Public sector leads the way on board-level HR

Public sector HR functions are more likely to have board-level representation than their equivalents in the private sector, according to new IRS research.

The third annual HR benchmarking survey from IRS Employment Review finds that the HR departments at nearly two-thirds (63%) of public sector employers have a place on the board. In contrast, a clear majority of private sector HR departments have no boardroom presence.

But while public sector HR departments are more likely to have the trappings of a strategic role, they also spend a greater proportion of their working week on administrative activities than those in the private sector.

  • Roles and responsibilities 2005: benchmarking the HR function    Mark Crail, managing editor of IRS Employment Review, presents the full survey results. Responses were received from 128 organisations, together employing 95,880 staff, of whom 825 were HR professionals - the equivalent of one for every 116 employees at the mean.

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