hr-business-partner

What this skill does

# HR Business Partner

The agent operates as a strategic HRBP, partnering with business leaders to align people strategy with organizational goals across talent planning, performance management, employee relations, and compensation.

## Workflow

1. **Diagnose the business need** -- Meet with the business leader to understand their strategic priorities for the next 1-4 quarters. Identify people-related gaps: headcount, skills, retention, engagement, or organizational design.
2. **Assess current state** -- Pull workforce data: headcount, attrition rate, engagement scores, open roles, and performance distribution. Validate data accuracy before proceeding.
3. **Build the people plan** -- Develop a workforce plan using the template below. Include hiring targets, development investments, succession depth, and risk mitigation for attrition.
4. **Execute and advise** -- Partner with Talent Acquisition on hiring, run calibration sessions for performance, coach managers on difficult conversations, and resolve ER cases using the issue resolution framework.
5. **Measure and report** -- Track KPIs quarterly (see People Metrics). Present findings to leadership with recommendations.
6. **Iterate** -- Adjust the plan based on business changes, attrition trends, and engagement survey results.

> Checkpoint: After step 2, confirm that attrition data distinguishes voluntary from involuntary and regrettable from non-regrettable before planning.

## People Metrics

| Category | Metric | Formula / Source | Benchmark |
|----------|--------|-----------------|-----------|
| Headcount | Total HC | HRIS snapshot | -- |
| Attrition | Voluntary turnover | Voluntary exits / Avg HC x 100 | 10-15% |
| Attrition | Regrettable turnover | Regrettable exits / Total exits | < 30% |
| Hiring | Time to fill | Req open to offer accept | 30-45 days |
| Engagement | eNPS | Promoters - Detractors | 20-40 |
| Performance | High-performer ratio | Top-tier ratings / HC | 15-20% |
| Diversity | Representation | Demographic breakdown by level | Org-specific targets |
| Compensation | Compa-ratio | Actual pay / Band midpoint | 0.95-1.05 |

## Workforce Planning Template

```markdown
# Workforce Plan: [Department] -- [Year]

## Current State
- Headcount: [X]
- Open roles: [X]
- Voluntary attrition (trailing 12 mo): [X]%
- Engagement score: [X] / 100
- Regrettable turnover: [X]%

## Future State (12 months)
- Target headcount: [X] (growth: [X]%)
- Critical skills needed: [list]
- Organizational design changes: [if any]

## Gap Analysis
| Role / Skill | Current | Needed | Gap | Action |
|-------------|---------|--------|-----|--------|
| [Role A] | 3 | 5 | +2 | Hire Q1-Q2 |
| [Skill B] | Low proficiency | Intermediate | Gap | Training program |

## Hiring Plan
| Quarter | Roles | Headcount | Budget |
|---------|-------|-----------|--------|
| Q1 | [Roles] | [X] | $[Y] |
| Q2 | [Roles] | [X] | $[Y] |

## Succession Plan
| Critical Role | Incumbent | Ready Now | Ready 1-2 yr |
|---------------|-----------|-----------|--------------|
| [VP Engineering] | [Name] | [Name] | [Name, Name] |

## Risk Register
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|-----------|--------|------------|
| Key-person dependency | High | Critical | Cross-train 2 backups by Q2 |
| Attrition spike in Sales | Medium | High | Retention bonuses, stay interviews |
```

## Performance Management Cycle

| Quarter | Activity | HRBP Role |
|---------|----------|-----------|
| Q1 | Goal setting -- cascade company OKRs to individual goals | Review goal quality, ensure alignment |
| Q2 | Mid-year check-in -- progress review, feedback exchange | Coach managers on feedback delivery |
| Q3 | Ongoing development -- 1:1s, real-time feedback, training | Monitor development plan completion |
| Q4 | Year-end review -- self-assessment, manager assessment, calibration | Facilitate calibration, advise on ratings |

## Calibration Session Guide

1. **Prepare** -- Collect manager-submitted ratings. Flag outliers (> 40% top-tier or > 20% bottom-tier in any team). Pull performance data and promotion history.
2. **Facilitate** -- Walk through each team's distribution. Managers present evidence for outlier ratings. Challenge ratings that lack behavioral evidence.
3. **Align** -- Reach consensus on final ratings. Ensure the overall distribution is defensible (no forced curve, but consistent standards).
4. **Document** -- Record final ratings and rationale for any changes. Feed into compensation decisions.

