HR Function

QUESTION:

I would like to know more about how large organizations with presence in multiple countries can be restructured in the HR function?

ANSWER:

To provide the answer you are probably anticipating we would need a lot more information about your organization. The type of business, the sizes of your off-shore operations and the number of employees per site, all have a major impact on the HR model that would best meet your needs. In other words, there is no one model for success - every organization has unique needs that must be considered in developing the most effective HR structure.

For example, the last multi-national organization we worked with was in the contact centre industry with twenty call centres located in four different countries. They needed a model that was cost effective but met the needs of all their employees around the globe while allowing them some consistent corporate policies and procedures. The number of employees per site made it imperative that we have a local senior HR presence in each country and an intermediate practitioner at each site. We developed a matrix model that then allowed Recruitment, OD (inc Training & Dev't), Comp and Benefits, Health & safety and HRIS to function out of Corporate HR and work directly with the global HR generalists. In this model it is imperative that HR works as a very tight team to ensure consistencies of processes worldwide.

In an organization with a Corporate office in one country and sales or distribution outlets around the globe that are minimally staffed it is quite possible to function with one central HR body. This would mean a team of very senior, knowledgeable Hr Professionals well versed in global HR.

In either case the HR leader/VP needs to be a highly strategic global HR practitioner that plays an active role on the executive management team but also is an integral part in the guidance of the team.