Building your Credibility as an HR Professional: 4 Steps to Being Heard at the Leadership Table

Author : Heather Kerr

As business practices continue to evolve, so must our role in Human Resources. We cannot just demand a seat at the leadership or decision table because it is the “thing to do.”  We must earn and own our seat, and we do that by being credible business partners.

How can you ensure that your voice as an HR professional is one of a credible contributor to the business? Here are four steps to building credibility and owning your seat as a business partner:

1.       Learn the language of the business.

What is the language of the company you work for? Some employers might use acronyms (even the same acronym to mean different things), jargon, and colloquial terms to describe the business, and if you aren’t speaking that language you are going to be left out of the conversation.  If sales are talking about a “customer of scale”, or if operations are discussing its most recent NCR (non-conformance report) do you know what that means and can you participate in the conversation? If not, it’s time you start doing a thorough review of your company dictionary.

2.       Know the Business

An effective HR Business partner will take time to learn all aspects of the business including financials, sales, and operations.

Being financially intelligent about the company you work for will demonstrate a desire to build understanding of the company’s performance. What are the last quarter’s earnings, do you understand the profit and loss statement, balance sheet and sales targets of the company? If this all feels like a foreign language to you, put intro to business finance on your next professional development plan. Businesses thrive on dollars and cents, and if you don’t understand where the company is financially, you cannot offer effective solutions.

Understand the company sales and marketing function. Who are your customers, what % of market share does your company have, who are your main competitors, what are the growth targets for sales? Knowing the product or service your company offers and what makes it unique will allow you to ensure your recruitment, retention, and even culture strategy perfectly aligns with what the business offers the marketplace.

Learn the company operations. How does your company make their product or deliver their service? What challenges or bottlenecks do they face? What goals are they trying to carry out? Understanding how the company makes the good or service they are selling will allow you to offer solutions that create an impact on the business itself.

3.       Get Involved in the Culture

Understand what people “do around here.” To learn the culture better, observe and ask your people leaders: “what character traits do the top 5 employees in this specific department have that make them successful?” Answering that will help you both understand what the company values about its employees and move beyond a paper record of the company mission and vision statement. When you understand the keys to your employees’ success, you will be able to craft HR Programs that are effective and valuable to both the company and the employees.

4.       Execute

You can spend all the time in the world gathering information, researching, observing and generating ideas, but if you aren’t’ executing on those ideas and actually solving the problems of the business, you won’t be taken seriously as a business partner. Use your knowledge of the company to generate genuine business solutions that meet the needs of the organization and resonates with employees.

Following these steps can help you demonstrate the value you bring to the business. During this process, these additional two tips may be helpful in solidifying your relationships with your business partners.

1.       Do what you say you will do

Don’t over promise and under deliver, and don’t leave people hanging. Engineer out forgetfulness whenever you can. Use automated reminders, schedule recurring meetings, take notes, carry a pen and paper, leverage your calendar, do whatever you need to do in order to track your tasks, but make sure you follow up with people. Nothing kills credibility with your coworkers faster than them never hearing back from you. It ruins trust and tears down relationships.

2.       Focus on the “Can”

Due to the nature of our roles, HR can be seen as a department of naysayers. Often referred to as the “fun police”, HR can be left out of important conversations around the decision table because others think HR will shoot down the idea. To combat this assumption, try to provide your partners with showing them what they can do, offer multiple options, highlight risk and reward in each option, and then let them decide the best course of action. Starting with “you can’t do that” will get you a one-way ticket to being left out in a silo.

HR professionals cannot just demand a seat at the table because we want it, we must earn it. We can do that through proving we are a credible partner, capable of understanding the company’s product, operations, and culture. This process takes time and effort every day, but once it is accomplished, you will be contributing to solving genuine business problems, and truly owning your seat at the table.  

Sources

Collins, Allan. Unwritten HR Rules, 21 Secrets for Attaining Awesome Career Success in Human Resources. Success In HR Publishing, 2011

Collins, Allan. The New HR Leader’s First 100 Days.  Success in HR Publishing, 2017

Paton, Mike. “Accountability, To Be or Not to Be”. EOS Worldwide, https://www.eosworldwide.com/blog/95940-eos-accountability-be

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post belong solely to the original author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of CPHR Alberta.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post belong solely to the original author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of CPHR Alberta.



