| | AUGUST 2024MANAGEHRMAGAZINE.COM8In MyOpinionALIGNING INITIATIVES WITH BUSINESS OBJECTIVESJames Harrison, HR Manager, ArconicHow do you collaborate with leadership teams to align your HR strategies with the overall business objectives?Understanding the business's needs is paramount for an HR business partner. It involves transitioning into a consultant role, collaborating closely with business partners to discern their requirements and then offering tailored HR strategies to support execution. This process hinges on building strong relationships and collaboration with business partners, forming the foundation for effective support.As an HR professional, it's crucial to act as the organization's conscience, emphasizing emotional intelligence, inclusion and diversity with business partners. Being adaptable and agile in support is also key. Ultimately, my role is to equip partners with the tools and strategies needed to achieve business results effectively.Could you discuss any noteworthy initiatives that you're currently working on at Arconic?We initiated a Craft Development Program at our Arconic Tennessee Operations to address skilled labor shortages and cultivate our own tradespeople. This program aims to fulfill our operational needs while nurturing skilled trades employees internally. The program was developed in partnership between Arconic, local union leadership and the community college , to enhance the skillsets of our current employees in plant equipment and tasks. The program incorporated classroom training, job shadowing, mentoring, hands-on instruction, and testing to prepare employees for more complex tasks.The program exemplifies three key takeaways: the power of a paradigm-shifting approach to talent development, the effectiveness of leveraging partnerships for unconventional results and the importance of applying a continuous improvement mindset to ensure long-term growth and sustainability.What are some of the challenges that you're currently witnessing that current services are unable to provide an optimal solution?Our business operations, talent acquisition, retention, and employee engagement, pose significant challenges due to shifting workforce expectations and numerous employment opportunities. To address James Harrison is a renowned professional in the HR fraternity, currently serving as the HR Manager at Arconic's Tennessee Operations. Navigating a dynamic career path spanning over 27 years, James showcases versatile leadership across manufacturing operations, safety, labor relations, and human resources. He started as a contingent frontline supervisor at General Motors, advancing through roles such as general supervisor and labor relations manager. His journey reflects a transition from operations to HR, culminating in his current position as HR Manager at Arconic. James Harrison
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