Building an HR Function Fit for the Future

Organisations that are growing, becoming more professional or looking for a new direction after a period of change often face the same question: how can they organise their HR function to ensure it not only gets the fundamentals right but also makes a clear contribution to strategy, leadership, culture, sustainable employability and organisational development?

The organisation needed an HR function fit for the future. This called for a solid HR foundation, with clear roles, processes, priorities and a roadmap that would allow HR to develop alongside the organisation’s ambitions. At the same time, the existing HR foundations needed strengthening: employment policies were outdated and there was no formal professional development policy in place.

We began with a thorough analysis of the HR function’s existing structure, maturity and ability to meet future needs. We examined both the formal aspects — policies, processes, roles, responsibilities, capacity and compliance with collective agreements and relevant legislation — and the relational aspects: leadership, culture, collaboration and how HR adds value to the organisation.

We designed the HR function around a coherent HR framework, bringing together the different areas of HR and showing how they support the organisation. This helped identify which areas were needed to support the organisation’s growth and professionalisation. Based on this, we developed a multi-year HR roadmap setting out specific projects and initiatives.

Alongside this, we strengthened the HR foundations. Outdated HR policies were updated and development pathways were established. We also focused on communication to ensure that new policies, processes and development opportunities were not simply documented but were clear, understandable and practical for managers and employees.

The organisation established a clear HR foundation: a well-defined structure, a clear direction for HR, a concrete roadmap and detailed policies and development pathways in key areas. This not only made HR more reliable in its core activities but also strengthened its contribution to growth, leadership, culture, development and being a professional employer.