How to build a good HR department?

It is difficult to give a clear answer to this question. First of all, because there is no universal method that would allow you to create a professional, friendly HR department, regardless of whether it is a company operating in the marketing or banking industry. Each organization must independently develop its strategy for building a cell that will be responsible for the selected area.

However, if you want to build a good HR department, you can use the proven tips provided by specialists in human resource management. According to them, an efficient HR department is not only a place, but mainly people who like to work with themselves and for others. People employed in this type of department should be highly committed, and also know the basic mechanisms that govern people and the relationships between them. If you want to create a friendly HR department in the company, it is also worth remembering that it is a part of the company that supports not only the entire organization, but also every single person employed by its activities. If he doesn't know how to do it, then he will not gain acceptance and trust, and thus he will not become friends.

Examples of three things that can be done to make HR a partner in the company are:

• creating a team whose employees will be well-coordinated, like being in their environment and derive good energy from joint action

• providing modern IT tools that will support the HR department in running and monitoring processes taking place in the organization,

• making sure that HR activities are consistent with the company's strategy and justifying them with such arguments as the company's value, development orientation, specific business challenges, etc.

Why are HR departments disliked?

Probably primarily because the effects of activities undertaken by such divisions in companies are not immediately visible. For the human resource management department to be able to strengthen its position, it should remind itself from time to time. Show the benefits of the goals achieved, summarize the activities carried out, etc., not forgetting that in the first place in the personnel policy, the human being is always the most important person. With this approach, we will certainly manage to create a company-friendly HR department.

What should the HR department strategy be based on?

In light of the above remarks, the strategy of the HR department can be defined as: The art of building unique resources and key competencies ensuring the company's distinctness on the market. It is to be the basis of the people management process in the company and it is to contain strategic concepts that translate into activities that enable the effective implementation of the company's goals.

Implementation of the HR department strategy allows it to be translated into goals and partial measures, grouped into four perspectives:

• financial,

• internal customer,

• internal processes,

• people and organization development.

Successfully managing the HR department to support your business requires a truly entrepreneurial approach. And the first step to that is to create an HR Business Plan.

Dave Ulrich redefined the role of the HR department. He has transformed him from an administrator and training coordinator into a real business partner. One of his books, "HR from the outside in," describes how to build an effective HR department. One of the main assumptions - apart from shaping the appropriate structure of the HR department, providing measures and creating models of conduct for HR, is to develop a business plan for this function in the organization. The process consists of 7 steps.

Business context

• define the business environment,

• identify and name the expectations of the main stakeholders,

• refine your business strategy.

The result of this stage is the identification of the challenges faced by the business, stakeholder expectations, and appropriate strategies of conduct.

HR vision

1. Who we are? (partner, guide, leader, architect, etc.)

2. What we do? (we build organizational and individual competences, etc.)

3. Why are we doing this? (we strengthen the competitive advantage, etc.)

The result of this stage is a vision that you share within the HR department and externally to motivate internal clients.

HR performance

The result of this stage is the definition of 3-5 indicators that HR will provide the organization at a specific level. Often these are the competencies a company needs to gain and maintain a competitive advantage. Remember to be measurable and specific.

Investments in HR

• identify those HR activities that allow you to achieve results

• design alternative activities

• organize HR activities according to their importance

• invest in critical activities

The effect of this stage is the prioritization of HR activities that are the most important for achieving results.

HR management and structure

• define who does what work (HR, line managers, strategic suppliers, etc.)

• define individual responsibility

The effect of this stage is to define who and for what is responsible for the implementation of HR tasks.

Action plans

The result of this stage is a plan with detailed tasks, responsibilities, resources needed, deadlines, etc.

Relevant competencies for HR

• identify the key competencies needed to implement the HR plan

• assess the current state of these competences

• organize HR activities according to their importance

• prepare improvement plans

The effect of this stage is to provide HR specialists with the competencies necessary to implement the HR business plan.