HR leaders report a lack of perceived value around their department’s work, according to McLean & Co. research.

That’s at least in part due to the shifting nature of HR’s role, researchers and analysts from the organization said in an Oct. 3 webinar. And the downsides are significant: A lack of perceived value can curb the department’s influence and access to resources.

So how can HR be recognized for the strategic function that it is? McLean’s experts outlined several steps.

1. Identify HR’s audiences

HR has both internal and external audiences, the panelists said. Internal audiences are those individuals or groups employed by the organization who interact with or benefit from HR work — boards of directors, executives, leaders and individual contributors. External audiences include job candidates, investors, shareholders, alumni and members of the public.

HR departments must first define their own audiences, the McLean experts said, allowing it to tailor the efforts that follow to each group.

2. Define HR’s value for each audience

HR departments must not only identify each audience but also understand what each group needs from HR and how they currently perceive the department, the speakers suggested.

“It’s unrealistic for audiences just to see the value in every task of HR’s day-to-day work,” said Alex Zawora, project manager for HR research and advisory services, said. “So to maximize the impact of HR’s promotional efforts, it’s critical that HR speak to how their work connects to and has a meaningful impact on improving each audience’s experience with the organization.”

To that end, HR can create value proposition statements that highlight the meaningful work it does for each audience, she said.

3. Set goals

Goal setting will help guide HR’s marketing efforts and ensure the team is focused and aligned on why it’s aiming to promote value, the panelists said. Goals also allow for the department to track its progress over time.

For example, the speakers said, an HR team may decide to focus on increasing awareness among employees of the work it does to ensure that total compensation packages are competitive.

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