IntermediateLEADERSHIP
You join a company where HR is seen mainly as an administrative function, and business leaders rarely involve HR in strategic discussions. Over your first 6–12 months, how would you practically reposition HR as a strategic partner? Be specific about the actions, stakeholder mapping, meetings, and quick wins you would pursue.
HR Manager
General

Sample Answer

Situation: At my last company, HR handled payroll and contracts but had minimal input on growth or productivity decisions. Task: My goal was to reposition HR as a data‑driven partner within 12 months. Action: In the first 60 days, I mapped key stakeholders (CEO, BU heads, Finance) and ran 1:1 interviews to understand revenue, churn, and talent pain points. I implemented a simple HR dashboard in Power BI pulling data from Workday (time‑to‑hire, regrettable attrition, vacancy impact on revenue). I set up quarterly Talent Reviews with each BU, linking hiring plans and capability gaps to their P&L. Quick wins included reducing time‑to‑hire by 25% and agency spend by 30% via a structured recruitment process and LinkedIn Recruiter. Result: Within 9 months, HR was invited to all quarterly business reviews, and engagement scores for “HR adds strategic value” rose from 54% to 82%.

Keywords

Map stakeholders and business priorities in first 60 daysIntroduce HR analytics dashboard (e.g., Power BI + Workday/SAP)Run quarterly Talent Reviews tied to P&L and growth plansDeliver quick wins: reduce time‑to‑hire and HR costs visibly
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