Why I hate HR/HC
Marwan Al Marzooqi
Information Technology Director at Abu Dhabi Waste Management Company - Tadweer
Despite facing numerous challenges due to the incompetencies of some HR professionals throughout my career, I've never harbored ill feelings towards them (Although that doesn't mean that I like them :D). My discomfort lies solely with the term "Human Resources/Capital."
To me, "HR/HC" disregards a very fundamental fact: the individualism of people. People are not commodities; they are unique individuals with distinct characters. Viewing individuals as resources or assets leads to treating them as such—purchasable, consumable, and depreciable. This logic doesn't apply to human beings.
Employees should be seen as individuals with personal lives and unique skills, not merely components of a workforce. The use of "Human Resources/Capital" tends to dehumanize the workforce, reducing individuals to a transactional, interchangeable status.
On a somewhat nostalgic note, it might sound amusing, but I genuinely miss the old terminology, "Personnel," as it inherently recognizes the "Person" within the employee.
HSE Specialist @ Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi | Waste Sector Regulatory Authority| CMIOSH, FIIRSM| IRCA Lead Auditor (QHSE & BCM), ASQ CMQ/ OE| Chartered Waste Manager MCIWM, Writer |Specialist, Trainer & Strategist.
10 个月Great insight Mr Marwan, I too reflect the same. Even the so called developed terms, 'Knowledge management' or 'Capability development', indirectly indicate they shall deliver something, else???
IT Freelance Consultancy
10 个月From what I learned over the years; there was a group of people who checked the paperwork and attendance in organizations. As time passed by the become a resource centric group even though the people in the organization were hired and managed by their own managers. Computing software was developed to manage the resource. When the time came, the software (HRMS) was used to adjust the number of people in the organization and their compensation; this was in 2001. Days passed by budgeting and allocation of humac cost of organization was taken as the group of people's main purpose although the managers were the cost and profit centers, a new name came to play (HC). Time passed by and everyone realized a new name had to be made. Personal was the name before, in the days of checking attendance, using that would mean a full circle after 30 years! So People came to be the new name (in Arabic this didn't work so they had no option but to go back to it). My hat to this amazing group of "people" who over the span of 30 years are still searching for their purpose in the organization!
Technology Manager | Agile PM | Product Management
10 个月You’re absolutely right and I wonder if that has lead to ‘being just a file number’ for those in large companies. In my current company, the team is known as ‘People & Culture’.