A recent survey of UK heads of HR departments found that on average, HR still take on overall responsibility for an amazing 80% of day-to-day people management tasks. The consensus from the HR professionals surveyed was that this figure was far too high!
One of the reasons for this centralisation of responsibility might be the increase in employment legislation and regulation over recent years, which has resulted in the perception that it’s too risky to leave managers to manage without close supervision. This is certainly our experience when talking to potential clients each and every day – there is a fear amongst some to ‘let go’ and empower people managers to carry out the tasks that they should ultimately be repsonsible for.
However, the consequences of HR taking accountability away from managers is that costs increase as additional heads are required to provide support and carry out administrative tasks. The increase in support costs isn’t necessarily matched by a corresponding saving in managers’ time, as the manager typically still needs to provide the information to HR, be involved in the meetings etc.
Not only that but the relationships between people managers and their teams can also be diluted as a result of too much HR involvement.
And once managers become used to HR taking accountability for key parts of their job the demand can be insatiable, leading to more and more support staff being required to keep pace.
It’s a bit like building extra lanes on the M25; it’s wholly expensive and in the long-run demand increases to match increased supply and you end up with the same old traffic-jams and delays!
With Youmanage, there is a way in which business owners and HR departments can empower their people managers and support them to deliver robust, compliant and consistent HR and management processes. Take the trial.
Did you find this article useful? Youmanage HR offers software to help you streamline your HR processes and ensure compliance within your company. We also write articles on HR, leadership, employee engagement, health & well-being and much more. Start a free trial of Youmanage, get in touch to ask questions, or check out our blog to help you to deliver HR best practice in your business.
