The emergence and value of HR within the Professional Services sector is phenomenal. The significant growth of the sector has outstripped growth seen in other sectors.

Law, accountancy and management consultancy sectors remain the original people focused and people dependant businesses. They are all wrestling with the massive people issues of recruitment, retention, development and reward. As a direct cause-effect the HR function has had to shake off the old vestages of welfare, policy implementation and disciplinaries to embrace complementary and business critical services, solutions and interventions.

Fundamental staff (manpower) planning, budget management, training planning and recruitment strategies are being collated and managed by the HR professional while more is moving to managers and even partners outside the HR function in terms of operational responsibilities. These HR experts are most commonly sitting with their client groups and networking with their HR colleagues rather than sitting as an HR team and meeting their client groups on an adhoc basis. The impact of such change has been significant, including an influence in terms of the skills sought by employers, the structure and size of the HR teams, and competition.

The HR skills balance that professional services employers look to include:

• an ability to think strategically, whilst also able to manage operational issues until the processes and priorities have been identified;
• solid analytical capability;
• CIPD qualified;
• possess strong leadership and teamwork experience; and
• good communicators who inspire trust and confidence combined with a 'can do' attitude.

A new corporate structure

Regardless of whether a firm is going through a merger, acquisition, upsizing or downsizing, or just looking for an HR Manager for the first time, all these firms have one thing in common: they are starting to understand the value that the HR function can add.

The structure and size of the HR team, will fluctuate according to the size of the firm, but it is clear that with a large percentage of operational work moving towards those outside the HR function, that there isn't going to be the requirement for a huge HR team. The HR employees will be few in number, but very much specialist advisors.

As a result of these external and internal factors, the "War for Talent" still applies to those employers looking for high calibre employees. HR employees have never been so highly valued and sought after, so much so, that flexible working schemes are being introduced and interim or contract candidates from outside the professional services sector are being considered for roles which would have previously required a professional services background.

Employees at all levels of the firm (not just those at the top) are realising that HR people aren't just 'policy police' but employees that are an asset to their organisation, that can see the full picture and are extremely knowledgeable in their field.