What is the point of having an HR Department?
It is a worthwhile question to ask and one that comes with a wide variety of responses. When meeting with senior business management it is one of the questions I am most interested in hearing the answer to because, invariably, that answer provides the context for all subsequent discussion. It is my firm belief that the point of having an HR department is to ensure that the business can attract, develop and retain high performing, high potential staff. If an HR department’s activities and resources are not primarily focused on attracting, developing and retaining high performing people, senior management should be asking themselves and their HR director “why?” Now, attracting, developing and retaining high performing people is easier said then done. To take “attract high performing people” as an example, what are the elements that need to be in place? Attract in this day and age of a severe skills shortage, increasing demands for competent people and increasing expectatio