Historical Day Today in the Business World …

Today it was announced that Mary Barra would be the new CEO of General Motors. The first woman to be the chief executive in the auto industry. This continues the expansion of women into the C-level offices in major corporations around the country.

The other thing that I think is quite interestng is that to my knowledge, Ms Barra is the first CEO who has climbed to that position after starting in the human resources area of a company. I cannot think of another CEO that has climbed to the CEO level of a successful company that built their foundation on HR. If someone knows of someone, I would appreciate them sharing that information with me.

I wish Ms Barra great success and applaud her for her achievements and willingness to take on this huge task in leading GM forward as they expand their global footprint.

© Phil Hoffman 2013. All rights reserved

How to Build a Management Team – Part 4 of a Series

Subtitle: The Director of Human Resources

When a new company hits a sustained growth spurt they may need to add employees at a rapid pace. They also tend to handle human resources in an impromptu manner too long. This can be dangerous and should be carefully planned and strategically implemented. The position of Director of Human Resources has changed significantly the past several years and will continue to evolve as our workforce and economy changes. At this time there seems to be unique job descriptions introduced every month as industries change and evolve for the 21^st century.

With such constant change and the necessity for staying attuned to our changing economy and the global markets, I believe it best to list the key functions of a strong HR leader.

Write and Administer Policy

The primary function of HR is policy … that is rules, regulations, legalities and the scope and parameter that guide a company’s personnel issues. Policy writing is a key component of the Director of HR’s position, because it reflects on all phases of hiring, firing, administrative direction and staff-focused operations. The Director of HR is responsible for ensuring that proper language and directives are clear, unambiguous and binding.

Oversee Personnel Contracts

Normally wage negotiations, workplace dynamics, benefit packages, collective bargaining, and dispute resolution all fall within the responsibility of the Directory of Human Resources. The top HR person needs to have a management style that reflects clear communication and a high level of personal confidence while representing management to the employees and the employees to management.

Labor Compliance

The Director of Human Resources is responsible for making certain that federal, state and local laws are interpreted and implemented, therefore staying in sync with OSHA (safety regulations), EEO (equal opportunity), TEFRA (tax), ERISA (retirement), wage/hour and other personnel-specific legislation. In this position one acts as the liaison between top management and governmental sectors and is responsible for informing the company of impending and newly implemented laws as they affect work issues.

Watching the Big Picture

Knowing and anticipating dramatic change, such as a merger, a takeover, re-engineering, plant closing and other highly emotional matters … this position oversees all details involved concerning the change. It is also necessary to be the lead person on labor relations’ trends that will impact the company’s future whether positively or negatively.

Mindful of the Future

The Director of HR must be aware of workforce-related trends and be able to identify and track internal and external forces of emerging conditions and be ahead of employment hiring and policy curves. Furthermore, this position serves as the company’s liaison while overseeing credentialing of employees by directing continuing education, securing of certifications and licenses so the company is always compliant is all requirements.

What are your experiences in helping a new and growing company implement human resources into their management team?

Next: Part 5 – Chief Technology Person

© Phil Hoffman 2012. All rights reserved