“It’s not in our budget right now.” – A simple sentence that burdens most people every day, whether business or private. While certain companies do not have budgets in general, for some, this part of the year (“budgeting”) provides the most stress.

We are all part of the same problem

While on a daily basis in private life there are things we want and can’t afford, in the business world we still have certain budgets or we just have to fight for them. HR (human resources) is a department that should deal with people and projects related to people. The communication of most companies is that people are the most important, that they need to be invested in, but it is amazing how much the human resources department “has no space or budget”. Or does it not know how to fight for it?

The well-known rule “1 HR manager per 100 employees” is usually not always correct because it depends on several factors, so it is closer to the number 3 per 100 and depends on the size of the company. There are companies that have only one responsible person in human resources per 500 employees or do not have a human resources department at all. We will not talk about the magnitude of the workload of different projects related to employees, but one challenge of HR is continuous – how to get a budget for a particular project, ie how to sell that project?

”Director or the management has the last word.”

How to fight for the budget? With the help of others! No matter what it is – workshops, software, team building – you have to involve others. Instead of announcing the benefits of a particular project for which you are looking for a budget, consult with department heads. These are your colleagues, employees within your organization who will participate in the process.

Regardless of which project is related to the human resources department, someone within the company has certain benefits from it. Primarily – heads of sales, marketing, procurement and many other departments. Your task is to find these people, and communicate with them the benefits of a particular project. Get their buy-in. When you have the support of more key people within your organization you can get the budget you need.

6 steps to get the approval for a desired project

• Identify key people within the organization
• Explore the benefits for each member
• Discuss the specific benefits for them individually
• Listen to their opinion
• Ask for support before presenting to the board (director)
• Present as a joint project

In this way, you not only made it easier to get the project but also its implementation itself. Especially if you are in an organization where you are responsible for a large number of employees and you need to automate processes. Communicate the plan with everyone and act decisively.

Good luck in improving from within.