Time for HR to reflect on its image problem

Less than one-third of line managers believe their HR department offers good value for money ñ compared to 80% of HR professionals.

Exclusive new research from Personnel Today, in association with recruitment consultancy Proactive HR, shows how differently HR professionals and line managers value the function.

The 360-Degree Appraisal of HR survey shows that, on almost every measure, line managers think HR is doing a worse job than HR professionals themselves believe.

Almost 60% of HR professionals think their department is extremely or very effective, compared with just 20% of line managers.

And 45% of HR professionals think their department is extremely or very well perceived within their organisation, again compared with 20% of line managers. Half of line managers think the department is not very or not at all well perceived.

The results lead to one of two uncomfortable conclusions ñ either HR is not as effective as its practitioners think it is, or the function needs to improve how it communicates its achievements and the value it adds to organisations.

Other insights from the survey include:

Women are more appreciative of HR than men.
Private sector employees value HR more than public sector employees.
The more senior an employee, the more highly they rate the HR department.
The bigger the organisation, the worse its employeesí views of HR.

The survey involved 835 HR professionals and 1,958 directors and managers from other parts of business.