The Role of an Employee Advocate

One of the most difficult pieces of Human Resources is understanding how to effectively be an “Employee Advocate” while still considering the needs of the business.  It’s a paradox of some sorts when you are trying to assist an employee and still maintain what is best for business, as they don’t always coincide. 

I’ve done a bit of research have found that the over aching theme of advice on the topic are the following “Main Tasks”. (www.hrmadvice.com)

·         Conducting regular opinion surveys among employees

·         Providing feedback from the organization to the top and line management

·         Providing the development opportunities for their employees to help them to keep their value for the organization.

·         Assistance to employees to understand and benefit from the changes in the organization and to help employees through any risk of lay off.

·         Honest communication to the employees about the new business initiatives and the impact on employees.

·         Support building and developing the Corporate Culture.

I have found another blog that I like New HR for HR “Similar to the way organizations consult with their HR departments, “HR for HR” is a term used in some organizations as the area where internal HR staff may turn to when they need advice, counsel or mentoring.  NewHRforHR.com is a site dedicated to further the understanding of HR’s unique consultative approach, strategic focus, and people-oriented business alignment.”  

I really like this one post I’ve found that relates to today’s topic.  It’s called “Two sides of a coin or a double-edged sword?: HR’s dual role purpose”.  If you would like to read it, you can find it here http://newhrforhr.com/2010/02/two-sides-of-a-coin-or-a-double-edge-sword-hrs-dual-role-purpose/

More to come…