65 Things I Believe About HR

Posted on Saturday, April 25, 2009 by Frank Roche

This I believe about working with people and HR.

I believe employees want to do a good job.

I believe they were great when you hired them.

I believe people do what they get rewarded to do.

I believe in pay for performance.

I believe a good manager can make up for a lot of crappy policies.

I believe a great manager comes along only once in a while.

I believe great managers should be paid at the 99th percentile.

I believe crappy policies and crappy managers should be scrapped.

I believe employees are productive at different times of the day.

I believe there’s nothing wrong with overpaying people.

I believe you can’t ask for commitment unless you give it first.

I believe it’s important to have friends at work.

I believe you should say hello to everyone every morning.

I believe you should say goodnight when they leave.

I believe people want to work with superstars.

I believe there are more hidden superstars out there than we think there are.

I believe in honest communications.

I believe everyone has a hidden talent.

I believe you should know the birthday of everyone who works with you.

I believe you should celebrate your employees’ birthdays when they happen.

I believe executives get isolated and lose track of what’s going on.

I believe HR has a role in keeping executives grounded.

I believe HR does its best when it has guts.

I believe in the power of diversity of thought.

I believe that none of us is as stupid as all of us when it comes to editing.

I believe the way we do performance management is awful.

I believe real performance management is about management, not about annual ratings.

I believe in management by walking around.

I believe HR shouldn’t make up silly names for managers, like “career coach.”

I believe calling employees human capital is about to jump the shark.

I believe HR shouldn’t practice psychology without a license.

I believe behavioral-based interviewing is for the birds.

I believe in asking candidates if they can do the job.

I believe in asking employees to prove it.

I believe forced rankings are…forced.

I believe merit increases can never be performance differentiators the way we do it now.

I believe people work for more than money.

I believe managers are naive if they think people don’t work for money.

I believe layoffs as an annual business strategy is doomed.

I believe HR was asleep at the switch at some doomed financial services companies.

I believe people will do a lot more when rules are eliminated.

I believe we need more lawyers in HR and fewer lawyers telling HR what to do.

I believe cynical HR people should get out of HR.

I believe anyone who subscribes to Theory X should never be in HR.

I believe HR attracts an inordinate number of people who used to be hall monitors.

I believe HR would do well to work its way out of a job.

I believe systems work in HR.

I believe we have too many processes and not enough systems.

I believe HR and managers need to listen more.

I believe handwritten notes go farther than all the recognition programs combined.

I believe travel incentive awards are really motivating.

I believe teambuilding should be an everyday thing, not done at retreats.

I believe HR forgot that being fair and treating everyone the same aren’t the same things.

I believe HR should help managers manage.

I believe managers can be trained.

I believe not all managers should be managers.

I believe in great benefits.

I believe onsite dog walking and massage therapists are overrated.

I believe in the company making money.

I believe in HR helping employees understand how.

I believe HR should stop buying HR software that never works right.

I believe in great leaders.

I believe in small gestures.

I believe we work 11,250 days out of our 25,000 we get in a lifetime.

I believe it’s HR’s job to make every one of those days the best they can.

That’s mine off the top of my head. What do you believe?

User Comments

albert

Apr 25th, 2009

I believe in listening to advice/criticism given from the bottom up.
HR Good_Witch

Apr 26th, 2009

Awesome list. I can’t agree with the birthday thing though. Some people don’t “do” birthdays…. me, for example. It’s not a “I don’t want to get old”-thing… I just don’t enjoy birthday celebrations. Alternatively, I believe in understanding your people and celebrating them, in whatever way is meaning for them (can’t assume what is meaningful to you is meaningful to them).

Great list, though. This is something I need to think about and may come up with my own list in due time (I’ll link back to yours, if I do.)
Sarah Chambers

Apr 26th, 2009

“I believe HR shouldn’t practice psychology without a license.”
I agree and I believe HR should practice psychology with a license.

Maybe we need more psychologists in HR… specifically in rewards. People work for some reason. And, there are things that motivate people to work harder and there are ways to enable people to be more effective/efficient.

There is a lot of speculation about what people work for. And, there is a lot of psychological research about what actually motivates people. Companies already invest in super talented folks to marry those two at the executive level. But I’m not sure we can assume that the same structure applies beyond the executive level where people do different types of work and have a different level and mix of responsibility and authority works.

There may be a whole lot of room here to reevaluate the things we think motivate and enable employees.

I believe we should question the status quo.
Frank Roche

Apr 26th, 2009

@Sarah It is true, I do think Hr needs to know a LOT more about motivation. I think it would be far better served to get more people with psychology training into the field…because at the heart of what happens in HR is about people and what gets them to do the things that need to be done. There is a ton of research out there…and I’m always a fan of people in the profession using applied research. Otherwise actions and policies are made up on the spot.

