Research
HR Transformation: HRBP Report
April 1, 2020


By Zac Upchurch, Chief Operating Officer, Talent Strategy Group

Our HR Transformation clients often request a benchmark report to guide their restructuring of the Business Partner function. We feel this information is valuable to every organization, whether they are restructuring or simply reviewing their HR productivity. We are happy to share this information with the HR community and look forward to supporting your next HR transformation.

This benchmarking report provides insights on the design and structure of the Human Resources Business Partner role globally. The data presented has been gathered specifically for this report from our network and from publicly available sources. A few notes about the data:

  • How data was gathered: We personally gathered data from the VPs of Talent Management from 15 of the world’s largest companies, reviewed research from the world’s leading strategy and HR consulting firms and did original research into the professional background of respected HRBPs.
  • HRBP definitions differ: A clear definition of HRBP is key to accurately compare the available data and statistics. We’ve found that companies define Business Partner in somewhat different ways, typically varying by level. We have carefully sorted our data to help ensure that everything presented here relates to the relevant role.
    • Desired level of support: You may choose to place more or less emphasis on the importance of the HRBP role, which would change the ratio.
    • Extent of shared services (outsourced or insourced): If you have already, or plan to, shift more transactional work to a shared service model, this will likely increase the HRBP/employee ratio.
    • Your desired accountability for managers: Your preference for how independent and accountable managers should be to manage their teams can shift the ratios.The “right” HRBP number may not come from a benchmark: Benchmarking provides insights to popular practice, not necessarily the right practice for you. Your correct BP number will depend on many unique factors including

Read the full report here


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