Hot Coffee, Air Conditioning, and Cross-functional Communication - Why I got into HR

“I really like helping people”… “I’m a really good listener” …. “I love working with humans” …undoubtedly all very nice and altruistic reasons for choosing a career in HR.

Me?? While I’d like to think some of those things are true, the real reason I got into HR, is that having Hot Coffee splashed on my shins is a bummer, I like Air Conditioning, and Cross-functional Communication is crucial for healthy organizations.

Some context.? I was talking to my daughter a while back about her potential interest in pursuing a career in HR.? While her current role isn’t directly in HR, she does a lot of HR-related work ranging from the tactical to even the more strategic stuff to help her organization.? I told her I thought she’d be great in HR.? She replied, “Thanks dad, but I also want to make sure that I wouldn’t be doing HR just?because you’re in it.”? Ouch.? Or wait…was it really an “ouch”?? Not really…I mean had she said, “I don’t like Classic Rock, the Detroit Lions, or The Shawshank Redemption” I would have collapsed into the fetal position wondering where I went wrong as a parent.? But not wanting to do HR just because the old man did HR?? Meh, I get it.

In any event, I thought to myself, if my daughter chose HR, her reasoning would be incredibly sound…she cared about HR processes, people agendas, etc.- all evident by her taking on that type of work without extra compensation and without an HR title. ?I assured her that if she chose HR, she could take comfort knowing that she was not following in my footsteps per se, as my reasons for joining HR were far less noble.? My decisions for joining HR were really based on me being super sweaty and pissed.

Cue the flashback/wavy-screen visual with a windchime sound and some flute time-travel tunes….

Ok, so there I am at the Ford Motor Company Dearborn Tool & Die Plant in the summer sometime in the late 90’s running a drill press. I was wearing coveralls working as a Journeyman Tool & Diemaker/Machinist.? The plant was dusty, dirty, and HOT.? In between panting, and feeling light-headed, I was talking to a fellow worker and buddy of mine (Chris).? I had asked him if he wanted to grab a beer after work and he said he had classes to attend.? I’m like “classes”?? We had recently just finished the necessary classes during our apprenticeship, so I asked, “What classes?”?

Chris: “Oh, I’m going to Wayne State University to get my Master’s Degree in Human Resources”

Me: “What’s ‘Human Resources’?”

Chris: “You know, the people that hire and fire people.”? Seeing that I had a blank stare beyond those attributed to heat exhaustion, Chris went on, “You know…the people that sit up in the front offices by the entrance we come through…you know, like Karen- the HR Manager”.

At this point during my heat stroke journey all I really heard was “front offices” and “Karen”.? I had seen Karen occasionally on the plant floor.? Karen always looked happy, put together, and not-sweaty or delirious; attributable in my mind to the fact that she was able to return to the frosty front offices before she passed out on the shop floor.? It was then I realized the equation “HR = Air Conditioning”.? Say no more, here I go- I’m jumping into a career of hiring and firing people whilst sitting in a freon-filled environment.? As it turns out, it was easier said than done to “jump into HR”…I didn’t have a degree, obviously didn’t have any HR experience, and I also was likely dain bramaged from the heat- I continued to be an hourly Tool and Diemaker/Machinist until a front-line Operations/Skilled Trades Supervisor opportunity opened up in 2001.

I had noticed these Supervisor types…likely because I reported to these Supervisor types.? They were never as happy as Karen, but often times on my way to the heat-treat department to bake steel parts in huge ovens to harden the parts, I noticed that the Supervisors would be coming out of a chilly conference room laughing a bit and definitely looking refreshed.? Side fun fact, we actually baked bread in those huge ovens we used to harden the steel in, but that’s a story for another time about why cars are so expensive, how we kept our jobs is a mystery, etc.? ??Ok, back on point…truth be told, the Supervisors I saw giggling and not sweating all the time did in fact spend the majority of the day in the hot plant with us hourly workers, but at least they weren’t having to grind on metal, weld, get dirty, etc. and they also periodically spent time in air-conditioned meeting rooms…sign me up.

I finally had an opportunity for a promotion and left the hourly ranks to take my first salaried job as a Supervisor. I was given some training on safety, scheduling, conflict resolution, and how to administer discipline to the hourly employees if need be.? The plant was a unionized plant and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) called for a very specific progressive discipline track as follows:

1.????? Verbal Warning

2.????? Written Warning

3.????? Balance of Shift (send employee home after writing them up)

4.????? One Day Off Unpaid

5.????? Three Days Off Unpaid

6.????? One Week Off Unpaid

7.????? Two Weeks Off Unpaid

8.????? 30 Days Off Unpaid

The instruction that HR gave me was in essence this, “For any infraction warranting up to three days off unpaid, go ahead and write them up and send them home.? Any infraction that you think requires a week off or more, let HR know and we’ll handle it.”? Ok got it.

Armed with my seemingly straight-forward discipline administration training, I was released into the wild.? I was a few months into my new role as a Supervisor when I was asked to go on the midnight shift.? This shift was only eligible to the hourly union workers who had very high seniority with the union/company because it paid a 10% shift premium on top of the hourly wage.? I was a 30-year-old, wet-behind-the-ears newbie charged with supervising older more seasoned folks.? Little did I know, I would in short order have to employ my discipline administration training for the first time.

