Let’s play a quick game. Picture your HR support as an animal.
Is it a gentle sheep, calm, community-focused, good at keeping the team together but not much help spotting what’s ahead?
Or is it an eagle, with sharp vision, flying high above the business, spotting risks and opportunities before they land?
If your HR feels more like the sheep, you might have what we call fluffy HR. And while it may look nice and feel safe, it won’t help you grow.
What is Fluffy HR?
Fluffy HR is all about policies, paperwork and playing it safe. It’s well-meaning but reactive. It handles admin well but doesn’t ask the tough questions or push for real change.
Fluffy HR might focus on things like suggesting a team-building day with no clear purpose, sharing a long list of policies but not tailoring them to your business, avoiding tricky performance issues to keep the peace or prioritising employee perks over productivity.
It’s the sheep of the HR world, friendly and helpful in the moment, but not leading the business anywhere new.
What is Commercially Focused HR?
Now meet the eagle. This HR sees the bigger picture. It asks where your business is going and then helps you build a people plan to get there.
Commercially Focused HR:
- Links people strategy to business goals
- Helps managers lead confidently and deal with issues early
- Supports recruitment with a focus on the right skills
- Spots risk, not just legal, but cultural and operational
- Measures success in outcomes, not just activity
- It’s proactive, strategicand never afraid to swoop in and challenge when needed.
How to Tell Which One You’ve Got
Ask yourself:
- Is HR helping us grow, or just helping us stay out of trouble?
- Do they ask about business goals before offering advice?
- Are people problems solved at the root, or papered over?
- Can I link HR activity to better performance, retention or profits?
- Do they feel like part of the leadership team or an admin team?
If most answers point to the fluffy side, it might be time to swap your sheep for an eagle.
Why It Matters
When HR is only focused on keeping things smooth and fluffy, it’s a missed opportunity. As your business grows, you need people practices that do more than keep the peace. You need support that challenges you, supports your managers and helps you fly higher.
With a commercially focused approach, you don’t just avoid risk, you build capability, drive performance and attract great people.
Ready to swap the fluff for focus
Fluffy HR has its place, it feels nice, keeps everyone cosy and avoids ruffling feathers. But if you want to scale, compete and lead with confidence, it’s time to bring in the eagle.
At Dakota Blue Consulting, we specialise in not just compliance-based decisions but commercially focused, risk-assessed HR decision-making to help your business grow, not simply stay out of trouble.
Book a free discovery calltoday and find out how HR can drive real results.