As if HR needed any more ammunition…

Those of you in any doubt as to the importance of HR should take a look back at the week’s headline-grabbing stories.

Every day the national media is full of stories of profits and losses. Take retail sector performance over Christmas, for example: mergers, acquisitions, job losses, corporate governance – the list goes on.

And what do all these stories have in common? People. Take two of the biggest stories of the week: 24-hour licensing and absenteeism in the Prison Service.

Employers reading the headlines about changes to licensing controls might be concerned that employees will fall foul of the laws by over-indulging, with detrimental knock-on effects in the workplace. The truth is that not many pubs or clubs can afford the staff costs associated with 24-hour opening, so the impact of the new law will be severely limited.

Meanwhile, the Prison Service clearly has a problem with absence. Managing both short- and long-term absence is a huge challenge for most employers and causes HR a constant headache. But the story once again raises the fact that people strategies lie at the heart of all organisations.

If your managing director, finance officer, operating officer, executive board or chief executive currently harbour any doubt about the importance of HR strategies and what people mean to business, feel free to wave this week’s headlines in front of them.

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