Why People Operations is the New HR

The term “Human Resources” is more than a hundred years old (coined in 1893, to be exact).

It’s amazing that, despite all of the crazy changes that took place in the 20th century–from bloody wars to the rise of the information economy–the term has managed to stay intact, still boldly emblazoned on office doors and printed into people’s self-descriptions.

However, its age is starting to show. It implies that employees are resources to be used for the betterment of the company–not far removed from the fax machine or cold, hard cash. That was perhaps the worldview of 1893, but it no longer holds up in the present.

The Rebranding of HR

Following in Google’s footsteps, the HR title is being revamped into “People Operations,” or “People Ops” for short. Notice the shift from “resources” to “people”–and the more proactive word “operations,” hinting that it’s the duty of HR to mobilize people and motivate them to produce the best work possible.

A key change is that HR isn’t as obsessed with rules and compliance anymore–their job is so much more than keeping employees in line and ensuring error-free paperwork. Millennials are starting to dominate the workplace, and in the war for talent, HR always has to be several steps ahead, capable of adjusting as necessary.

What HR at Google Teaches Us

A major thrust in transitioning to People Ops is the call for evidence-based HR. At its heart, HR deals with people, and people will always be complex and three-dimensional: average behavior can be predicted, but never how each individual will react. Empathy, emotional intelligence, and other soft skills are definitely a must.

But isn’t an either-or. Bringing data into the equation, right alongside empathy, will serve to empower HR. People Operations was born in Google, and Google knows data better than any other company in the world: through people analytics and rigorous problem-solving, a “science” for HR can be developed, where we can identify and leverage what works to yield maximum results.

The Agile Way

Because this means being willing to change your approach based on the data, Agile HR is necessary. If HR is to attract and retain top talent, it has to be very aware of its employer branding–to get innovate employees, HR has to be innovative itself, from onboarding to employee training.

A frequent point of stuckness is technology. Despite the availability of software to automate tedious tasks such as payroll and timekeeping, many HR departments still choose to do it manually, resulting in a massive loss of time, energy, and profit. Openness to technology is necessary–not only HR software, but also social media, project management apps like Slack, and more.

Nobody Knows Your People Better

Finally, HR’s role as a strategist should be honored. By not including HR in the creation of their overall strategy, companies limit their perspective and miss out on employee insights.

HR has the best bird’s eye view of the organization, with the potential to form an accurate synthesis of what’s going on at all levels. Rather than having a hierarchical relationship, HR and management should collaborate–HR should be backed by executive power if it is to implement company-wide changes.

Conclusion

There’s a lot of excitement happening right now. If you’re in HR, this is possibly the best time ever to be in the field! Beyond being in charge of payroll and benefits, HR is evolving into a role that demands innovation and strategic thinking, and its primary challenge is cultivating the potential in employees.

This mindset shift is represented by its new name, “People Operations.” As Lazlo Bock from Google says, People Operations gets things done; it revolutionizes the company from the bottom-up, starting with teams and inviduals.

The post Why People Operations is the New HR appeared first on Sprout.

source https://sprout.ph/blog/why-people-operations-is-the-new-hr/