For a long time, we in HR have been told that it’s crucial to have a seat at the table. Organizations are headed by executive leadership where corporate strategy is set. Then depending on the organization, you have HR either at the table or somewhere below it. Finally, training and development is a subset of HR.
With responsibility for at least 70% of an organization’s expenses, HR is in a most powerful position – gatekeepers for what everyone else is learning and how they are developing within the organization. With this, HR can have an enormous effect on impacting change that will improve the organization from year to year. This pandemic showed us how important the role of HR has been playing in where and when people are working.
So rather than just trying to get a seat at the table, HR has the responsibility to SET the table...for Finance, IT, Operations, Marketing, Sales, Production, etc. And HRD (Human Resource Development) is the soul of the organization because it’s looking after the potential of every employee. Without your people, your human capital – what will you accomplish?
“No company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.” - Jack Welch