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HR Recruitment September 2009
HR News |
09/09/2009
There is no doubt that the past year has been a trying one for people in HR jobs, with the economic downturn bringing with it redundancies, pay-freezes and reduced working hours and then the swine flu epidemic demanding contingency plans and flexible working schemes to be set up swiftly. With challenges such as this facing them on a daily basis, HR professionals could be forgiven for thinking their job solely consists of fire fighting problems, however it seems firms want much more from HR staff and it will be those that provide it who are in the best position to snap up jobs.
A new study from the Henley HR Centre of Excellence highlights that helping achieve the balance between short-term survival and long-term recovery is a key part of a HR department's role, with chief executives who are in survival mode looking to such staff to manage the tension between saving cash and recruiting and developing high-quality team members.
People in HR jobs are also tasked with helping firms make effective cutbacks by slimming down existing processes and finding creative ways to deliver low-cost alternatives.
Perhaps most importantly, given the current economic climate, another main priority for HR workers is identified as offering real emotional support to their organisation by devising consistent strategies to help survive the slow period. According to Henley, this does not simply mean managing processes, but the sentiment, environment and messaging that accompanies them.
This sounds like a tall order for any team member and the research analysis shows that many HR professionals are not stepping up to the challenges that the current climate poses.
Further research from the Economist Intelligence Unit also identifies that there is a difference in what HR workers think they have achieved in recent months and the perception of executives elsewhere in their organisation.
Overall, it highlights that the best HR workers are those who are able to become a strategic partner in a business and have a full understanding of a firm's needs across a range of departments and operations, in particular how reduced headcount will affect various goals.
It seems that as the UK starts to head slowly towards recovery, firms are expecting more than ever from their HR departments and they are likely to start hunting around for seasoned team members who can help them make the most of the upturn.
Posted by Jon Aspinell
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