There are very few organizations that look at the workforce the same way they look at information technology or investment. And these are the companies that grow and establish themselves as a strong pillar in the market. Want to build one such organization too? Utilize your HR force to make this possible. This is how you can do it:
Don’t leave your workforce planning to chance
One of the ways through which you can HR for competitive advantage is by not leaving your workforce planning to chance. You need to instill a fact in your mind that you have shifting needs for talent over time the way you have your short, medium and long-term needs for capital and cash. It means that if you want your organization to grow, you have to make your HR team so effective that they know which candidate fits for your organization. You have to train your HR in a way that he/she knows who is right for the organization and who is not. Wharton School professor Peter Capelli, an author of the book Why Good People Can't Get Jobs said that, for this purpose, you have to train your HR to take a portfolio management approach to talent. This approach will help your HR to select and hire the best candidates out there in the industry.
Use data to understand and manage employees
One of the other ways through which you can use HR for competitive advantage is by using data to understand and manage your employees. You need to understand the fact that reviewing the performance of an individual once a year is not enough as it doesn't assess the contributions of an employee, nor it helps you set new goals for him. Then what should your HR do? Your HR team has to keep in mind a comprehensive and extensive view of the workforce even when he or she has to make basic decisions. Knowing the average age of your workforce is not something that can help your organization grow. You also have to know if majority of the people in a particular category of job are likely to retire simultaneously as it will help you hire more candidates that can occupy the place of those who are going to retire soon. To figure this out, your HR team has to ramp up its analytical skills.
Give HR a seat at the table – but not before they’ve earned it
One of the other ways through which you can use HR for competitive advantage is by giving HR a seat at the table but not before they have earned it. You must come across mny HR professionals who do not know how their business operates and the latest trends of the markets, and how these trends can affect their companies. It is a part of the job of the Chief Human Resource Officer that he should understand all the macroeconomic trends and how these trends can affect the new skills that are required. According to According to the Society for Human Resources Management, 10 years from now, business acumen that includes the knowledge of operations, business strategy, logistics, data and metrics will be the significant competencies for HR professionals.
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