I am the Investors in People Consultant for a plc (£300m turnover, 1,000 employees)and have been asked by the Chief Executive to produce a paper on the merits - or otherwise - of them employing an HR Director. He wants to know what that person might bring to the table to a company that has no such existing role (or even an HR Manager, come to that) and what value they might add.
Are there any exiting HR DIrectors who might share their thoughts with me, as to what they feel they contribute to their organisations?
Equally, would anyone be able to give me an outline Job Description for such a role, so that we can understand what exactly a Board level HR Director does?
Tony Willson
3 Responses
As an existing board level HR Director I, of course, believe tha
The company I work for is much smaller in both turnover (£1.2 million) and core staff (12) but I think you will find our experience of value. We operate in industries that have not been traditionally HR friendly (computing and property) but having someone at board level whose role it is to focus on the people issues has given us an edge. It has made it much easier to recruit and retain the right people, which is what has enabled us to grow, and to develop ownership and passion at all levels.
My day to day role has really been to focus on all that back room business stuff that costs a fortune when it goes wrong but can appear to add little when it goes well. I play a different role at board level and I think the value that HR adds there is more to do with taking the long term view, thinking about the implications for the employees, and constantly reminding the rest of the board that our people really our are greatest asset
I’m afraid I haven’t got a JD but I hope this helps.
Cathy
Re: IiP & HR Director
There is a point of view which says that the appointment of HR people is actually an anti-IiP strategy!
The role I suspect would be that of internal consultant to the Board and as such the strategic HR priorities for the organisation need to be placed against the cost of a full time appointment or a series of consultancy
projects with measurable benefits.
The danger is that you actually end up appointing an administrator.
I have an internal HR Consultant role if any help. e-mail :profileag@csi.com
Until July 2001, I was Commercial and HR Director for Milk Marqu
There is an increasing body of evidence to suggest that one of the key determinants of sustainable competitive advantage for an organisation lies with its people. How can you develop this and exploit the benefits is the key question. Having an HR Director on the Board is one answer, provided that he/she will be listened to. However before making the leap from no HR function to having an HR Director, I would want to understand how HR issues are dealt with currently and only go down that route if tangible benefits are likely to arise. I am happy to discuss my experiences, email ian.redington@btinternet.com.