Resurrecting HR !!
HR is dead.
(At least that's what people want you to believe.)
It's staggering to me that there continues to be this on-going conversation that is desperately trying to kill Human Resources. Blogs, magazine articles, conference presentations, etc. It's happening throughout the profession, and very few people are standing up against it !! Why in the world should we allow people to degrade, belittle and tear down our profession? It's especially disheartening when some of those voices are coming from inside HR itself !!
I believe that there should always be discourse, dialogue and critique. If that doesn't occur, then change doesn't happen. However, trying to move things forward through tearing it down has never worked. Never.
The reason for this post, and the title, is that I truly believe there is a problem and HR does need resurrecting !! Also, with it being Easter, how could you not use this title ??
The problem, as I see it, is that we are working so hard to maintain the status quo, that we've lost the urge to stretch and dream to see what HR could be. We feel that keeping things comfortable and in line will make our role effective and needed in organizations. It helps to have some of that, but not as your primary approach. It's interesting that we encourage others not to settle, but we don't see that this advice also applies to us.
I'd like you to consider some ideas to make HR alive for you personally and collectively as a profession !!
Stand up and be heard !!
When you hear someone taking a shot at HR and what you do, respond. If that happens in your organization, push back. Bring solutions that elevate the human element of your employees and pull the company together. Quit making efforts to manage to the exception and recognize the whole. If you see negative comments online, respond. Being frustrated behind a screen will not bring about change. Comment, share and respond !!
Get connected and involved in the profession !!
HR is a field of isolation by design because we deal with the difficult side of employee issues. They have to have a safe haven they can work with and come to. After awhile, that isolation builds up and you have nowhere to go. (or so you think). The best thing about being in HR is the other people who practice it !! Having a viable, interactive and living network of HR professionals is essential if you want to thrive in this field. There was never anything written in your job description that stated that you had to quietly suffer.
Reach out. Connect with others who are near you. Make social media the communication vehicle it was intended to be and find out that there are thousands of people who do what you do, and they're looking to connect as well !! Go to conferences to meet people. Join organizations like SHRM nationally as well as locally. Do it because it makes you a better HR pro, not just because you were told to do it !!
Believe in what you do !!
HR is alive and well. It's not just a blog post or a rallying cry. It's a fact. Every day senior management is seeking HR to step up and make sure that organizations are more human. It's a natural instinct in most of us and the time for suppressing it is past. It's not time for us to be wildly optimistic, but it is time for us to say - How can we make the workplace better?
There is value in what you do my peers and friends. Inherent, tangible value. As you head back to work this week shake off the cobwebs, drudgery and negativity which can swallow the best of us. It's time to resurrect HR !! Will you join me ?
Award-winning Author | Chief Facilitator for Authors and Experts Ready to be Ahead of Your Time
8 年Great invitation Steve Browne,! I communicated a similar message on my post earlier this week when I asked the question, "Why are Talent Leaders Hiding on LinkedIn?" While enthusiasm about this profession is admirable, I am still not seeing enough evidence that HR and Talent Leaders walk their talk. The first simple step is shifting the narrative of their LinkedIn profiles to focus on the audience they want to attract and engage--be they candidates, leaders, or clients. When you look at the profiles of HR and Talent Leaders, are they demonstrating why leaders value them? Do they attract a passive candidate? Do they even promote the brand of their company? What would motivate HR and Talent Leaders to move the needle and raise their voice. . even if it's just by transforming their LinkedIn profiles so that they REALLY walk their talk?
Workforce | Leadership | Culture Transformation
8 年Steve, thank you for sharing this. HR is truly a field in which we can help make a positive impact on our employees lives! If you strive to live that motto, all will be resurrected. Make sense?
Human Resources Manager (PHR & SHRM-CP)
8 年Preach on, Steve. I love it.
Chief People Officer at Bamboo Rose
8 年Thanks for sharing these thoughts, Steve! As someone who met you and so many other amazing, progressive HR professionals by engaging with the wider HR community, your post serves as a great reminder to us all. Many of us are either the lone HR professional in our company or part of a small team; getting out there and connecting with other HR professionals makes it so that we never really have to "go it alone".
Talent & Leadership Development Manager at FBS
8 年Another great post Steve Browne, SHRM-SCP! I firmly believe that if you don't make connections, you will isolate yourself and end up feeling the negativity all over!!