In some of my previous articles, I explained how human resources professionals assist organizations and their employees, and how there are numerous roles you can pursue in the field of HR. In addition to that, some people, such as a human resources business partner (HRBP), collaborate with the company members outside of the HR department and help with a number of initiatives and strategic planning processes. Understanding what these professionals do can help you decide if this is the right position for you. 

What does a human resources business partner do? How do they compare to HR managers? What are their skills, salary, and qualifications? I will answer all of these questions in this article.

Key Takeaways 

• An HR business partner (HRBP) is a human resources professional who assists an organization in aligning its people strategy with its broader business strategy. 

• An HR business partner serves as a key link between an organization’s workforce and its business model. 

• An HRBP’s common responsibilities include developing strategic policies, training line managers and leaders, and other tasks that require specialized knowledge.

What Is a Human Resources Business Partner?

An HR business partner (HRBP) is a human resources professional who assists a company in aligning its people strategy with its business strategy. They ‘partner’ with senior leadership by providing specific knowledge to help design policies and programs that align with an organization’s goals and objectives.

What Does an HR Business Partner Do?

An HRBP serves as a strategic advisor, bridging the gap between human resources and business. They serve as a trusted advisor to both employees and leaders, ensuring that HR policies are in line with and support the organization’s overall goals. 

Essentially, an HRBP helps: 

• Attract and retain top talent. 
• Boost staff engagement and productivity. 
• Minimize legal and compliance risks. 
• Meet their overall business objectives. 

Building on that, the following is what an HRBP is often responsible for:

• Partners with business leaders: HRBPs work closely with department heads and executives to understand their specific needs and challenges. They then translate those needs into practical HR strategies and initiatives. 
• Develops and implements HR programs: This involves everything from talent acquisition and onboarding to performance management and employee relations. HRBPs ensure that these programs are effective, compliant, and in line with the organization’s culture.
• Provides knowledgeable guidance: HRBPs offer specialized knowledge and guidance on a variety of HR matters, such as compensation and benefits, legal compliance, and employee engagement. 
• Serves as a sounding board: HRBPs provide a confidential space for employees and leaders to discuss issues, come up with solutions, and manage difficult situations.

The Five Main Responsibilities of an HRBP

In general, what might an HR business partner be expected to do? Their work often covers the following:

1. Strategic control over HR processes

Employees are a company’s most valuable resource, and the current shortage of skilled experts is one of the most significant HR challenges. HRBPs have the strategic vision to identify bottlenecks early on and maintain efficient, smooth recruiting and hiring processes. 

Beyond that, HRBPs manage employee retention based on solid people analytics data: After all, high turnover rates are a primary cost driver for most businesses.

2. Staff development and coaching

Once the right individuals are on board, HRBPs ensure that they stay on track and contribute to the company’s growth. 

This requires HR to deliver personalized professional development and training initiatives for managers and staff. These not only increase productivity but also improve the company’s ability to add value. 

Employees who feel valued and whose development is supported within the organization are significantly less likely to look at competitors’ recruiting pages.

3. A close partnership with executive management 

As an HRBP, your responsibilities extend much beyond those of an internal service provider. Instead, you are executive management’s primary point of contact for all HR planning and compliance matters. 

You use razor-sharp management accounting tools and trustworthy data to help the executive management team make critical decisions such as: 

• How many new employees will need to be hired? 
• Which skills does the team lack in order to maintain a competitive advantage? 

You are the one who keeps a clear vision and actively contributes to shaping the company’s future.

4. Taking charge of the change process 

The ever-increasing number of challenges that HR professionals face demonstrates the need of digitalisation. Professional positions must be reviewed, new dynamism needs to be incorporated into current working structures, and processes such as recruitment and onboarding must be made available online. 

HRBPs play an important role in driving digitization by collaborating closely with executive management and successfully controlling change processes.

5. Employer Branding 

Finally, as an HR business partner, it is your responsibility to bring your company’s corporate culture to life and ensure that it promotes growth. 

At the same time, it is your responsibility to communicate your business culture and everything associated with it to the outside world. Why? This is strategically important if you want to hire the best available staff in today’s highly competitive market and the future.

Other responsibilities include:

• Payroll and tax administration
• Employee handbook and policy development
• Benefit plan selection, enrollment, and administration
• Employee and team relations
• Performance management
• Employee retention and turnover

Human Resources Business Partner Skills and Knowledge 

HR business partners may share a variety of common skills, strengths, and professional knowledge, including: 

Interpersonal Communication

HR business professionals interact with a wide range of people, including company executives and HR department employees. They may give presentations, participate in negotiations, and handle difficult situations and conflicts. This means that their position may need them to communicate with various audiences and individuals with diverse professional backgrounds. Interpersonal communication skills enable HR business professionals to contribute to the creation of HR strategies, learn from organizational leaders, and engage with other company employees.

Confident Promoting of Transformation and Progress

As an HR specialist, I’ve seen quite a number of HR business partners being put in spots where they have to recommend alternate approaches and improvements to the HR department’s strategy to help it align with the company’s main goals. This means that you will benefit from being able to confidently promote growth and transformation and feel comfortable guiding other professionals through various business transformations. This may entail identifying and defining impending changes so that you may contribute to the development of a system that guarantees these transformations do not significantly disrupt employees or the company as a whole.

Digital Tools Savvy

HR business partners can utilize various software and digital technologies to develop strategies and share their ideas with corporate leaders. This means that people in this role will need to be conversant with data visualization, business intelligence, and decision support. Individuals may also use online forums and programs to exchange information with their colleagues. This information could include HR department spending, HR strategies, and team or individual employee performance.

