Women in Leadership

Women in Human Resources: From Practitioner to Business Partner

Human resources is one of the few functions where women are well represented and still frequently absent from the decisions that shape the organisation, because the function is treated as administrative until it proves otherwise. This programme is about proving otherwise. Delegates work through the difference between service delivery and business partnering, and the commercial understanding a partner must hold about the operation they support. Reading operational and financial information well enough to challenge a line manager is covered. Influencing without owning the decision is practised, including disagreeing with an executive on evidence. Handling the difficult cases that establish or destroy standing, including a senior person behaving badly, is addressed directly. Building an evidence base from workforce data follows. Positioning the function in a restructure is covered. The programme closes on the route to head of function, on professional qualification and on managing the emotional load the role carries.