Questioning the status quo. Yep…always.

This point about motivation and psychology really has me thinking.
Frank Roche

Apr 26th, 2009

@HR Good Witch Thank you. You’re right, not everyone likes his or her birthday celebrated…the essence of that one for me is more about making people feel special. That doesn’t always have to be in a group setting…it’s about paying attention to the little things.
Ben

Apr 26th, 2009

@Sarah When I was taking my HR classes in college, our electives were split among teambuilding, industrial psych, and OD classes. Those were some of my favorites!
Paul Hebert

Apr 26th, 2009

We know a lot about motivation – we just think everyone is motivated the same as “us.” And… we believe we can motivate others vs. providing the environment that allows each person to develop their own motivation. The old “intrinsic/extrinsic” discussion.

I think HR (and others) like to think there are “laws” of motivation that apply in all situations. We forget that we are dealing with people and people don’t always respond the same way to the same situation. The sooner we look at “employees” as a large group of individuals instead of simply a “large group” the sooner we can address the issue of motivation.

As far as the issue of psychology – here’s a few links to a discussion on the issue of psychology in the workforce that started last week on a couple of blogs…

http://punkrockhr.com/2009/04/13/psychology-of-work/

http://jungleblog.foresightint.com/2009/04/14/is-psychology-a-science-yes/

http://blog.iorgpsych.com/2009/04/i-can-read-your-mind-and-other-i-o.html

and my own contribution to the discussion…

http://incentive-intelligence.typepad.com/incentive_intelligence/2009/04/should-you-use-psychological-tactics-to-influence-your-employees.html
Sarah Chambers

Apr 26th, 2009

Paul – the idea of large groups of individuals vs. large groups makes sense – mass customization of rewards. In this world where we are accustomed to being able to get exactly what we want… why not?

Having a psychology background, I have to confess that I look at psychology and organizational psychology as different things – though I recognize they get used somewhat interchangeably in HR.

Ultimately, the issue is much more complex than a blog can probably do justice to. Just pointing out how the 65 points made me think.
Frank Roche

Apr 26th, 2009

@Albert An excellent piece of advice for everyone…listen to what the people who are actually doing the work. Crazy idea, huh?
Frank Roche

Apr 26th, 2009

@Paul Do you really think the majority of HR people understand motivation other that what works for them? do you think they have the academic preparation to understand motivation theory? My sense is too much junk HR is done by the seat of the pants rather than through strong, fundamental thinking. I’m not advocating turing HR over to the academics — it’s more about having a basis for thinking. What’s your experience with people truly understanding motivation.
Paul Hebert

Apr 27th, 2009

Our experience is that most people responsible for motivation in a company fall into the bias of “false consensus” – meaning they think everyone is just like them and therefore they “know” what motivates them. The thinking goes – “this motivates me therefore it motivates everyone, let’s do that to drive motivation.”

It seems pretty simple on the surface therefore it must be simple and they think they can handle it. And in many cases what they put together get’s some result (not the best) therefore it confirms their initial thoughts.

But they don’t have the academic preparation. I just did a poll on “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” and over 70% thought it was a valid theory of motivation – even though the proof isn’t there, Maslow himself said he didn’t know if was valid, and many academics don’t think it is valid – but that’s what most HR folks are using as their yardstick for decision making.

But that’s why I get up every day – spread the word about what really motivates people and the best way to influence their behavior. It’s a journey Frank – not a destination.
Mark Walsh

Apr 27th, 2009

I don’t believe in belief

Seriously – nice list. Thanks for laying it on the line. declarations are the essence of leadership.

Mark
(UK)
Frank Roche

Apr 27th, 2009

Thanks, Mark. It was fun to write..it was exactly in the sequence I wrote it…took 20 mins. Sometimes that’s the best.
Bill Strahan

Apr 27th, 2009

I believe that HR is a risk management function.

I beleive HR has an ethical dimension that animates good work.

I believe HR should talk about sustainability.
Ron Ulrici

Apr 27th, 2009

I believe that you are pretty cool just coming up with this list and I’m not going to quarrel with any of it.
Ken Nessing

Apr 28th, 2009

The list is wise and comprehensive. Were it boiled down, several essences would emerge, one of which, I think, is “employees know how to fix HR; is HR going to listen? Not anytime soon, as currently configured.” Thanks, Frank.
laurie ruettimann

Apr 28th, 2009

@Bill I don’t believe HR is a risk management function. I think Risk Management is a risk management function. I believe HR needs to stop being ‘every-other-department-lite’ and figure out exactly what we offer to a company.

