With all the talk about HR becoming a more strategic function, directly aligned with boardroom objectives, the majority of HR professionals still find their time consumed with process and paperwork.
That's the key finding from the latest research published by IRS Employment Review, which reports that the majority of HR Managers (based on a survey of 432 respondents) spend most of their time grappling with recruitment, restructuring, compliance with employment law and absence management.
With absence management the key priority, recruitment and organisational change also take up the bulk of HR Managers' time, followed by compliance with the recently-updated Employment Act legislation, health and safety issues, training, pay reviews and staff retention. In comparison, outsourcing of HR, corporate social responsibility and the national minimum wage rarely reach the HR agenda.
Despite this, the survey reveals that most HR Managers believe that their profession deserves a place on the board, with official recognition of its importance and reflecting its role in organisational development.
IRS Employment Review managing editor, Mark Crail said:
"Last year, we found that people managers rarely had the time to engage in the kind of strategic thinking much favoured by management gurus and their followers. This year, it is the same story: the big priorities for HR practitioners are routine operational issues: finding staff, ensuring those staff are at work or can get to work and then working hard to guarantee that the workforce has the flexibility to adapt to any external economic forces. And this is all within an up-to-date legal framework. With the Employment Act 2002, compliance with the law could increase in importance. As we go through 2003, it’s clear that while there are many who talk about getting HR onto the board and helping develop strategy, the reality is much more operational. Equally, with the economic uncertainties, we could see restructuring move up to the top spot as HR managers look at ways to cut staffing costs."
