Qualities of a Good HR Business Partner

Written by Chesca Gardaya

“Human resources are the most valuable assets the world has. They are all needed desperately.” –Eleanor Roosevelt

The above quote has remained a mantra in my six-year HR career and has always been my basis in making judgments. Most companies, if not all, have an HR department (or something similar) that manages the workforce’s concerns and, because of that, HR professionals — like what Eleanor Roosevelt said— are needed desperately.

As a human resource business partner (HRBP) of Staffbuilders Asia, the outsourcing arm of John Clements Consultants, I deal mostly with employee and labor relations. HRBPs foster positive relationships between employees and their respective organizations to promote productivity and avoid interpersonal issues. To do that, an HRBP (or any HR professional, for that matter) would need the following characteristics and skill sets to help an organization navigate the turbulent waters of interpersonal business relationships.

Knowledge and Expertise of Labor Practices and Laws

As HR professionals, our knowledge of labor practices and laws is our trade. We must make sure that our organization’s policies and practices meet what the law requires. This also covers the need for us to be constantly updated with the latest practices and trends in the field of HR. With this, we are armed and ready to deal with the daily challenges and future complications our organizations might face.

Good Communication Skills

Communication plays a vital role, not only in business, but also in everyday life and being an HR practitioner requires you to be a master communicator and presenter. A primary function of an HR professional is to facilitate communication between the organization and its employees. This means that you will have to rely heavily on your written and oral communication skills to get messages across all levels. Part of the communication process involves negotiations, convincing or persuading, and most importantly, listening.

Organized

Organizational skills, metric orientation, time management, and discipline come into play when you’re an HR practitioner. To be successful in the field of Human Resources, you would need to know how to manage your time and tasks effectively as there may be days that might feel like the universe is throwing everything your way. In balancing daily activities, multi-tasking is key.

Ethical

The HR department is usually the conscience, as well as the secret-keeper, of an organization. We serve both the management and the employees so we have to maintain a keen sense of ethics when it comes to confidential information and monitoring the implementation of the company policies. The HR department maintains the harmony in the company, making sure that all is fair. Trust is of utmost importance since employees tend to open up to us and seek our advice on different issues and concerns. This doesn’t only apply to their professional concerns, it sometimes extends to their personal lives as well. Employees believe that you will do the right thing and will always have their best interests at heart. Trust is also very important in dealing with the management as they are entrusting with us confidential information.

Interpersonal Skills

HR handles various aspects involving employees. To be successful in this field, you would need to have an open-door policy; you should be approachable. You might be an expert in labor laws and other HR practices, but if you do not have strong interpersonal skills, you won’t be of any help. As HR professionals, resolving conflicts is part of the daily grind. Interpersonal skills also include being relatable and being able to relate to employees.

Impartial and Objective

Being neutral is your everyday game. In dealing with work incidents, your personal opinion doesn’t matter; you must be objective and impartial. Your decisions and judgments will need to have facts as the only basis. Possessing solid problem-solving skills is a must as you would need to apply them in numerous situations. There will be a lot of times where you would need to be able to remove yourself from situations presented as to not have emotions cloud your resolutions. This is especially important when negative scenarios arise and you have to come up with positive resolutions. The good news is that you will get better at this with time and experience.

The list above is not one-size-fits-all. Different organizations call for different qualities and HR professionals must learn how to be very flexible to fit the organization’s need. HR is not just the HR seen from the list above, and as members of this field, we must accept the different roles we would need to play and not limit ourselves to HR functions or else, that would be the only role we’ll play.

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About the Author:

Chesca is a human resources business partner at Staffbuilders Asia, a division of John Clements Consultants.