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What's Right with HR?
Jul 20What’s Right with HR?
A lot. The problem is, you never see it. Because Great HR is invisible.
Great HR happens every day in companies – and it’s not just HR people who are making it happen. You know great HR is happening when managers inspire trust by being honest and credible and fulfilling their commitments. It is happening when a company’s goals are clear and strategies are solid and well communicated and progress is measurable. It is happening when employees delight customers and when managers deliver sustained great performance. It is happening when companies make money for their owners and give back to their communities.
It is also happening when companies make tough, wrenching decisions. Let’s face it, it is easy to criticize corporate America for layoffs. And some of the criticism is justified, I’m sure. But great HR means getting managers to find the courage to make the right decisions – to shut down under performing businesses or projects that are wasting shareholder’s assets. And great HR happens when talented people in those businesses – the people doing the work, with skills that are valued – are moved to bigger, better jobs in other parts of the company.
Great HR also happens when the process for deciding who has to be let go is fair and thoughtful and above all, humane. Great HR happens when people who are laid off actually thank the HR staff involved for making the situation as bearable as possible. Severance payments help, of course, as does subsidized medical coverage and outplacement services. But what differentiates great HR is the ability to treat employees with dignity and respect, to do everything possible to handle the end of the relationship with professionalism and humanity.
Great HR is invisible. And that speaks volumes about great HR people.
Next: Great HR people: who are they? What makes them tick?
This article was written by a real, live senior HR executive in a company that all of you know. Because great HR is invisible, I’ve let the person write this article anonymously. Those of you who in are HR and have to deal with internal lawyers and PR people will understand. Q.E.D. –Frank Roche
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Really true. HR is a place where it seems people only notice when you get it wrong. HR programs tend to be behind the scenes – except the ones that attract publicity – like layoffs. Maybe there’s a solution for that?
HR: Getting it right millions of times daily.
Good to read a positive article about HR. However, I’m not so sure I agree. Whilst this argument may be true with much of the transactional and legal aspects of HR. However, where HR is REALLY kicking it is highly visible and seen as being a leader in developing the business and its future.
@Scott It’s refreshing to read something good about HR, isn’t it? I think the subsequent articles address the business and strategic issues even more…I find this invisibility aspect intriguing.
Yes, it is nice to hear something positive, (and here comes the but….), but the article sounds like an HR person beating the HR drum which is okay, I guess. Great HR is when the HR professional has the courage to stand-up and be counted. The few times that I took that challenge, I lost some friends from line managment. It usually involved saying “No.” “No” to that rediculous salary proposal. “No” to that really bad hire. The trick is how to say “No” and not lose the support of the Line Manager.
@Ron As we talked about this, it’s almost too easy to go negative on HR. And there is a ton of what HR does right. This is a very interesting perspective from someone I greatly respect in the field. It’s interesting to me to hear it’s not — in the author’s view — a matter of chest thumping and “look at me” moments. So true. I think you fall along that line as well — you, as an HR exec, partnered with line managers, and when you did that, HR worked. Take a look at today’s follow up article — I think it addresses your point about saying no.
Ron, I read this a different way. I think you and Anon are aligned. From my experience, it is only through HR taking a stand (on values and people decisions) that we get managers who inspire trust by being honest and credible and fulfilling their commitments. I think the core point for me is that Great HR is not the big bells and whistles programs that so often are ‘awarded and lauded’ – it is the everyday courage and commitment of HR leaders.
@Tim, I so much like that idea of everyday courage and commitment of HR leaders. It is about doing what’s right all the time. Nicely said.
I remember when Tom Ridge took on leading the Dept of Homeland Security. It was widely described in the media as a sucker’s position, simply because if he did it well, no one would ever know, but one mistake and he’s the nation’s goat.
I’m afraid this piece has the same self-important feel that lots of HR people do.
Please don’t get me wrong, as I have argued over and over (www.jeffersoniaunlimited.com/blog.html) HR done well is both necessary and desirable. And there are some brilliant HR people out there.
But not many. The majority that I have met (which is quite a lot) are process-focused, jobsworth automatons who are always ‘sooooo busy’, if not ‘manic’.
As for visisbility, well they were all for being visible when the tide was rising, worshipping Ulrich and wanting a seat at the table, so that they could become genuine business partners.
But then the markets crashed and a huge, international debate about reward and remuneration started. Erm…..well, where was HR? Invisible, timid, watching rather than leading the debate. I don’t call that partnership.
Interesting blog, though I definitely don’t agree that great HR is invisible – to me it’s the opposite. I think one of the things that causes HR stereotypes and brings up the argument of “getting a seat at the table” (cue eye-roll) is the lack of visibility in a lot of the profession. Great HR happens when it’s visibly contributing to the business – where people can see results. After all, people have trouble believing in things they cannot see.
Great HR is NOT invisible…because that’s is what gets HR downsized and/or eliminated in a Jobs Depression like we have now. If HR is invisible, companies wonder why are they are paying all this $$ when the economy is crashing. So, they start cutting HR or even eliminate it all together (think outsourcing).
Have we forgotten that 3 million jobs were destroyed in just the last year? Including hundreds of thousands of HR jobs? And the jobs are still being destroyed to the tune of 1500 per day (every day…no holidays or weekend off!) even right now?
Why would would anyone want HR to be invisible in this Jobs Depression environment?
Now is the time to ensure everyone in the company is fully aware of how valuable/indispensable HR is….your HR job may literally depend on this…if you haven’t been laid off yet.