Les Hayman, chairman

Citation

Hayman, L. (2009), "Les Hayman, chairman", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 8 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/shr.2009.37208dab.004

Les Hayman, chairman

Article Type: Practitioner profile From: Strategic HR Review, Volume 8, Issue 4

HR executives share their experience in human resources

Les Hayman’s background in HR is not the traditional corporate path trodden by many of today’s HR executives. He started his career as a programmer, rapidly working his way through the ranks to become CIO and then president and CEO for SAP Asia-Pacific and EMEA. His leap into HR came in 2003 when, recognized as the best qualified to bring both technical and strategic value to the management of HR at such a large company, Hayman was appointed head of SAP Global HR, responsible for SAP’s entire HR operation worldwide.

He comments: “My move into HR wasn’t planned or expected but it was welcome when it came. As with many organizations, HR at SAP was seen as a peripheral function and the way it was set up really wasn’t creating much value for them. The SAP board wanted to change this and make it more strategic, bringing HR to the core of the business, and this was my task. I needed to make HR work for SAP and show its real strategic value and this was an exciting challenge.”

Hayman has since semi-retired but maintains various top-level strategic and advisory positions. One of his most important roles, chairman of ROC Group, a SAP Human Capital Management consultancy and integrator, affords him global strategic contact with organizations such as Siemens, Convergys and Britvic.

Technology in HR

Hayman’s years in the technology industry enabled him to clearly understand the interface between IT and HR. He is particularly passionate about the role that HR has to play at the upper-levels of business and he sees quality, well-integrated technology as central to running and informing the strategic decisions of a successful modern business. He explains: “You simply can’t have professional management without the tools in place to help you manage talent. In all organizations, technology is central to showing you what you’ve got, developing it, and helping you wield it in an effective manner. Without effective technology your staff is just an anonymous, amorphous group and this is obviously impossible to manage.”

Commenting on the ongoing challenge for HR and the management of staff, Hayman picks up on the growing number of lay-offs being reported in the news: “It’s torrid out there for staff at the moment and redundancies are increasing rapidly. If a company hires indiscriminately during the good times, they will inevitably find weak links when trouble hits. This is where big job losses occur and is the driver behind some of the stories we are hearing today. But it shouldn’t be like this. Hiring intelligently whilst using technology to manage and develop staff is the best possible way to ensure a healthy, well-functioning staff base and reduce the risk of having to make redundancies when times get hard. HR should be working to create the environment that will let this happen.”

Becoming a “must have” function

Hayman sees enormous strategic value in HR but admits that many HR departments will be in the firing line this year as companies start to really examine what they are adding to business as a whole. He says: “The challenge for HR has been the same for some time now – demonstrating its value. The importance of this will be felt even more keenly as the global downturn sets in. HR must work to become a business change agent, moving away from a ‘nice to have’ function, to a ‘must have’, and from ‘run the business’ to ‘change the business’.”

He explains that HR needs to move from being the ancillary function that many departments represent today. He believes that HR’s natural role lies in the boardroom and this is what executives need to strive for to be able to make the changes that matter. He comments: “I always say that HR must move from polite to police to partner to player. Too many HR people are stuck in a rut: held in low regard, being asked to police expense claims or simply organize team building days, as if this is all they are there for. But this isn’t the best place for HR. It needs to become a boardroom player to effect high-value business transforming changes that aren’t always properly considered or addressed by the C-suite. Now, more than ever, it’s vital for all elements of business to show their worth and, as an industry, we need to make HR head of the pack.”

Les HaymanChairman of the ROC Group.

About the author

Les Hayman is the chairman of the ROC Group of companies and co-founder and CEO of Chief Executive Organisation Ltd in the UK. Previously he was president and CEO of SAP Asia Pacific/EMEA, prior to which he was head of SAP Global HR, responsible for all of SAP’s HR activities worldwide. Hayman has been SAP ambassador within the office of the CEO since 2005, responsible for representing the interests of SAP’s board and those of SAP’s customers and partners. Les Hayman can be contacted at: les.hayman@roc-group.com