The duties of an HR Consultant are always changing but the goal each time remains the same, to advise companies on a wide range of issues that ultimately improve efficiency and employee engagement.
As a consultant, I am called to different businesses for different reasons. Sometimes I am contracted for days, sometimes for longer consulting assignments. Whatever the reason, I strive to build trust, share theoretical and practical knowledge and impart experience and wisdom so that businesses can communicate effectively and run efficiently.
These assignments vary from general HR consulting such as guiding talent acquisition teams, benefits consultation, performance management and employee development to more specialized deliverables such as leadership coaching, addressing employee relations matters or preparing a business to be sold or to go public.
Success in a Fast-Paced Business Environment
In this fast-paced business environment, the role of an HR Consultant is ever-changing and often reflects the client’s dedication to the inherent human element of managing employees to maintain and foster satisfaction and loyalty. It is important that the HR consultant be adaptable in these rapidly changing times. Staying open to this change is the key to being a successful HR consultant.
Today’s Hot HR Topics
As the business landscape evolves, so do the concerns of business owners. What have I been discussing with my clients lately? Here’s a short list:
Manager Role – Managers are the key to a successful employee/employer relationship and managers’ coaching and employee development skills training are in high demand.
Digital Workforce – Technology is transforming how people access, retain and apply information. Demand is on the rise for continuous, just-in-time access using digital, mobile and social platforms.
Workforce Analytics – There is an increasing demand for metrics and analytics to understand key roles, talent flows, obstructions to talent mobility and the cost of not getting it right from business and talent perspectives.
“Globalization” – Global and multinational companies struggle with setting global HR policies that can also be flexible enough to meet the needs of local lines of business, regulations and employee expectations.
Branding and Employee Experience – Organizations are taking a close look at how they are perceived in the marketplace — formally and socially — to ensure that they are meeting the emerging “employee as consumer” expectations.
Boomer/Millennial Transition – The loss of institutional knowledge combined with changing expectations and work styles is creating significant talent management challenges across every industry.
The duties of an HR Consultant are ever-changing. The key to success is flexibility, openness, and a clear understanding of how small, constant changes in the business landscape and the shift in the workforce that happens naturally over time affects businesses.
Marie Zolezzi, CEO and Founder of ZM Ventures has contributed to the HR functions of many large firms in the Silicon Valley, Intermountain West and the Pacific Northwest. Marie is a skilled HR practitioner with unique expertise in HR business partnering, conflict resolution, employee investigations, one-on-one coaching and organization management. She is also a skilled board advisor to Board of Directors needing input from an HR thought leader. To contact Marie Zolezzi, send an email to info@zmventures.com