Traditional HR responsibilities take time that not every business has. HR professionals have to manage workplace conflicts, strengthen company culture, and keep track of development efforts—all on top of recruitment, hiring, and onboarding.
Human resources business partners (HRBPs) can lessen the load. These senior professionals focus on the business side of things so other HR managers have the time they need to do their jobs right. By balancing the employee experience and organizational goals, HRBPs help companies craft effective workforce strategies.
Here’s a guide to what HRBPs really do and how they might benefit your company.
What is an HR business partner?
An HRBP works with business leaders to make sure HR policies match overall business goals. Instead of focusing on administrative tasks or hands-on employee support, HRBPs plan strategically to keep business running smoothly from an HR perspective.
What does an HR business partner do?
HRBPs are all about collaboration. They typically work with senior leaders to develop HR-related initiatives that support long-term business growth—whether that’s improving team dynamics or reworking the onboarding process to optimize productivity. Most HRBPs are part of a larger HR team and have a specialized role within it.
HR business partner skills and qualifications
HRBPs need a balance of hard and soft skills. Here’s what someone needs to succeed in this role:
- Effective communication: From conveying policies to resolving conflicts to fostering strong working relationships, communication is an integral part of an HR business partner’s day-to-day duties. They must be able to engage and communicate effectively with employees at all levels to ensure alignment and promote trust.
- Analytical and problem-solving abilities: HRBPs use data to resolve conflicts, make informed decisions about business strategies, and advise leadership on how to optimize workplace dynamics. Therefore, strong analytical skills are crucial.
- Knowledge of labor laws: HRBPs need an in-depth understanding of local labor laws and international legal frameworks to ensure compliance and protect the organization from legal risks. Depending on the company’s geographical reach, HRBPs may need to navigate multiple legal systems.
- Organizational skills: An HRBP must juggle numerous responsibilities, including meetings, employee engagement, and strategic planning. Effective time management is vital for handling this varied and intense workload. It allows HRBPs to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and maintain productivity without sacrificing work quality or the well-being of the teams they support.
- Resilience and stress management: HRBPs often face high-pressure situations, such as workplace conflicts or employee terminations. Emotional resilience helps them maintain composure and manage the demands of this role.
- Talent acquisition and development: Expertise in recruitment, onboarding, and employee development is crucial when building a strong workforce. HRBPs must understand the evolving needs of employees and the organization to develop strategies that attract and retain top talent.
Scope and responsibilities of an HR business partner
Depending on their team’s needs, HRBPs handle strategic business planning and other responsibilities. Here are some of the duties HRBPs might have:
- Compensation and payroll oversight: HRBPs ensure accurate and timely payroll processing while upholding compliance with tax regulations. They also manage compensation structures to align with specific organizational goals.
- Creation and maintenance of employee policies: Clear policies and consistent treatment help create a more enjoyable and safe working environment. By developing or updating employee handbooks, HRBPs prevent miscommunications and misalignments that can negatively impact employee satisfaction.
- Benefit program management: Balancing employee needs with budget constraints can be challenging. HRBPs use their expertise to effectively select, manage, and administer employee benefits.
- Regulatory compliance and risk management: Workplace legal standards change often. HRBPs keep companies compliant with the latest labor laws and regulations—a crucial aspect of their role.
- Employee training, development, and retention: A workplace that helps its employees develop professionally not only boosts engagement but also retains top talent. HRBPs coordinate and implement initiatives—from onboarding to ongoing skills development and leadership training—that offer employees valuable growth opportunities and help reduce churn.
- Performance management systems: Evaluating performance can be a delicate matter, but workers can’t grow without accountability. HRBPs oversee the development and execution of performance evaluation processes to ensure feedback systems are fair, constructive, and geared toward employee improvement.
- Talent acquisition and recruitment: HRBPs play a vital role in recruiting processes. They collaborate with managers to identify talent needs, then lead recruitment and onboarding initiatives to bring in qualified candidates.
- Cultivating workplace culture: HRBPs actively foster a positive, inclusive workplace culture that aligns with the company’s values, ensuring employees feel connected, motivated, and valued.
How can companies benefit from an HRBP?
HRBPs bring high-level strategy to HR initiatives. Here’s why they should have a place on your team:
Adapting to regulations
Shifting labor laws affect every business. HRBPs keep you one step ahead when new regulations arise. They make sure you implement necessary changes the right way so you have more time to focus on goals.
Managing the employee lifecycle
Depending on what other HR professionals on the team do, HRBPs manage parts of the employee lifecycle. They build strategies, recruit top talent, and make sure current employees have what they need to thrive and grow. This way, your company can meet hiring needs without neglecting existing teams and strategies.
Addressing challenging workplace situations
From terminations to inter-employee conflicts, HRBPs help HR teams and employees navigate sensitive situations. For example, during layoffs, these professionals mitigate legal risk while maintaining employee morale.
HR business partner vs. HR manager
HRBPs and HR managers are both senior roles within HR teams and people operations. Their roles can overlap, but they do have distinct job descriptions.
The role of an HRBP is to create and facilitate business-forward strategies. They take on a broader role, working closely with different teams to make sure their practices align with their goals. On the other hand, HR managers oversee tasks like recruiting, benefits administration, and payroll. Their work is mostly administrative and operational.
An HR manager might handle routine tasks like tracking attendance and processing payroll. An HRBP could advise executives and facilitate long-term talent development.
Partner with Oyster for HR support in 180+ countries
HR is the beating heart of any organization. That’s why you need a robust support system to facilitate it—especially when you hire employees from around the globe.
Enter Oyster. With Oyster’s global employment platform, you can seamlessly hire and pay employees from 180+ countries, all while staying compliant with necessary regulations and standards.
Whether you’re looking to drive your HR strategy or expand your global workforce, Oyster has the tools you need. Explore Oyster today.
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About Oyster
Oyster is a global employment platform designed to enable visionary HR leaders to find, engage, pay, manage, develop, and take care of a thriving distributed workforce. Oyster lets growing companies give valued international team members the experience they deserve, without the usual headaches and expense.
Oyster enables hiring anywhere in the world—with reliable, compliant payroll, and great local benefits and perks.
