Elevating HR: 5 Ways to Gain a Strategic Seat
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Ask any HR manager what worries them most, and “becoming a relevant and important part of the company team” will be in the top five. “What can I do to become more credible to my superiors?” is the typical question.
As with most things, the right answers are simple yet complex. Direct yet nuanced. “Understand how your role aligns with the company’s goals.” Check. “Help recruit fantastic talent for your company.” Yes. Learn what not to do. What?
A little story: A manager calls me for advice. He’s an acquaintance and knows I’m pretty good at keeping managers from harming themselves. In short, he’s angry.
He had asked his team leaders to compile a list of everyone’s birthdays, anniversaries, and home phone numbers. He’s building a great company culture and wanted to acknowledge these important details. He also wanted his team leaders to do the same. The phone numbers were for emergencies. He even added that it wasn't mandatory if a team member had a problem creating these lists. Simple, direct, and, in my opinion, effective.
HR saw things differently. They called him in for a special meeting. They informed him that someone had complained, but only "so he would know."
All well and good.
It's slowly burning out now, and therefore less effective.
The disconnect described—where an HR function intervenes in a simple, culture-building managerial initiative—highlights a critical barrier to HR credibility: prioritizing rigid process and internal sensitivity over strategic alignment and supporting business leaders. For HR to secure its strategic seat, the focus must shift from simply enforcing rules to becoming a genuine partner that enables positive culture and engagement. With IceHrm, HR can manage the complex requirements of compliance and data security in the background (e.g., securely storing emergency contacts). This frees up the team to concentrate on partnering with managers to deploy and sustain effective initiatives, ensuring that internal processes support, rather than sabotage, the goal of building a robust and engaged company culture.
