{"id":307,"date":"2020-10-29T11:00:37","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T11:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sage-people-scraping.local\/?p=307"},"modified":"2026-01-09T14:54:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T14:54:52","slug":"5-steps-drive-hr-strategy-times-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/5-steps-drive-hr-strategy-times-change\/","title":{"rendered":"5 steps to drive HR strategy forward in times of change"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPeople & Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t5 steps to drive HR strategy forward in times of change\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Headshot\t\t\t\tCharlotte Penny<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

HR and People teams are no strangers to hard work. In fact, in these unprecedented times, we know you\u2019re working harder than ever to support your organisation in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, we all know the feeling of being often all too busy focusing on the day-to-day job, especially in challenging times, that the strategy can get forgotten, or just isn\u2019t as relevant as it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s often too easy, too, to wrongly push your health and wellbeing to the wayside, leading to a drop in productivity and in the worst case, burnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps it\u2019s time for a reset, or simply a realignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what can HR leaders do to drive strategy forward, all while maintaining productivity and avoiding burnout?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s our five steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Be clear about where you are with your strategy <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How\u2019s your strategy really shaping up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start by taking a benchmark of where your company and your team is according to your HR roadmap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of the \u2018stop, start, continue\u2019 approach. What hasn\u2019t worked? What do you now need to address? What do you want to achieve?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will help you to confirm any gaps, especially in light of any challenges you\u2019ve had since your strategy was last updated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talk it through with your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you where you wanted to be with your strategy? Importantly, are your HR and People team where they wanted to be in addressing it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which brings us to our second point\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Check you\u2019re aligned to the rest of the business<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve decided that your strategy is no longer supporting what you want to achieve, other teams in your organisation are likely to be feeling the same way about their strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speak to the rest of the C-suite and understand what changes they\u2019re making to their respective strategy. Make sure you\u2019ve reflected any updates in your organisation\u2019s business strategy too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t disregard the helpfulness of the business strategy in updating your HR strategy. It\u2019s not cheating \u2013 it\u2019s making sure you\u2019re aligned to the rest of the organisation and working towards a common goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking the pulse of the rest of the business will ultimately help you decide whether it\u2019s a case of tearing up the strategy and starting again, or reworking it to address the changes happening in your organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Adapt the HR and People strategy if you need to<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your original HR and People strategy may still be valid and relevant on the whole but it\u2019s important to check that you\u2019re still in line with what you want to achieve as a function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there really is no harm in changing it if, unfortunately, certain aspects of your strategy are no longer possible or no longer aligned to the rest of the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If, in the wake of coronavirus, your priorities have changed or if you have a remote workforce, it may not be relevant to update your HR strategy considerably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, you need to move forward on wellbeing initiatives, or review all policies in line with the shifts happening in the way you work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve identified what might need to change, check in with each member of your HR team, either as a group or individually, to discuss it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do they agree with the shift in approach? If not, is there anything that\u2019s being overlooked? It\u2019s important to make sure the team is on the same page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Set new or updated goals and objectives for your team \u2013 both short and long term<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To succeed in delivering against your strategy in times of change, your HR team will need clear goals and objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve decided to amend the way you do things, it\u2019s likely your team\u2019s goals and objectives might need some amending too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if your team were focused on driving office-based experiences and now the majority of your employees are working remotely, it\u2019s likely you\u2019ll want to adapt your approach so that it\u2019s more inclusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the function who encourage development and goal setting, you\u2019ll also be no strangers to what you need to do to act on your vision. But be mindful of the need for both short and long-term goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Particularly in difficult times, employees can often fall into extremes of feeling either completely overworked or under-utilised and HR teams are no different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reasonable timeframes and open conversations with each team member about the changes will highlight what is reasonable and fair to expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019ll help your team to stay on track and productive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Don\u2019t forget about your HR team\u2019s wellbeing <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The final but most important thing for you, as an HR and People leader, is to ensure your HR team feel supported through change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the day, your HR team are still employees. Don\u2019t let them fly under the radar when it comes to employee stress and burnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it\u2019s supporting your team to avoid burning the midnight oil, or making sure they\u2019re not inundated with additional work brought up by employees or other departments, the wellbeing of your team is imperative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be sure to check in regularly to see how they are feeling, to ask if they need help with anything and give them the opportunity to raise any concerns they have.<\/p>\n\n\n

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