People costs often represent at least half of total operating costs – particularly in service organisations, where staff play a key role in delivering a brand or customer experience to customers.
Given the cost and importance of the people resource, one would expect HR to play a key role in the strategic management of the business. And yet, in many major organisations, HR continues to operate primarily as the guardian of a range of disjointed day-to-day processes, often aimed at an outdated or short-term employment agenda.
