I frequently read blogs,to keep up on what is happening in HR, my career of 20 years. Lately I have noticed many blogs saying that HR isn’t strategic enough, or not concerned with the bottom line, or that it is filled with incompetent people who need more training, and so on.
So when I read blogs on HR I prepare myself to feel slightly indignant. It seems like every blog blames human resources for everything from unhappy employees to lawsuits against the company for sexual harassment (how exactly is that HR’s fault?). What about the PunkRockHR blogger who wants to know if “HR is Dying: Yes? No?” In this recent post, she writes that people just try to get around HR, that it is essentially a roadblock.
Most HR professionals are hardworking, competent individuals who toil day-to-day with important tactical responsibilities - getting people enrolled in benefits programs, responding to benefits and/or insurance claim questions, getting salaries changed, assisting with performance reviews, listening to employees personal problems, and all the other required duties. Most don’t even have time to read blogs!
While this work may not earn a seat at the table and may not be strategic it has dignity. Is there something wrong with doing this job? And many of us are kind, caring individuals who took the job because with the notion of helping others. The tactical HR professionals don’t have a seat at the table but our days are entirely filled with tasks that have to be done. If they don’t get done, things go wrong very quickly.
The first blog I read had what I expected – guest blogger Sukhvinder Pabial muses about why HR professionals rarely move up the ladder to run the company:
”Quite simply it's the way HR talks about business. We don't put ourselves in a credible position which shows that we are able to have business discussions with other business leaders. And don't fool yourself into thinking you're doing this.”
I read a few of the other blogs in the series. They were all about the same. Finally, I found the 'Existentialism is an HRism' blog, written by “The HRD” who states:
“It is my belief that HR is facing its own existential crisis. We can learn a lot from the existentialists about how HR can face up to this crisis, and take charge of its actions…...we seek the approval of others by behaving in ways that we often do not believe are proper…….stop worrying about what people think of you and start doing what you believe is right. Start today, start right now. Make every action count.”
That, I can agree with!
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8 comments:
Hi Dawn
Thank you very much indeed for taking the time to write a post in reaction to the “If I could change one thing about HR…” series.
I appreciate your highlighting this series, but I’m afraid I must take issue with your conclusion that the blog posts contributed so far are “all about the same”.
The intention behind the series is absolutely not to engage in “another round of ‘Let’s blame Human Resources’.” Quite the opposite in fact. The idea is to celebrate the abundance of blogging talent writing on and around matters relating to HR at the moment, and to allow them to identify a single aspect of the profession they would like to see change.
There are a growing number of excellent HR blogs out there now, with a wealth of great writing and great writers sharing their views on a regular basis.
In launching this series, I wanted to offer the HR blogging community the chance to present their take on a single topic. And the results have considerably exceeded my expectations. I’ve been overwhelmed by both the quality and quantity of guest posts contributed to this series, and by the vast range and diversity of highly personal takes on the same topic that have been produced.
The last thing that these posts are is “all about the same”.
Reading more than a handful of the posts in this series should make this abundantly clear. For example, we have: an extremely thought-provoking piece from Elaine Cohen on how HR can help organisations pursue objectives around corporate social responsibility; deconstructions of the underlying assumptions of the modern world of work from Grumpy Lecturer and Professor Gregor Gall; an ingenious entry from Dr Anne Marie McEwan on serendipity and the concept of “autonomous operational units”; and a fascinating piece in favour of the role of online internal community managers from Grant Mason.
I hope that the above gives you some flavour of just how much this series has to offer, and will encourage you to read a few more of the guest posts. There are a lot of intriguing opinions expressed here.
I’m also on the look-out for further contributors to this series, so if you or any of your readers would like to contribute a guest post to this series, I would be delighted to hear from you.
Kind regards
Michael
Hi Dawn,
Thanks for making particular mention of my guest post to the series. There really has been some fantastic discussion on the "If I could change one thing about HR" series, from both sides of the pond and also from professionals not in HR. And it's definitely not all been about blaming HR.