An Update from your Board of Directors – September 2025

By Jessica Jaithoo • October 7, 2025
As the governing voice of CPHR Alberta, the Board of Directors meet quarterly to provide oversight and guidance in several key areas. The Board, alongside CPHR Alberta operations, continues to deliver on the association's strategic priorities developed in the 2020 strategic plan. To ensure transparency between our Board of Directors, members and key stakeholders, we are sharing post-meeting messages to inform the steps taken towards advancing our profession and ensuring a financially stable association. The Board of Directors met on September 22, 2025, and the Board’s key messages are as follows: 2026 – 2028 Strategic Plan The Board unanimously approved CPHR Alberta’s new 2026 – 2028 Strategic Plan, which includes a refreshed organizational vision and mission. This forward-looking plan focuses on: Enhancing member value Promoting self-regulation Elevating the visibility of the CPHR designation Fostering a future-ready HR community Implementation begins immediately, with further details to be shared in the coming months. Stay tuned, our new Strategic Plan will be released this fall via email! Board Recruitment The Board has initiated preparations for the 2026 elections. We will once again be seeking CPHR, Retired CPHR, and public members. Additional details will be available in November. CPHR Canada and Collaboration Across Provinces The Board welcomed Philippe de Villers, Chair of CPHR Canada, who presented the national organization’s new strategic plan and the strong collaboration across provinces. Further updates will follow after CPHR Canada’s December Board meeting. You can view the CPHR Canada Strategic Plan here. Financial Management The Board reported that CPHR Alberta remains on track for a balanced 2025 budget, with no current financial risks identified. Engagement Board members will be attending our holiday mingles across the province starting in November. We invite you to join us in celebrating another successful year as a growing HR community. Visit the CPHR Alberta events page and watch your inbox, registration opens soon!  The next Board meeting takes place in November 2025, after which we will again share our key messages. If you have any questions regarding these key messages or the Board of Directors, please contact chair@cphrab.ca . We welcome your feedback!

Supporting Employee Well-Being: How HR Plays a Role in World Mental Health Day

By Jessica Jaithoo • October 7, 2025
Each year on October 10th we commemorate World Mental Health day. A day dedicated to raising awareness, minimize stigma, and promote meaningful connections and conversations about mental well-being. In the modern fast-paced and high-pressured working world, mental health support comes as a crucial element beyond a wellness initiative. It helps to build a more resilient, compassionate, and productive workplace. For HR professionals this day is an important reminder in the role we play in creating a culture that prioritizes empathy, balance, and care. When employees are mentally supported, they are more engaged, collaborative, and better equipped to excel in their roles. Why Mental Well-Being Matters Mental health can affect anyone, regardless of position, age, industry, or experience. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that in 2019, 970 million people globally battled mental health issues. Anxiety and depression being the most common disorders. The economic costs become substantial, with loss in productivity outstripping direct cost of care. Beyond numbers, the impact can ripple through teams and affect morale. Stress, burnout, and disengagement have real, impactful consequences. Acknowledging mental health and proactively making efforts to take care of employees strengthens companies as a whole. How Can Employers Support Employee Mental Health? While there is no “cookie cutter” formula to promote mental wellness – creating an environment where employees feel seen, heard, and supported is key. Here are a few actions HR can implement to make an impact: Foster Open Conversations Break the silence. Openly encouraging judgement-free conversations around mental health can reduce the stigma around the topic. Practicing empathy and sharing personal experiences can encourage others to also discuss their own experiences and current challenges. Access to Mental Health Resources Ensure employees know where they can turn to for help. Having an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with access to counseling, therapy, or mental-health hotlines and online support tools can increase awareness and better access to resources that can help employees whom are struggling with their mental health. HR can also work with benefits providers to increase coverage for mental health services or host workshops that focus on stress management and mindfulness as well as recognizing signs of burnout or emotional distress. Creating an environment within the workplace that promotes these habits also is important. Having quiet spaces to decompress, offering mental health days, or acknowledging small employee achievements can go a long way. Work-Life Balance Having a balance between work and personal life is key in maintaining mental health. Encourage employees to set realistic goals and expectations, honour their time off, and model such balanced behaviour themselves. Flexible work schedules, options to work remotely, regular check-ins, and encouraging boundaries can help employees better manage their workload and reduce burnout. Celebrating World Mental Health Day in the workplace  World Mental Health Day is a great opportunity to remind and emphasize an organization’s commitment to well-being. Here are a few ways HR can promote and celebrate the day: Host a wellness workshop: Invite a speaker or mental-health professional to talk about coping strategies or tools for mindfulness Coffee & Connection: Have an informal meeting where employees can share their own ways to de-stress and support one another Share Resources: Share educational material or mental health tips through internal communication channels Closing Thoughts Mental health shouldn’t just be a one-day topic. It’s a constant year-round commitment to help take care of ourselves. On this World Mental Health Day, we should reflect on how to make our own workplaces safer, fostering compassionate and stigma-free spaces for everyone. As HR professionals we are in a key role to lead this change. We can advocate for open dialogue, sharing helpful resources, and nurturing an inclusive culture that values well-being just as much as performance. By working together, united we can create safer workplaces where employees can thrive both professionally and personally. When people feel supported, everyone benefits. Resources: https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health#tab=tab_2 About the Author: Rheya is a volunteer with the CPHR Alberta Social Media Committee, a young professional passionate about HR and creativity. With a Diploma and Bachelor's in Business Administration from SAIT, Rheya brings experience in project management, SEO, and social media. When not working, Rheya enjoys crocheting, writing a first novel, and binge-watching Harry Potter movies.

