5 Ways To Build Effective Partnerships

Companies are moving to remote and hybrid working models, and for good reason: They need to attract and retain talent. Despite contractions in the economy, the labor market remains strong—with a 3.5% decline in unemployment in the most recent jobs report—and this is a big reason for business to rethink and reinvent their approaches to work. People want choices about how, when and where they work—and they continue to have the power to make these demands—at least for now.

But organizations’ success with new work models will depend on their ability to develop and execute strategies and tactics which take all kinds of things into account—from accessing labor markets and managing compliance issues to creating cultures of engagement, wellbeing and respect. HR is a critical partner in all of these and more. Unfortunately, new data shows HR still isn’t “at the table” within many organizations—but change is possible.

The Right Reasons for Hybrid Work

According to a study by Omnipresent, 94% of companies are planning to adopt remote or hybrid working models for the long term—and they’ll be doing this in the next 12 months. They’re choosing alternate work models because of talent. In fact, 48% of the executives with current or planned hybrid working models say talent is driving their actions. In particular, they say they want to access a more specialized talent pool and they want to retain talent. And 35% cite employee wellbeing as another reason for moving to remote or hybrid working approaches.

Missing the Mark

But a sizeable proportion of companies moving to new working models are missing a critical element for success—the right involvement from HR. For the purposes of planning and strategy, only 26% of respondents plan to consult internal HR teams for guidance, but 50% plan to consult board members or leadership team members. For the purposes of execution, 33% say responsibility falls to HR groups exclusively. The disconnect could be damaging—since misalignment between strategy and execution can sink a strategy or undermine execution.

Executives also lack concern about compliance issues (only 12% say they are giving this attention) or rules regarding provision of local benefits (only 11% are worried about this)—and both of these are areas of HR expertise. It should go without saying (but apparently it can’t) that inattention to compliance or legal issues can cause significant issues for organizations—resulting in costly mistakes and damage to brands.

HR at the Table

HR has long said they want “a seat at the table” in terms of participating in strategic decision making and helping to provide leadership and guidance related to some of the most important issues a company can face. After all, talent is at the heart of every organization’s success. People issues are business issues.

Recently a Chief People Officer at one of the largest companies in the world commented on the role of HR. She said during a webinar, “If you [HR] don’t have a seat at the table at this point, you’ll never get one.” Her recommendation was that HR up their game in taking a strategic role and expressing leadership or—if they’ve done that without success—find another place to work.

Arguably, all paths lead back to HR these days. From challenges with attracting and retaining talent to creating work experiences that powerfully engage people—and from establishing new models for work, leadership and learning to attending to wellbeing, DEI and cultures which deliver results. All of these require the expertise of HR professionals.

Creating Partnerships

Where to go from here? Partnerships within the organization will be critical. Issues today are complex and require multiple points of experience and perspective to get right. More connections between more departments will help. Of course, greater interconnectedness can introduce complexity, so the Goldilocks rule applies—as much (interaction and interrelationships) as necessary and as few as possible. In other words, establish as many connections as possible without creating unnecessary layers or losing agility.

Create effective partnerships with HR—and other departments (IT, legal and communication are good examples)—by taking the following approaches.

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#1 – Ensure a Common Mission

Each group that supports the strategy and the employee experience, has its own perspective and goal, but overall, you’ll need a compelling and shared mission. Establish a clear direction and ensure every group is rowing in the same direction—and that unique objectives for each group are broadly understood across partners.

#2 – Establish a Clear Values and Decision-Making Protocols

Decisions are easier when they affect only one part of an organization, but few do. So, you’ll need clarity about the overall values which will guide decisions as well as a hierarchy of priorities which will influence choices.

It’s easy to say that wellbeing of employees and cost-effectiveness are both important, but consider which will come first—and what values will guide decisions across groups when it’s hard to reconcile both. How will you weigh employee mental health benefits with the need to manage costs, for example? And how will you balance the desire to give employees choice about where and when they work against the needs of teams and the organization? Issues like these will always be in dynamic tension—and clear values and hierarchy of priorities will help you find the right equilibrium decision by decision.

#3 – Foster Dialogue

The toughest challenges will require listening and understanding points of view from multiple experts. This can be hard to accomplish, however, since people naturally gravitate to their own opinions and to advocating (or arguing) for their own preferences more than inquiring about others’ perspectives. Ensure you build cultures where people have strong and trusting relationships—making it easier to disagree on issues when relationships are strong.

Also adopt systems where people have equal time to speak within meetings, rather than those with the most power consuming most of the airtime. Enhance understanding by establishing practices where people argue for the point of view opposite their own. And do plenty of storytelling which can sometimes help people see multiple sides of an argument more effectively than (just) facts and data.

#4 – Set Up Feedback Loops

Consider how all the partners will gather data—both quantitative and qualitative—and monitor it over time. Build systems and listening posts at key points in the process, and ensure measures are both department-specific and also shared. Discuss outcomes openly with an emphasis on improvement rather than defending or rationalizing.

Ask people to report on what’s not working well so the focus is always on getting better. Great leaders don’t want to see a dashboard with all green lights every time, because this kind of report can be a signal the targets were set too low, or people weren’t being open about situations with suboptimal results. Instead, look for some yellow and red, seek solutions and reward openness and positive progress—so you can ensure you’re improving all the time. Honesty about performance and transparency across departments will help people hold each other accountable.

#5 – Design Connection Points

No one needs more meetings, but connecting regularly can increase efficiency if you can prevent issues or solve them early. Be proactive about communicating in unplanned ways and intentional about scheduled times to connect—driving greater visibility on issues. A weekly touchpoint or a daily standup can do worlds of good to keep people in the loop on fast-moving issues.

In Sum

It’s almost impossible to think of a business challenge which doesn’t have some connection to talent. As a result, deep involvement from HR isn’t a luxury, but a necessity. Now is the time to establish partnerships, tap into professional expertise and connect broadly across the organization.

Complex challenges require holistic views from multiple stakeholders—and HR is a critical point of expertise helping to ensure success going forward. The coalitions you form will deliver results for people and for the organization.