If anything the majority of the posts have been a rallying cry to do a number of things:
- be proud of working in HR and the work we do
- don't worry about naval gazing, just do a good job
- maintain our own professional standards about who joins the profession
Actually some of the guest posts support what you are saying very strongly. Read the ones from
Elaine Young
Laurie Ruettimann
Kevin J Ball
I have the impression you may have missed the essence of what the series is about. Michael Carty gave us an open brief about what topic we thought to cover, and trusted us to produce some insight into the topic.
Actually on reflection of reading your post, it would make a fine addition to the series as you're not going against what others have already said.
Many thanks.
Sukh
Michael and Sukh,
I think my choice of words, when I said - "they are all about the same" was misguided. In fact this particular blog series is much more interesting than that; my post may have mislead readers.
But my ultimate point is that there is a dichotomy in the hr profession: there are strategic HR people, and there are tactical HR people. The difference is key to understanding the profession, I think. My comment: “Most HR professionals are hardworking, competent individuals who toil day-to-day with important tactical responsibilities” was meant to illuminate this difference. I think that many bloggers in the HR space don’t really understand this as I do, from being in the trenches so to speak.
Sukh: I hope you (and Michael) understand that I was pointing out how OUTSIDE THE NORM, I found your approach to this topic. You cut across that dichotomy, and actually brought up the existential crisis, that HR is going through right now! I was so excited when I read that post, that perhaps I did not convey how interesting, and outside of the “Let’s Blame HR” box your blog posting was!
Michael: I am sorry to have used your blog series as an example of the “Let’s Blame HR” Approach. In fact, it seems to be just the opposite. In my defense, the end of my post does point that out! And yes, I would be happy to do a guest blog post for your series! I sent you an email yesterday, on that very topic! I look forward to discussing that opportunity with you.
Hi Dawn
Thank you very much indeed for posting such a considered and gracious response to the points raised by both myself and Sukh. It's hugely appreciated, and also very enjoyable to enter into a dialogue such as this.
Thank you also for the comment you left on Elaine Cohen's guest post from this series (http://www.xperthr.co.uk/blogs/employment-intelligence/2010/09/elaine-cohen-if-i-could-change.html). I for one will be very interested in hearing more about your progress on the book project you mention there.
Your point that "there is a dichotomy in the HR profession" is an extremely interesting one, and I hope one that you might be able to expand on in your guest post for us. I will send you a separate e-mail going into more detail about that.
I'm sure you are aware of this already, but I wanted to end by mentioning that you are definitely not alone as a "blogger in the HR space" who is "in the trenches so to speak". Charlie Judy (author of another excellent guest post in our series: http://www.xperthr.co.uk/blogs/employment-intelligence/2010/09/charlie-judy-if-i-could-change.html) is running his own series of "Trench HR" guest blog posts on his fantastic HR Fishbowl blog (http://hrfishbowl.com/?p=546). You can also tap into the "Trench HR" community by checking out the #trenchhr hashtag on Twitter.
Kind regards
Michael
Ignore them Dawn, they're just being bitter old grumps.....! :)
Thanks for the comments on my post, "Existentialism is an HRism". I agree with you that the majority of HR bloggers and commentators do approach HR in a one dimensional manner which I think is the point you were making. Rather than specifically highlighting the series of posts.
Time and time again I've written about the need for the profession to address this, rather than looking to the false idols of management gurus to give us hope. Having the chance to post alongside my fellow bloggers in the Employment Intelligence series was an honour.
It is great to see the debate here and I know that both Michael and Sukh are very supportive of it too (as they have been to me). It would be great to see you furthering it as part of the series.
I think HR need more leadership and training skills. Interesting to see different perspectives and what people think of the current situation. But the industry is evolving as always!
You're right on many levels. Yes, HR does get blamed and disparaged by many in an organization. However, I think that everyone knows HR is a necessary function to any successful business. So keep your head up and know that while often under appreciated HR individuals are only trying to make sure business runs smoothly.
Can you write more about "Let’s Blame HR!"..?
I am making a list of the "Let’s Blame HR!"..
John..
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