The Other Side of HR - Part 1

I have often asked myself if I would have the same understanding of HR strategy if I had remained inside an organization throughout my career – if I had never ventured outside to start my own business. I never planned to exit the corporation, I planned to climb the corporate ladder. But I found I was frustrated with it, and I was feeling stagnate. I knew I was talented, but the quality of my work didn’t seem to be enough.

I confess I don’t think I am very talented when it comes to politics. On more than one occasion I torpedoed my position because I embarrassed power by standing up for the little guy. But those are moments I am very proud of. And though I was always ambitious, my ambition was more driven by the work and the desire to see myself succeed than the money. Don’t get me wrong – I love having disposable income, I can think of lots of ways to dispose of it! But I have always been attracted to the work more than the money.

I had finally started to gain the support of a mentor in my corporate life, and I felt I was being groomed for a Vice President, HR position in a business unit of a global organization. Then the bottom dropped out and my business unit was bought. Suddenly, I was on the fast track out – a nice severance package to be sure - but out none the less. So, I never planned to have my own business. But I was angry and burnt, and I think I became an entrepreneur out of anger. It took a few years for me to let go of the anger and I wasted a lot of time and energy holding on to it. So, if you find yourself in this situation – work to get past the anger and understand that businesses make decisions because they make financial sense. The executive team cannot afford to make it personal. ?

Now I was on the outside, and I started putting together the pieces of my little business, I started to understand something as a business owner that I didn’t understand as an employee. People who have worked as employees for a long time tend to build up an entitlement mentality; that’s where my anger was coming from – losing my stability and expected path forward. I had become used to having an employer – something giving me a steady paycheck, benefits, security and opportunities to grow. I eventually realized that my employer had no obligation to me. No matter what is said in all those conversations, news and articles about the employer’s obligation to employee engagement, the employer is NOT obligated to take care of us.

The employment arrangement is an “at will” arrangement meaning that either the employer or the employee can choose to walk away from the arrangement at any time. There are legal rules around dismissal related to discrimination, protected classes, etc. of course. But beyond that, there is no legal requirement for an employer to retain me as an employee or for me to continue working for an employer. So all those things we feel entitled to? We aren’t.

Want to hear more about what I learned about HR and employees as a business owner? Check out Part 2 of this newsletter.

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