Overstretched HR directors forced to neglect strategy

According to research published today by Serco, nearly one in three UK-based HR directors (29%) say theyíve got too much to do and too little time. One in five (21%) claim that their department is drowning under a sea of administration.

Serco, a leading service company, commissioned the independent survey of 160 UK HR directors to understand the challenges they currently face. To ease the pressure, 31% would like to outsource their payroll function, 18% their benefits administration and 23% their recruitment, training and development.

Further findings reveal that a massive 79% of HR directors spend a third of their time creating reports on key metrics and performance. 72% agree that ineffective IT systems make the task more arduous.

One in four (23%) says that simply locating the right data in the first place is problematic, and nearly half (43%) say they then waste more time turning the data into a meaningful format.

Jan Woolf, head of commercial operations, Serco, said:

ìAn average HR director only spends one day a week implementing their HR strategy. They spend so much time coping with the daily demands of their job that they canít have enough time to think and act strategically. Thereís no doubt it is avoidable, as so much time seems wasted carrying out repetitive and cumbersome tasks on IT systems that arenít delivering.

ìSurveys like this help Serco to understand the needs of our customers ñ in this case HR professionals. Our services are custom built to meet those needs.î

* 163 HR directors from across England were interviewed by telephone. The research was conducted in April by SoloLogic