Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Careers in HRThe HR profession

My next move: moving from a generalist to a business partner

by Personnel Today 15 Nov 2005
by Personnel Today 15 Nov 2005

I have been an HR generalist for some years and would like a role as an HR business partner. Can you suggest some key areas I should focus on to achieve this?

The term ‘business partner’ is often over and inaccurately used. However, the principle of an HR function operating strategically, aligning itself to the business, is a good one and should be what HR strives to achieve. With this in mind, here are some areas that you can focus on to expand your skill base:



  • Business understanding: Make it your business to understand the long- and short-term business goals and the commercial implications of a satisfied, efficient employee base. The modern HR practitioner must be aware of the ‘service profit chain’ from employee to customer – how is your role improving the customer experience?
  • Quantifiable results: Justify HR investment against results, in a language that the finance director understands. Develop a method of quantifying success and failure before embarking on each HR project. These measurable successes will be feathers in your career cap and are likely to be discussed at your next interview or appraisal.
  • Proactivity: Seek out areas of business change and identify how HR can play an integral part. The business will probably perceive HR as an afterthought, so you will have to go looking for trouble. Volunteer to spearhead projects that may not be core to HR to give you more rounded business exposure.
  • Visibility: It is your role as the business partner to ensure HR is perceived as a function that adds value. Consequently, a crucial skill is internal communication, which often involves working in conjunction with the marketing department.
  • Network: While you will probably have a network of HR colleagues with whom you share ideas, it is important to extend that to other areas of the business. Do not expect to be visited. Walk the floors and develop an internal network of key decision-makers.

All these elements involve proactively demonstrating the integral value of HR to the business in a visible fashion, aligning your approach to predict the needs of your internal customers and communicating in a language that they understand. These key steps will help you start your journey to becoming a business partner. However, it is crucial that they do not distract you from your operational responsibilities, which of course underpin all of the above.

Hugo Tucker, manager, OrtusHR

If you have a question for our panel of experts about developing your career, send your question to [email protected]

Avatar
Personnel Today

previous post
Driving for work increases risk of accidents
next post
Laws in place to prosecute workplace bullies

You may also like

Movers and shakers June 2022: Lloyds, Indeed, Zoom...

24 Jun 2022

CIPD Festival of Work: ‘Use crises as catalysts...

15 Jun 2022

HR Director of the Year: Ruth Busby on...

31 May 2022

‘It’s International HR Day – wait, you didn’t...

20 May 2022

Squishy, flabby, foggy HR? Andrew Bartlow talks to...

20 May 2022

Movers and shakers May 2022: John Lewis and...

20 May 2022

Movers and shakers April 2022: Santander UK appoints...

22 Apr 2022

Time to kill off the HR business partner?...

8 Apr 2022

HR careers survey: three in four confident about...

30 Mar 2022

Movers and shakers March 2022: Appointments at Domino’s,...

14 Mar 2022
  • NSPCC revamps its learning strategy with child wellbeing at its heart PROMOTED | The NSPCC’s mission is to prevent abuse and neglect...Read more
  • Diversity versus inclusion: Why the difference matters PROMOTED | It’s possible for an environment to be diverse, but not inclusive...Read more
  • Five steps for organisations across the globe to become more skills-driven PROMOTED | The shift in the world of work has been felt across the globe...Read more
  • The future of workforce development PROMOTED | Northumbria University and partners share insight...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+