This is still a core question on our HRBP workshops and always resonates. There is a gravitational pull towards the fixing, the problem-solving, the transactional.

This downward pull can come from HR’s stakeholders, who think their life is made easier if they can hand their problems over to someone else.

Truth is, however, they are just reinforcing their own downward spiral. Fail to invest in leading and managing your people, and they’ll leave. Recruit someone else, same pattern. (And more work for HR).

The sales leader loses a deal, or client services lose a customer, and there’s retribution. Everyone understands the cost. They investigate the reasons.

Retention of key talent is a powerful argument for HR’s leadership and guidance.

It’s an argument we need to make more often and cultivate, with a financial calculation that demonstrates the business cost. Research from McKinsey, Deloitte and SHRM shows that the cost of a leaver can be twice salary.

Elevating the level at which HR operates has major benefits for the organisation as well as for the HR team.

Contact me if you’d like help to calculate your own business case, for a complimentary taster HRBP workshop for your team or for a chat.

What happens in your organisation when key talent is lost?