Also known as...
HR Manager
The role in brief...
The HR Business Partner provides exceptional HR operational and support to people managers and employees across the agency. They have significant experience of working in a generalist role with a particular depth of knowledge in employee relations, employment law, organisational change and people processes. They may also have responsibility for learning and development. Depending on the size of the team and the agency they may responsibility for a specific client group within the agency. They are discrete and a trusted confidential advisor.
Working with...
- Internal: All departments and teams across the agency.
- Group Human Resources team, local Talent Team and Resource Managers.
- External: Payroll providers, Benefit brokers and providers, legal advisors and visa and immigration experts, apprenticeship providers.
- HR Business Partners may report into the senior HR Business Partner, HR Operations, Head of HR, HR Director.
- They may have line management responsibility for HR Administrator, Intern, being accountable for their performance and providing them with professional development opportunities.
Responsible for...
- Providing leaders and managers with honest, pragmatic and accurate HR support to enable the business to achieve its aims.
- Advising, coaching & embedding management capability to support best practice in the management of people issues covering recruitment, selection, development, feedback, organisational effectiveness & change including the management of redundancy programmes.
- Managing the visa and global transfer process, if applicable.
- Coaching managers on a range of people policies and complex cases, such as grievance, disciplinary and flexible working cases; balancing business need and a fair Employee Relations process.
- Ensuring a consistent and measured approach in all people-related matters with compliance with current employment legislation.
- May partner with the Talent Acquisition team to be involved in the attraction and selection of high-quality talent, in line with current and future business requirements.
- Assessing, designing and rolling out HR people processes, procedures and policies, to ensure that employees and manager receive a seamless HR service.
- Delivering welcome/onboarding/induction programmes and managing probation periods.
- May partner with shared services for Compensation and Benefits, HR systems and payroll, with a close relationship with the finance team.
- May partner with central, global HR teams, where they exist, and implement global initiatives, on a local basis, as required.
Diversity & Inclusion:
- Monitoring and checking the people processes to ensure an inclusive and fair workplace.
- Collaborating with others across the agency to develop initiatives to improve the diversity and develop new ways to enhance the employee experience.
Talent Management:
- Communicating, training and embedding the employee performance cycle of quarterly employee check-ins.
- Identify key talent within the business via appraisals; and supporting this talent by developing career paths and succession plans which may involve development opportunities such as coaching.
- Identify those seeking a career move or transfer to another office and manage the process.
Change Management
- Provide managers with sound, pragmatic advice surrounding proposed reorganisations, challenging, and outlining risks, where appropriate.
- Guide managers and employees through an inclusive redundancy and consultation processes with clarity and empathy whilst ensuring that bias is removed.
Employee relations
- Provide HR support and guidance on a full range of employee relations. issues; maternity, paternity, sickness and absence, managing probations and performance issues.
- Provide advice for employment law issues to managers, taking advice as required.
- Manage transfers and where appropriate/required, associated visa and immigration implications.
Learning and Development (as required by each agency and size of talent team)
- May be in partnership with the Talent Development team and the CPD Manager to design and deliver core HR training to build people management capability e.g. flexible working, recruitment skills, feedback and appraisal skills, disciplinary, absence.
- Creating a structured and creative approach to the annual training and development plan to ensure personal development and commercial needs are met.
- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the sessions and revise the plans accordingly.
- Identifying the need and develop workshops to enhance employee and management personal development and performance.
Compensation and benefits
- Providing accurate monthly payroll changes to the payroll team/finance department/shared services/HR Administrator for an accurate payroll.
- Overseeing and annually reviewing the company benefits programme, to ensure that the offering is competitive and relevant.
- Leading the communication and launch of new or enhanced benefits to the agency’s staff.
- Collaborating with Finance and leadership to implement the pay review process.
Those who succeed are...
- Experienced in a fast-paced generalist HR role.
- Excellent at relationship building, as they navigate effectively across all levels of the business.
- Partner with the department leads to deliver the people the agenda.
- Highly collaborative and prompt in responding to situations and keeping all parties updated on the status.
- Able to establish trust quickly and are action orientated and proactive; exhibit a strong desire to complete assignments and deliver results.
- Experienced in managing a range of projects and volume of work with strong project management skills; identifies and executes steps to achieve tasks, goals, objectives and results.
- Capable of navigating ambiguity, showing persistence, adaptability and resourcefulness in the face of obstacles.
- Focused on priorities and able to project manage their workload.
- Able to navigate the needs of the business and the needs of its staff. .
- Adapt well to changing conditions and new ways of thinking; are courageous in offering innovative creative ideas and thoughtful solutions.
- Comfortable to challenge and support stakeholders to get the best results.
Where they come from, and where they go…
They may come from a professional services environment along with sales and marketing, where client service is the focus of the business. They have an excellent track record for building strong professional relationships and credibility with a demanding and fast-paced client group. They are well versed in HR practice with a sound grasp of current employment law and can practically apply this advice. They will be part CIPD qualified and continuing with their professional studies.
They may progress their career to Senior HR Business Partner, Head of HR, HR Director, People Team Director.
What is the difference between a HRBP and HR Manager?
These titles can often be used interchangeably, although there is a difference in the roles;
HR Manager
HR managers are typically responsible for setting policy direction. They can have a wider remit of responsibility for the overall HR function – budgeting, recruitment, change management, rewards, L&D, ER/IR, compliance and HR systems administration.
HR Business Partner
The HR Business Partner role tends to be more strategic, consultative and coaching in nature. Their focus may be strategic planning, developing supportive HR and organizational strategies, analysing talent requirements, recruiting and on-boarding. HR Business Partners have strong general business knowledge and specific experience within the employer's business sector