Developing an inspiring HR mission statement is important for the overall success of your organization. It communicates your values, culture, and business goals, as well as your value proposition as an employer. This can help your team understand how their work contributes to larger goals. It can also be a powerful tool for attracting and retaining top talent, vital in the era of the “new normal” and increasingly competitive labor markets.
In today’s post, we will discuss what a human resources mission statement is and what you need to consider when you write yours. We will also look at a few HR mission statement examples to help inspire you to write a narrative that supports your organizational goals and unlocks a whole new world of hiring potential.
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What Is an HR Mission Statement?
An HR mission statement is a specific motto, goal, or philosophy followed by a company’s HR department. It articulates what you do for your customers and your goals, values, and ethics as an organization. Put simply, it’s all about what you do, how you do it, and why you do it.
A human resources mission statement is very much focused on the present, not the future. It creates a framework for your goals and established how what you do every day will help you achieve them. It also inspires your HR team to consider whether each task they perform aligns with the goals of the department and the organization as a whole.
The other biggest benefit of an inspiring HR mission statement is that it serves as a frame of reference for the policies and procedures you use to recruit candidates. It sends a clear message about your hiring practices and who you are as a company. This helps you attract candidates who will be a good fit for your organization and whose goals, values, and vision align with your own. This helps reduce turnover and increase retention levels. It also boosts employee motivation and satisfaction levels, helping you create an environment where every individual thrives.
HR Mission Statement Examples
The structure, length, and content of your HR mission statement depend very much on who you are as a company. If you search online, you’ll find a wide variety of HR mission statement samples at both ends of the scale. Some organizations opt for a detailed HR mission statement, others prefer to keep their statement brief and to the point.
Let’s start by taking a look at a few HR mission statement examples to give you an idea of what works well.
Adobe
“At Adobe, we believe that when people feel respected and included they can be more creative, innovative, and successful. While we have more work to do to advance diversity and inclusion, we’re investing to move our company and industry forward.”
The most endearing aspect of this statement is that Adobe recognizes its flaws and allows itself to be vulnerable, which is attractive to both candidates and employees. It also outlines a clear plan for the future.
AXA
“You are valued. Your voice is important. As a global team with a huge range of different backgrounds, ways of thinking, and varied experiences, we want each and every one of you to feel that you belong, are included and can thrive. We care about you and your well-being. Because it’s when you feel at your best that you can do your best.”
This statement is effective because it conveys how much the organization cares about the well-being of its employees. AXA uses a lot of positive, reassuring language that makes the reader feel comfortable and helps them understand how the company intends to continue improving on its policy of inclusion and diversity in the workplace.
Sony
“To be a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity”
This statement is smart and concise. It focuses on a characteristic that everyone can relate to – curiosity. It is also open to interpretation and leaves the reader wondering where the company will go next. This is a powerful tactic for an employer that directly targets innovators and early adopters.
HR Mission Statement vs. HR Vision Statement
An HR mission statement:
- Focuses on the present.
- Is primarily about why your company came into being and what it does. It’s about who you are right now, your place in the market, and what you stand for.
In contrast, an HR vision statement:
- Focuses on the future.
- Is primarily about “why” your department does what it does. It’s about where you are going and how you intend to get there. It’s about where you want to be.
- Is aligned with your company’s strategy for the future and how your department fits into the big picture.
How to Write a Human Resources Mission Statement
The key to writing an inspiring HR mission statement is not overcomplicating matters. Keep things simple so that your point is clear. Make sure it highlights who you are, what you do, and how you do it.
You should consider the following four aspects as your guiding strategy when you write your human resources mission statement.
Define Your Core Values and Culture
Think about what your purpose is as a department and how your values align with your company’s overall mission. What are you good at? How is your department unique? And what is your value proposition as an employer?
Make sure you address all these questions when you write your HR mission statement. Explain what you do and define your goals and core values as simply as possible.
Establish How Your Define Success
The next step is establishing how you define success. How do you meet your goals? What are your benchmarks? Which skills should current and future employees possess in order to help you meet those goals?
This will provide candidates with an insight into how you measure success and help you hire the right people from the get-go. 
Align Your Mission with Your Company
The final thing to consider before you write your HR department mission statement is how your team aligns your mission with the overall strategy of the organization. What value does your department provide the company and the wider community? How do you strive to improve quality and productivity? Ultimately, what strategies do you use to continuously improve and reach your goals?
Share and Regularly Review
Once you’ve created your HR mission statement, you need to make sure everyone sees it. That means communicating it to all your employees, not just your HR department. You can do this by posting the statement on your website and social media pages, as well as including it in your employee handbook.
You also need to make sure any potential candidates see your HR mission statement. Include it in job advertisements, mention it during interviews, and reiterate it during hiring, onboarding, and training. This will help you attract and retain the right talent to help your business succeed.
A People-First Solution to Match Your HR Values and Mission
Once you have defined and communicated your HR mission statement to the world, you need to make sure you regularly measure and adjust your goals. This will help you stay aligned with your mission as a department and the overall goals of your company.
There are a number of strategies you can use to achieve this. Firstly, you need to make sure you collect regular feedback from your HR team and/or people operations department. This helps you ensure that your employees understand your core mission as a department. It also helps you establish if they take this mission into account as they perform their daily duties. After all, your HR mission statement should be clearly communicated with everything you do as a department, both internally and externally. You also need to make sure you are tracking individual and team goals, and that all your staff are engaged and performing to the best of their ability.
Factorial’s all-in-one HR management solution includes a number of features that can help you with this. For instance, our people management software can help you align the needs of employees with the overall mission of the HR department. And our employee database feature can help you track and manage the entire employee journey, from recruitment and applicant tracking right through to offboarding and performance management. Plus, you can use our solution to conduct regular check-ins and gather 360-feedback.
Sign up now and start improving your HR management with Factorial!