I was doing my rounds checking on the employees and the progress of the jobs when I noticed one employee (we’ll call him ‘Tom’…because his name was ‘Tom’) was not at his CNC machine and nowhere to be found.? No biggie, he was probably in the restroom, grabbing a snack, etc.? Tom didn’t return to his machine for 1.5 hours.? Before I go on, a little about Tom.? Unfortunately, he had a reputation for too much drinking, too much fighting, and too many shenanigans in general.? He would bet guys at a local bar that he could walk around the entire bar on his hands a ridiculous amount of times…and then actually do it- I’ve been told that it was truly an amazing if not odd/creepy thing to watch.? But I digress.

I approached Tom and this is how the dialogue went:

Me: “Hi Tom, I noticed you’ve been gone for quite a while- where have you been?”

Tom: “None of your business.”

Me: “Ok, I think I just have to know because you’re supposed to have been working at your machine unless it’s lunch time or if it was a reasonable bathroom break or emergency.? Is everything ok?”

Tom (not looking at me, just starting to run his machine): “Why don’t you get the f***k out of here…don’t you have some paperwork to fill out or file or something?”? So now, all the other employees are watching what’s going on with Tom and the new clueless-looking Supervisor.

Me (as I pulled out the Form 4600 Disciplinary Write-Up Form): “Tom, I’m going to have to write you up and dock you 1.5hrs of pay for the time you were off your machine.”

Tom (as he turned off his machine and turned to face me with about three feet separating us): “Yeah ok, here…dock this!” - he threw his hot coffee toward my shins.? Certainly, hard to tell nowadays, but I was spry and the java hit with only a light glancing blow upon my left work boot.

So here it is.? The moment where I have to analyze what level of discipline to dole out to Tom.? Drawing upon the deep and comprehensive employee disciplinary training I was given (said dryly), since I had authority to give up to 3 days of unpaid time off, I said to myself, “Self…attempted shin-scalding certainly warrants more time than 3 days off, so you should wait to talk to HR to give him weeks off or terminate his employment.”? But then myself said to me, “Steve…all the other employees are watching how you handle this right now…do you really want to wait until morning to talk to HR or do you want to preserve some dignity with some swift action?”? Good point Self.? So I wrote Tom up on the spot and sent him home for the 3 days disciplinary leave I was told by HR I had the authority to do.? And damn did that feel good.? I even sensed some respect from the other employees who knew Tom was a bully and lousy employee.? I walked a little taller the rest of night.

The next night I reported for work and I was still walking a little taller ready to do a great job working with the guys.? As I was doing the rounds checking in the guys and lining them on the work that needed to be done, I would swiftly have my new tall-walking stilts chopped down in lumberjack fashion…Tom was back at work smiling at me as I turned down the CNC machining aisle.? What?!?!?

Unbeknownst to me before that moment, HR brought him back. Talk about a gut-punch.? I felt my credibility with all the other employees drain away like the coffee from my boot the night before.

It took me a couple of weeks to calm down and frankly get up the courage as a newbie to go to HR and let them know I felt like they cut my legs out from underneath me and ask them why they let Tom back.? HR explained to me that it was nothing I did wrong, but there was a “bigger picture” and that it was beneficial for them to make a deal with the union that erased Tom’s discipline in exchange for some other favor from the union.?

The really frustrating piece is that I felt like HR was explaining it to me like I was a toddler, and even more irritating was the fact that it took me approaching them about it before they communicated the reasoning behind bringing Tom back.? They should have communicated with me that they were bringing him back and why they were bringing him back BEFORE he showed up to work.? It doesn’t mean I would’ve liked it, but I would have understood it and I would have felt more like part of the team instead of a lame duck.

It was at that point that I said to myself, “Self…you can do HR better than that…and remember, there’s more air conditioning in HR with hopefully less accosting-by-coffee.”? So then myself said, “Steve…good points…let’s do this”…and I jumped into HR (well, eventually…it took some time, degrees, etc.), but nonetheless, I did it…for almost 20 years.? And in full disclosure, I absolutely did NOT always do HR better…but I always took great pains and pride in my commitment to communicate with the front-line Supervisors as a partner on everything from the “little things” to the “bigger picture” things and it served me and the Supervisors well.

So there it is.? My inglorious journey into HR.? While the initial reasons that led me to HR may be underwhelming, once I got there, I absolutely loved it HR and I still l love it to this day as an HR consultant.? And those initial reasons that got me there still stand today; air conditioning rules, hot shin-coffee sucks, and cross-functional communication is imperative to grow teamwork and healthy organizations.

What’s the takeaway for HR professionals?? Commit to always communicate and partner cross-functionally without fail…people are smart regardless of their role, and when they’re in the “know”, they’ll support the “bigger picture” over the long-term, even if it means they don’t like/agree with an action, change, or seemingly necessary evil in the short-term.

And no, my daughter did not end up pursuing HR…but who cares?? She still likes Classic Rock, the Detroit Lions, and Shawshank Redemption.

#FitFirstTalent #Communication #HumanResources #Teamwork #GoLions #HRConsulting #Recruiting