HR departments are too detached from strategic goals and employees, according to a survey.
Less than half (46%) of the 100 HR managers in large companies polled by recruitment company Adecco and law firm Tarlo Lyons said they could help the business achieve strategic goals.
More than half (54%) also said they felt isolated from the business.
Steven Kirkpatrick, managing director of Adecco UK and Ireland, said: “We need HR professionals who keep workforces motivated, challenged and continually performing in their jobs.”
Kirkpatrick said that, as HR becomes increasingly centralised in large organisations, there was a risk it was becoming too remote from the workforce.
“The issue is compounded by the fact that many HR professionals, weighed down by admin and legislation, have no time to flex their strategic muscles,” he said.
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The majority of HR professionals believed their key responsibilities were diversity (88%), health and safety (64%) and performance and absence management (64%).
Just 3% of respondents said they had ultimate responsibility for motivating staff, and only a quarter (26%) considered employee motivation as a risk factor for business.