Project Management Skills 

Because you frequently collaborate with business leaders and executives, you may be responsible for several project management tasks. These roles may include supervising project resources, managing stakeholders, developing a project scope statement, and speaking to audiences of varying sizes. This means that understanding a project manager’s role and being able to carry out tasks associated with this position can help you improve current HR strategies and add long-term value to an organization.

Ability to Identify Leaders and Encourage Professional Development

HR business partners will benefit from the ability to recognize leaders and promote employee growth and development to build and maintain a strong leadership team. This may also entail being able to identify external candidates for leadership positions as they become available, ensuring that they swiftly find strong and competent professionals to join the team. HR business partners may be able to determine whether a candidate’s credentials and experience are appropriate for the company and its goals.

Networking Skills 

If you want to work as an HR business partner, employers may require you to have strong networking skills. Because this position requires communicating with a wide range of executives and other members of the organization’s leadership team, it is important to be able to network with individuals from various backgrounds and areas of expertise. Networking skills can also help you build professional ties with people outside of the company who may become potential candidates and offer value to the organization in the future.

Cultural Awareness and Competency

If you work for a multinational corporation, cultural awareness and competency can be very useful in your role as an HR business partner. If your company has facilities or storefronts all over the world, you should be familiar with the compensation standards, business practices, and labor laws in each country where it operates. This allows you to ensure that the systems you implement comply with cultural norms as well as national or regional regulations, and it can assist you in evaluating HR performance in each location while taking into consideration cultural contexts and circumstances.

Business Savvy and Knowledge 

While HR management skills and an understanding of the role of HR are essential, companies may also search for a candidate who is knowledgeable about other aspects of the business besides the HR department. HR business partners work closely with a wide range of executives within an organization, so understanding the company’s fundamental operations and how business divisions interact with one another may be beneficial. This expertise and experience can assist HR professionals work with executives and gain their respect.

HR Business Partner Salary 

According to Indeed, the national average annual income for a human resources business partner is $80,449, but this figure may vary depending on the individual’s professional experience, academic credentials, and location. Salary may also be determined by the size of the organization and the position’s specific duties. Professionals may be able to raise their salaries by increasing their skills and obtaining a number of certifications, such as: 

• Strategic HR Business Partner Certification 
• HR Business Partner 2.0 Certification and 
• Human Resources Certificate

Read Also: How Much Does Human Resources Make in 2024? Detailed Pay Guide

HR Business Partner Qualifications 

While it may vary by prospective employer, the qualifications required to become an HR business partner may include:

• Post-secondary degrees: Employers may request a post-secondary degree, such as a bachelor’s or master’s degree, in a related profession before you may become an HR business partner. You can get an undergraduate degree in a variety of fields, and a master’s degree in human resource management or a related field can help you advance.

• HR Experience: Because the job of HR business partner is a leadership position, organizations may require candidates to have several years of HR experience to make sure that they understand the norms, standards, and processes of an HR department. If you have little experience in this profession, consider pursuing an internship or entry-level job to help you build your résumé. See 14 Entry-Level Human Resources Jobs: All You Need to Know

• Core Competencies: Employers may seek skilled individuals for this position, requiring candidates to possess a variety of core competencies relevant to the position and the larger field of human resources. You can seek professional training or enroll in continuing education courses to develop specific skills, or you can consult with an experienced professional to evaluate your present abilities.

HRBP vs HR

HRBP is a career in the larger field of human resources. Whereas an HR manager may handle day-to-day administrative tasks, an HRBP typically works directly with organizational leaders and business owners, assisting them in understanding their employment-related challenges and providing practical solutions.

Read Also: HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER JOBS: Thrive in Human Resources Managerial Roles!

How Companies Benefit From HRBPs 

Employers with an HRBP have peace of mind knowing that they have someone on their side who can help them: 

• Keep up with the ever-changing federal, state, and local employment rules and regulations. 
• Understand the complexities of the employee lifecycle, including hiring, training, compensation, and promotion. 
• Manage difficult situations, including terminations, layoffs, furloughs, workplace discrimination and harassment, and employee conflicts.

What is the HR Business Partnering Model? 

This is the model that allows us to understand and realize HR’s position as a strategic force within an organization. To accomplish this, an organization must reconsider how its People Team is positioned and perceived within the larger organization.

FAQs

Is an HR Business Partner Higher Than an HR Manager?

HRBP and HR manager are two different roles. An HR manager is in charge of the HR department and its daily operations, which include recruiting, hiring, benefits administration, and other tasks. In contrast, an HRBP serves as a bridge between HR and other business groups.

Which HR Position Pays the Most?

Top 8 Highest Paying Human Resource Jobs:

• Vice President of Human Resources
• Global Human Resource Manager
• Human Resource Information Systems Manager
• Change Management Director
• Chief Safety Officer
• Human Resource Director
• Talent Acquisition Manager
• Compliance Manager

What Level Is a Human Resources Business Partner?

An HR business partner is a senior HR professional who understands and specializes in how the HR function drives the success of a company’s line of business.

Related

• Director of Human Resources: Responsibilities, Skills and Salary
• Essential Skills That Make an Effective Chief Human Resources Officer
• Top 6 Effective Recruitment Strategies to Attract and Retain Top Talent in 2024

References 

• Adp.com
• Personio.com
• Indeed.com