Ahhh the precarious usage of the position title Human Resources/ People and Culture Business Partner has plagued the HR market for years. How difficult it is to benchmark this role when there is SUCH variance in HRBP positions, from role requirements through to needed previous experience. Not all HR Business Partner roles were created equal which is why we have such discrepancy in salary and leveling.

What is one organisation’s HRBP is another’s’ HR Advisor and not everyone who wears the title ‘HR Business Partner’ are truly business partnering. Whilst the HR market has slowed down recently, commercial and experienced Business Partners are still in high demand and aligning experience, approach and capability to a business’ needs is becoming increasingly difficult.

Firstly, let’s try to find the common ground…

Whilst HRBP’s need to have extensive technical HR knowledge and experience aligned to their role, there are also universal attributes that every excellent HR Business Partner has. No matter how senior a HRBP role is, or what industry they work within, below are the top 5 attributes needed for HR Business Partners:

• Collaborative approach – Particularly the ability to be the conduit between HR COE’s and your client group
• Stakeholder management skills – How well one can build relationships, trust and influence others
• Commercial/Business acumen – How to translate business strategy into HR related programs and initiatives
• Strategic and innovative thinking – Ability to develop solutions to the business to solve problems
• Agility and adaptability – Capability to pivot and manage change as well as move quickly to provide a competitive advantage.

SALARY BENCHMARKING

Using Salary Benchmark guides are very difficult to use when building a salary band for a HRBP role as there is such variance in these roles, where salaries can range from $130,000 - $200,000 plus. Below are some elements of a HRBP role that impact the skills/experience, level of seniority and salary of a HRBP role:

-           Size of client group and level of seniority of your key stakeholders

-           Percentage of operational vs strategic elements of the role

-           Maturity of the HR function as well as broader People and culture team size, structure, and support

-           Focus of the role (ER/IR, OD, Talent Acquisition etc)

-           Organisational culture and appetite for true business partnering

-           Strategic goals/priorities of the HR function and broader business

-           Industry of organisation

-           Commercial impact your client group has

CORE IN DEMAND EXPERIENCE AND KNOLWEDGE FOR A HRBP:

There is often a premium that a business will need to pay for the below in demand skills:

• Industrial Relations experience, specifically dealing with unions and EBA negotiation experience.
• Ability to design and deliver HR programs and strategies, particularly relating to organisational design and development
• Analytical and data driven approach to HR or the ability to make data-driven decisions for HR strategy

BUT WHAT DO HR BUSINESS PARTNERS WANT?

Candidates are being highly cautious in moving and will only do so if the culture and opportunity is highly aligned to what they’re looking for. When looking to attract HRBP’s into your business, below are the main priorities for HRBP candidates in 2024:

Transparency – We often receive calls from candidates not long after commencing a role that they are now looking again as the role was not as it was sold at interview. Giving candidates a realistic overview of a role will set your HRBP up for success and will ensure you have built trust from the beginning. But please remember that transparency also means sharing all of the wonderful things about your company, culture and role!

Increase in salary…of course! - No need to go on about the constant rise in interest rates and cost of living driving demand for higher salaries. Through the significant challenges of recent talent short markets, we’ve seen a good lift in salary ranges for HRBP’s recently so being able to offer an above market rate to attract top talent is becoming increasingly difficult for hiring managers.

Personal development through delivery of interesting work – HRBP’s are wanting to stretch their experience outside of BAU business partnering and gain experience across transformation, OD, and leading the design and delivery of different HR strategies that impact culture.

Collaborative and Inspiring leaders – Business Partners are wanting their leaders to be their advocates and are seeking someone who will coach and inspire them, as well as having strong executive presence.

Flexibility and Hybrid working– It’s great to see that 90% of our clients are continuing to offer a hybrid model. Whilst it is now the norm, it’s still the first question a Business Partner will ask during a career conversation.

Please get in touch with us here at Tandem Partners if you would like us to provide you with some bespoke salary benchmarking guidance or to discuss your hiring needs!