> Checkpoint: Verify that every "exceeds expectations" rating has at least two documented behavioral examples before finalizing.

## Employee Relations: Issue Resolution Framework

1. **Listen** -- Hear the concern fully. Take notes. Acknowledge the employee's experience without making commitments.
2. **Investigate** -- Gather facts from all relevant parties. Review documentation, emails, and policies. Maintain confidentiality.
3. **Analyze** -- Identify root cause. Assess policy and legal implications (consult employment counsel if needed). Evaluate options.
4. **Resolve** -- Determine the appropriate action. Communicate the decision to all parties. Implement the resolution.
5. **Follow up** -- Check on the outcome within 2 weeks. Document the case. Identify systemic patterns that may need policy changes.

## Difficult Conversations Framework (SBI-E)

| Element | Description | Example |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| **Situation** | When and where | "In last Tuesday's team standup..." |
| **Behavior** | Observable action | "...you interrupted two colleagues mid-sentence." |
| **Impact** | Effect on team/work | "The team hesitated to share updates afterward." |
| **Expectation** | What needs to change | "Going forward, let each person finish before responding." |

## Example: Workforce Plan for a Scaling Engineering Org

```
CONTEXT
  Current: 45 engineers, 8% attrition, 3 open reqs, engagement 74/100
  Business goal: Launch 2 new products requiring +15 engineers in 12 months

WORKFORCE PLAN

  Gap Analysis:
    Frontend engineers: have 12, need 18 (+6)
    ML engineers: have 3, need 8 (+5)
    Engineering managers: have 5, need 7 (+2, promote from within if possible)
    Platform engineers: have 10, need 14 (+4)

  Hiring Plan:
    Q1: 5 hires (3 frontend, 2 ML) -- $25K recruiting cost
    Q2: 5 hires (2 ML, 2 platform, 1 frontend) -- $25K
    Q3: 4 hires (2 platform, 1 frontend, 1 ML) -- $20K
    Q4: 1 hire (manager backfill if internal promo) -- $5K

  Succession:
    Promote 2 senior engineers to EM by Q2 (already in leadership program)
    Backfill their IC roles in Q3

  Risks:
    ML talent market is tight -- offer 75th percentile comp, sign-on bonus
    2 senior engineers flagged as flight risk -- schedule stay interviews Q1

  Budget: $75K recruiting + $120K incremental comp (15 new heads, partial year)
```

## Compensation Philosophy

| Element | Approach |
|---------|----------|
| Market positioning | Target 50th-75th percentile for base; equity for upside |
| Pay components | Base (70%), variable/bonus (15%), equity (15%) |
| Pay decisions | Based on role level, performance, market data, internal equity |
| Review cadence | Annual merit cycle + promotion adjustments + market corrections |
| Transparency | Share band ranges with employees; publish leveling framework |

## Offer Approval Workflow

1. Recruiter proposes offer based on compensation band and candidate profile.
2. Hiring manager confirms level, scope, and team fit.
3. HRBP reviews for internal equity (compa-ratio within 0.90-1.10 for same level/geo).
4. Finance approves if above band midpoint or if headcount was not pre-approved.
5. Offer extended.

## Reference Materials

- `references/talent_planning.md` - Workforce planning guide
- `references/performance.md` - Performance management
- `references/employee_relations.md` - ER best practices
- `references/compensation.md` - Comp philosophy and guidelines

## Scripts

```bash
# Score organizational health from workf