The HR business partner health check

The trend in recent years has been a move towards a decentralisation of the HR role out into local business and organisation units, exemplified by the role of HR Business Partners (HRBPs). In theory, the HRBP brings HR expertise closer to what is required and can therefore tailor service and advice to local business requirements. However, as always, translation of the theory into practice presents challenges for both HR and line management alike.
 

Ideally, accountability for people management issues is perceived as a shared responsibility. This is where line managers are making more HR management decisions, with appropriate input and support as needed, from HR. HR staff, both locally and centrally, are becoming more involved in organisational and business issues and decision-making processes sooner, both at central and local levels.

To be able to achieve this ideal requires a number of things from the HR function. At a senior, central, whole-organisational level HR needs to: