Role of HR Business Partner for Enabling Effective Talent Acquisition in Construction Organizations

With subpar recruitment practices posing challenges for companies and younger generations finding manual labor work less appealing as compared to other professions, the construction sector needs all the help it can get.

In an industry that's facing an uphill battle against labor shortage, a human resource business partner (HRBP) can provide the direction toward creating an effective talent acquisition and retention strategy. An HR business partner has all the skills a construction organization needs to position itself as an attractive employer.

As unfortunate as it is, the construction sector has lagged behind many other traditional industries in terms of embracing both operational and technological innovations. This has made the construction business a de facto less preferable choice for the young labor force entering the market. There are a number of gaps that need to be filled to overcome this challenge and an HR business partner can help your organization get there.

That being said, every HR business partner requires a collaborative framework that ensures the free flow of information across different departments. KanBo software can be an exceptional business process and work management tool for your company's HR business partner.

HR Business Partners in Construction & Their Role

In the field of human resource management, an HR Business partner has a high-ranking role. People in this position work directly with their firm's top executives. They are tasked with utilizing HR resources to help the company achieve its objectives. To guarantee that a company's strategy for obtaining and keeping people aligns with broader company objectives for reform and development, professionals in this function engage with top management.

You must understand how businesses operate and what they need in order to succeed as an HR partner. Simultaneously, they must learn the fundamentals of hiring, leading, and assisting a workforce. Unlike other HR positions, this one focuses a strong emphasis on strategic alignment, and the job comes with a distinct set of duties and talents. These are just a few of the many advantages and qualities that an HRBP should have:

Business Knowledge & Project Management

It is not unexpected that HR business partners are required to have some project management abilities as they are supposed to develop and execute HR-related projects that will lead to organizational objectives. A successful HR Business partner is someone who can properly manage different departments and projects, evaluate information, and take initiative. As a result, businesses typically have to make considerable changes in order to fulfill their talent-oriented objectives.

HR business partners are required to have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of human resource planning. They have a thorough understanding of how the company is designed and how its various departments and divisions engage with one another. Business executives need knowledge above all else, particularly in an atmosphere when major shifts in the status quo are expected.

Result-Oriented & Organized

In order to effectively create and implement strategic plans for the benefit of the firm, HR business partners must be performance-driven. To be a successful business partner, you must have a selling mentality. They should be able to convince experienced personnel and C-level leaders to accept their recommendations. As a result, those in this position must be able to promote their company to potential employees. In many cases, an HR Business partner's effectiveness is characterized by their ability to convince relevant stakeholders that their proposal is worthy of further exploration.

A competent HR Business partner must have excellent time management and organizational abilities. For a project to be successful, they must meticulously prepare and implement each phase of the strategy in a reasonable timeframe.

Strategic Thought & Cross-Cultural Knowledge

It's no secret that construction businesses and corporations are in a talent war, and it's a global one. It is critical for HR business partners to have a thorough grasp of local employment legislation, operational processes, and pay frameworks, as well as intercultural competence. Having this type of understanding can help HR business partners to acquire talent from a larger pool of candidates enhancing the organization's opportunity to bring top skills and talents on board.

An HR business partner is capable of thinking strategically. These experts, whether they serve on the management board or have some other connection to the organization's top management, help influence the company's future performance. HR Company Partners are typically in charge of promoting the concept that organizational performance begins with people among their top management, due to their specialization in human resources.

Leadership & Ability to Build Relationships

An HR business partner must be able to hold a conversation with corporate executives from a variety of personal and professional backgrounds in order to gain an understanding of their organization's demands as well as build a working relationship with real decision-makers. It's important for an HR business partner to cultivate a community of HR colleagues who can offer expert help and a group of possible employees beyond the workplace.

There are a lot of individuals involved in an HR business partner's initiatives, from CEOs and administrators to the rest of the organization. This implies that, regardless of leadership style, you'll need someone who can set the bar high and remove the most common causes of employee disenchantment.

Familiarity with Modern Digital Tools

In order to establish and convey strategic planning, supervise team members, and monitor expenditure, HR business partners have access to a broad selection of software applications. Virtual communities that promote information exchange are also on the list of digital tools that assist business insights, predictive modeling, and visual analytics. That's why it is essential for an HR business partner to be tech-savvy enough to learn and develop quick familiarity with these tools.

By leveraging the functionality of feature-rich software programs like KanBo, HR business partners cannot only create and optimize long-term strategies but ensure quick and transparent communication of information across all relevant teams.

United Nations Sustainability Goals and Targets for Construction Organizations

Meeting sustainable development objectives is one of the primary motivations for major firms, especially those operating in the construction industry as they strive for operational excellence through flexible infrastructure. As we go forward and recognize the need of connecting core business with sustainability goals, we will need more assets, attention, and passion to mitigate the effect of what we do on our planet. That is why the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs has established a set of objectives and metrics that can only be met if significant businesses participate. The following are the primary goals.

Building Durable, Sustainable, and Adaptable Infrastructure

The major goal of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs is to build dependable, strong, resilient, and long-lasting architecture to aid in economic growth and overall social well-being. Companies must focus on providing fair and affordable access to job opportunities as well as goods and services for everyone.

Promoting Inclusive and Sustainable Industrialization

People in the vast majority of developing nations have restricted access to goods and services, especially those connected to regional and worldwide mobility. Construction organizations should help small-scale firms to gain access so that the local population may discover economic possibilities within their region.

Improving Small-Scale Enterprise Access

In most developing countries, products and services, particularly those related to regional and global mobility, are unavailable to the majority of citizens. Small businesses in the construction industry should be given assistance in gaining access so that the local populace may learn about the economic opportunities available to them.

Improving Resource Efficiency and Adopting Environmentally Friendly Technologies

Another goal set by the UN for large-scale firms such as construction organizations is to refit industries and modernize their infrastructure in order to improve sustainability. They must also prioritize the introduction of clean and environmentally-friendly technology, as well as efficient resource utilization and streamlined process control.

Encouragement of Innovation and Scientific Research

Multinational organizations should try to stimulate innovation, promote scientific research, and boost the technical capability of their industrial sectors during the next decade or two, particularly in emerging nations.

• Promote and assist in the development of resilient and sustainable infrastructure in developing nations by providing improved technical, economic, and technical assistance.
• Assist developing nations with local innovation, research, and development.
• Improve rapid and simple access to communication and information technologies, and make an effort to offer inexpensive and broad internet access.

What Can HR Business Partners Do for Construction Organizations?

Strategic Planning & Control for Enhanced Retention

Human resources have one of the greatest issues today because of a scarcity of highly-skilled workers. HR business partners have the long-term vision to see potential problems in the recruitment and screening process and achieve targets by implementing solutions that are both cost-effective and time-efficient. More than that, HR business partners rely on robust employee engagement systems to analyze personnel and job satisfaction since high staff turnover is one of the key expense contributors in the majority of construction businesses.

This is why tactical planning is the most important responsibility of an HR Business Partner. They keep records of various HR statistics in order to have a handle on how engaged, satisfied, and retained your workers are. When you have access to statistics like this, it's much simpler to determine what constitutes progress. HR business partners may develop and execute ideas for improving the company based on their considerable research knowledge and proactive planning.

Working Collaboratively with Top Management to Drive Results

It's not enough for an HR business partner to just be a promoter of the company. Rather, they serve as the primary contact person for all matters relating to human resources for the company's top management. In order to help the senior executives with significant choices like the number of people who need to be hired and the insufficiency of capabilities in the firm relative to the competition, they use acute managerial accounting technologies and dependable data.

HR business partners have a good overview of the organization's business and take an active role in shaping it. In addition, they serve as a link between the upper management and the remainder of the workforce. As a result, the HR business partner frequently advises executives on HR problems and highlights how and why HR can aid the firm in achieving its objectives. In order to achieve this, HRBP can use a work and business process management framework like KanBo that has all the features to ensure work visibility and informational transparency across the entire organization.

Workforce Development and Training

HR business partner makes certain that new hires in the workforce remain on track and contribute to the organization's progress once they have been recruited. HR must offer personalized education and career development programs for management and staff in order to achieve this goal. These are critical to the firm's capacity to create value as well as to enhance efficiency. Satisfied workers who are supported by their employer are less inclined to look for work elsewhere.

On the same note, it is the responsibility of an HR business partner to propose and execute growth-oriented initiatives. For instance, the business partner may realize that by offering an employee recognition program, they are more likely to retain customers. As such a program has a multitude of benefits and requires insightful supervision, the HR business partner is the person who creates and oversees the initiative.

Identifying the Most Effective HR Innovation to Enable Change

The always-growing number of issues faced by HR professionals is a strong indication of the importance of digitalization in the field. Professional responsibilities must be reexamined, existing workplace frameworks must be given new energy, and procedures such as hiring and induction must be made digitally accessible. HRBPs play a crucial role in digitalization since they engage directly with executives and take charge of the transformation process.

It's not uncommon for HR business partners to be requested to identify the right technology to implement a new process or practice in the workplace. An HR business partner may recommend an Appraisal and Reward System, Work Management software like KanBo, or an Employee Collaboration solution depending on the corporate goals. As many alternatives exist, HR business partners should diligently assess which technologies best meet their organizational goals and requirements.

Being a Brand Ambassador for the Organization

An HR business partner's job is not all about creating effective hiring and onboarding processes. They also have the difficult challenge of building a culture and environment that can help the construction organization retain its talent and experience. That's why it is crucial for an HR business partner to take their employer's branding into consideration as one of their key job responsibilities. They need to be a brand ambassador for the company both inside and outside the physical walls of the firm.

One of the most effective ways to do so for an HR business partner is to collaborate with the marketing department of the company and create necessary resources that can help build an impressive brand. That's where a collaborative work environment created by KanBo can help HR business partners to communicate their targets and expectations and ensure the milestones are being achieved in a timely manner.

Using KanBo to Improve the Way HR Business Partners Hire and Retain New Employees

In the construction industry, every company is looking for a digital platform that can manage all of its activities from a single place. KanBo's work-and-business process management platform may be useful to any construction company because of its flexibility and adaptability. Construction companies no longer need to create information silos that hinder cross-departmental cooperation and the generation of new ideas and discoveries. It doesn't matter whether your company is structured in a vertical or horizontal hierarchical manner as KanBo can handle a wide range of management styles.

For CEOs, KanBo Is Their Digital Home Base

Internal communications, job descriptions, and performance expectations, as well as goals and projects, are all readily available to employees via KanBo. Agile work management platforms may be used by senior management to set up a virtual base of operations. Now, executives in the construction business may get their hands on highly visual data and analytics. A more rapid and precise decision-making process enabled by KanBo can be beneficial to an organization's innovation strategy.

KanBo Offers a Low-Code Platform for Citizen Programmers

Only two benefits of a low-code approach are mentioned here: faster application delivery and less human coding. Even project managers or business analysts who don't know how to code may now construct mobile applications. Reducing IT backlogs and eliminating "shadow" technology may allow non-technical personnel to have a greater impact on the firm. As a result, the operating system as a whole is now more productive. That results in the creation of cutting-edge technologies.

Non-Coders Will Love KanBo the Most

As a consequence of KanBo’s functional diversity, programmers and non-programmers alike may create software applications without having to learn how to program in the conventional sense. A company's leaders may be unable to fulfill their tasks if they don't understand how to code. Using a platform like KanBo or a similar no-code solution is the key advantage of rapid application development. These platforms are becoming more important as the number of mobile employees increases and software knowledge becomes scarce.

KanBo May Be Used by Information Workers to Manage Projects as well as Workflows

When it comes to achieving a certain objective, processes are long-term actions. KanBo's platform offers construction industry employees the tools they need to successfully manage projects. Several teams and departments may easily interact with each other by using the software's building components.

Final Word

According to a number of studies, HR teams still find themselves spending almost 50% of their time on administrative and clerical tasks. Most of the work they do isn't actually work but what we call "work about work" as it adds no productive value for the organization. That's why bringing an HR business partner makes sense for the construction industry that has been late to the digitalization party and doesn't really enjoy a stellar reputation. An HR business partner can evaluate these challenges and provide a viable success route that can help construction companies turn around their fortune.

Having said that, it is also essential for construction organizations to give HR business partners a technology stack that facilitates convenient and effective project management through high work visibility and informational transparency. That's exactly what KanBo delivers both in terms of user-friendliness and functionality. HR business partners can leverage fundamental blocks of KanBo including cards, boards, and labels to get ahead of their work every day of the week.