As businesses grow and thrive, so too must HR departments. An HR business partner can help companies achieve strategic goals by realigning HR and other departments to support overall business objectives.

What is an HR Business Partner?

An HR business partner is a human resources professional who helps businesses and their leadership teams create or evolve their HR departments. An HR business partner is a specialized HR position that focuses on big picture items and integrates business strategy with people management. According to SHRM, the position maintains an effective level of business literacy about the business unit’s financial position, its midrange plans, its culture and its competition.

Some responsibilities of an HR business partner might include:

  • Working with upper management to evaluate the current HR department and determine its needs.
  • Implementing HR and recruitment goals set by upper management.
  • Strategizing on how to improve the relationship between leadership and employees.
  • Monitoring HR’s budget and allocating funds when necessary.
  • Identifying roles for growth within the company.
  • Overseeing and creating job descriptions to attract qualified candidates.
  • Ensuring new hires align with executive team goals.
  • Drafting new HR policies that support organizational goals, industry trends and labor laws.

An HR Business Partner’s Strategic Role

An HR business partner offers a big picture perspective for companies, but there is some question as to just how much the partner should focus on strategy as opposed to managing operations or performing tactical tasks. According to HR Analytics, no role can be entirely strategic and if your HR business partner focuses on strategy 50% of the time, that’s a lot. Some industries may put more emphasis on operational or tactical goals. For example, a manufacturing company may be focused on increasing production over developing strategic goals.

There is also the fact that strategy will only get you so far as legwork brings it to life. To make a real contribution, the HR Business Partner may also have to perform operational and tactical tasks, such as planning, coordination, daily tasks and attending meetings.

HR Business Partner vs. HR Manager

An HR business partner is a completely different role from an HR manager. While both are active in HR and are tied to the leadership or upper management of a company, the differences lie in the day-to-day tasks.

According to HR Analytics, the HR manager has management responsibilities in terms of having direct reports while an HR business partner has no management responsibility. An HR business partner also has a different role with upper management, being the connector between management, HR and the rest of the staff.

Why Hire an HR Business Partner?

An HR business partner can help those companies looking to revamp their organizational goals and departments. HR speaker and author Josh Bersin sees the role as a forward-facing HR consultant who is embedded in the business. As such, an HR business partner should thoroughly understand your business as well as its challenges and strategies, making them instrumental in facilitating change.

These are the kinds of organizational goals that might merit the help of an HR business partner:

To Reform the Talent Acquisition Process.

Finding top talent, in the most efficient way possible, is a consistent concern of upper management and HR departments nationwide. An HR business partner can offer expertise on how to recruit top talent, including offering insights on narrowing down a group of applicants.

To Hire the Right Candidates.

According to a 2020 study by LinkedIn, COVID-19 has made a huge impact on recruiting. Recruiters will have to do more with less and must build new skills to align with the business to survive. An HR business partner helps ensure new hires will help you meet business objectives by reminding the hiring team about the type of candidate that will best fit the position.

To Provide HR Experience & Expertise.

HR business partners typically have a minimum of eight years of HR experience resolving complex employee relations issues, have a working knowledge of multiple human resource disciplines, and are HR certified professionals. This position should bring a level of experience and expertise your current HR department might be lacking and provides valuable insights into engaging and motivating employees.

To Fill in Absent HR Roles.

According to Indeed, an HR business partner can be an asset to small- or medium-sized businesses by taking on one or more roles within HR. An HR business partner can fill talent acquisition roles without having to outsource to achieve your business goals.

HR Business Partner Salary

The salary for an HR business partner differs based on seniority level, type of organization and location. According to Salary.com, a junior business partner in Tampa, Fla. earns a median salary of $58,740 while the same position in Minneapolis, Minn. earns an average of $65,750 per year. The more advanced position of Senior HR business partner earns up to $100,000 in Minneapolis and $89,000 in Tampa.

When you’re bogged down in manual HR processes, it is hard to focus on the big picture, and do the analysis needed to determine where and how your company can change and improve,  HR software can assist companies with daily HR tasks, so they can focus more on their employees instead of the minutia. Arcoro offers an entire suite of modular solutions that work together to cover a variety of HR processes. Request a Free HR Assessment. We can help.