Or maybe every department is HR and we do our best work when we work ourselves out of a job?
Tracy Tran

Apr 28th, 2009

I believe this list should be hang up to every HR office when an employee enters to know what HR does.
nelking

Apr 28th, 2009

I believe HR should remember what the H stands for. Human, in the best sense. A reasoning, empathetic, faulty, unique being. Not a job description.
Bill Strahan

Apr 28th, 2009

Nope Laurie – I believe you are mistaken. Risk is not knowing what is going to happen. It is the interplay of plans and real life. HR folk who miss the risk point, too frequently are people who have a mechanical view of life. “If I do this, they will do that.” People behave in unexpected, pathetic and wonderful ways. Preparing for that variety of outcomes; preparing for the “not knowing what is going to happen” but managing to try to encourage the best outcomes is great HR and is great risk management.
tammy ford

May 1st, 2009

I like your list and agree with most of it. I believe that motivation should begin at the top as it is difficult to motivate others if you are not motivated. Ilove my HR job and that is my motivation. I listen as employees come to my office at times to just vent. Movtivation is different for each one yes, but most want to feel that someone at works cares about their thoughts, feelings, and personal situations. It may be difficult to find the one thing that motivates an entire center/work place, but motivating each employee I come into contact with is contagious. The employee feels good and goes back to their seat telling their co-workers how much HR helped them. the next time the co- worker has an issue/concern they will feel more comfortable going to a member of HR for assistance and that type of motivation can directly impact retention which is the point of motivation.
Frank Roche

May 1st, 2009

@Tammy I like your approach…in fact, it’s the only one that really works over time. It’s one person at a time…and create the virtuous circle. One happy person creates another happy person. It is, as you say, contagious (and not in the Swine Flu way). Thanks for stopping by and for the good work you do.
Frank Roche

May 1st, 2009

@Nelking H is for human. One thing I try to teach my kids is empathy. I figure if you get how others are feeling, you can build on that a lot. Thanks for the comment and for stopping by.
Frank Roche

May 1st, 2009

@Tracy Tran Thanks…we’re making a little poster right now that we’ll send you if you’d like it. Send me a note at frank dot roche at ifractal dot com and we’ll get one to you when first print run is done.
Aydin K

May 3rd, 2009

I liked your beliefs about HR and translated into Persian:
http://ieplusit.blogspot.com/2009/05/65-things-i-believe-about-hr.html
Frank Roche

May 3rd, 2009

@Aydin Tank you so much. This is just delightful.
Juan Luna

May 4th, 2009

Frank:

Awesome list. Thanks for sharing with us…
BKelly

May 4th, 2009

I would love to scream these statements from the rooftop! Great list, Frank. I love being an HR professional & your list perfectly summarized its joys and challenges. Well done! Just one I would add, I believe the words thank you are the most powerful words to motivate. If someone thinks what they do is appreciated, they’ll do it again.
Frank Roche

May 5th, 2009

@BKelly Thank you…the list gets the thinking started, if nothing else. “Thank you” is so right. It’s why I think handwritten notes work so well — it’s the real thing. We do what we get reinforced to do. Great lesson.
Tim Eavenson

May 11th, 2009

“I believe we need more lawyers in HR and fewer lawyers telling HR what to do.”

I believe an outside counsel that followed this rule could put whole law firms out of business. In fact, those of us on the other end of the phone would be well-served by committing this whole list to memory.

You know, I also believe that a decent crop of ambitious, creative employment lawyers with more fresh ideas than opportunities, are out there right now looking for their first or second job. A company looking to build this HR office of the future would do well to start casting nets.
Frank Roche

May 12th, 2009

@Tim I know a few super great lawyers who are in HR — it’s a super background. And they rock. I think having more lawyers in HR would really be great — sensible but now whipsawed by silly legal “requirements.” Thanks very much for your comment — and for liking the 65 Things. It was a fun list…has us thinking at least!
jacky

May 15th, 2009

I am an independent HR consultant and agree with the majority of your list. I don’t agree with celebrating birthdays – necessarily. I think acknowledgement is fine – but some places have cakes and celebrations for everyone in the office. When you have a large office – it begins to be time-consuming and really expected and not as appreciated. I also absolutely agree that a good HR person needs to have GUTS and PRINCIPLES and stand by them. Who said if you don’t stand for something – you’ll fall for anything!

Great list! I have printed it out…and will keep it in my home office.
Dr Rajappa Prakasam

Jul 14th, 2009

@Sarah Chambers: I totally agree with you. As an OD consultant I am telling the same to many of my clients but succed only occasionally. I would love to communicate with you more. Regards. Dr Prakasam