A Strategic Guide to Organization Restructuring, Part 1

By Jessica Jaithoo • September 29, 2025
Author: Ada Tai, MBA, CPHR, SHRM-SCP I’ve been watching the pace of corporate restructuring accelerate this year, and it’s striking how no sector seems immune. ConocoPhillips is reducing its global workforce by a quarter. Intel is preparing to slash 24,000 jobs in one of the largest shake-ups in its history. Salesforce is eliminating 4,000 positions as it doubles down on its AI strategy. Paramount Skydance, fresh off its blockbuster merger, is shedding up to 3,000 roles; while Hudson’s Bay, a retailer that’s been part of Canada’s identity for more than 350 years, is closing its doors and letting go of more than 8,300 employees. Add to that layoffs at Starbucks, Amazon, PwC, Burberry and even Recruit Holdings, the parent company of Indeed and Glassdoor 1 , and the picture becomes clear: we’re in the middle of a global restructuring storm, where technology, cost pressures, and shifting markets are re-writing the rules of work. In my recent conversations with business leaders, one theme keeps surfacing: many are contemplating a restructuring of their own. However, they’re not just looking to cut costs; they’re seeking a clear strategy. That’s what this guide is about: how to prepare for restructuring with purpose, clarity, and humanity. Step One: Define the "Why" Restructuring is one of the most complex decisions a company can make. Done poorly, it can destabilize operations and damage culture. Done well, it can reset the business for future success. The starting point is always the “why.” What problems are you solving? Common drivers include: Financial distress - Reducing costs and/or improving profit margin to stabilize the business Market changes - Pivoting toward new products, services, or geographical territories Technology shifts - Re-organizing to adopt AI, automation, or other innovations Efficiency and competitiveness: Streamline structures or flatten hierarchies The objectives must be specific, measurable, and aligned with the company's long-term vision. This "why" is the foundation for the entire plan and is essential for communicating with stakeholders. Step Two: Define the “What” Once the purpose is clear, organizations can proceed to define the scope. Which functions are absolutely critical to preserve? And which areas could be restructured, consolidated, or phased out? This stage is about mapping priorities. In my work with clients, I often find that once they clarify their non-negotiables, the rest of the plan comes into focus much more easily. Step Three: Plan the “How” Too often, companies jump straight to layoffs, but effective restructuring requires scenario planning. Before jumping to layoffs, I’d advise businesses test different options to see which will lead to the best results for their company. This might include a hiring or salary freeze, reduced hours, offering voluntary exits, retraining employees, or re-deploying talent to new roles. Each option carries different financial, operational, and cultural impacts. Running these scenarios before making cuts prevents costly missteps.  Equally important: restructuring can’t be run by a single department in isolation. Organizations need a cross-functional team of leaders, supported where needed by external advisors who bring objectivity and specialized expertise.
MORE NEWS