World 'Disrupt HR'?Day

Human Resource (HR) departments are not always easy to work with. Traditionally, they have been the administrative heartbeat of a team. But in the last few years, the role of the HR professional has simultaneously expanded and contracted. It’s expanded to include roles that most were not prepared for; while having its organizational authority drastically reduced. It is a phenomenon that results in soured resentment from the outside, and directionless burnout from the inside.?

This was a key theme in the first ever Disrupt HR event in Jamaica, held last Wednesday 27 September 2023, which also happened to be World Tourism Day. With 16 speakers, including experts by experience; HR professionals and business leaders, the audience was taken on a riveting journey of 5-minute get-to-the-point presentations, facilitated by an astute Dr. Terri-Karelle Johnson . It was entertaining, insightful and refreshing, with far too many mic-drop moments to fit in just one article. Por ejemplo:?

‘HR has lost its technical and strategic seat at the table’.?

To fiery applause, Audrey Cole-Crosdale, JP. delivered a sermon based on her own experiences with HR. She shared her frank observation that the dwindling power of HR departments has resulted in many organizations being on life support, surviving only by the wispy breath of ownership’s ego. How do HR departments regain their seat at the table, you ask? Ms. Crosdale was clear: raise the bar, starting with the elusive area of accountability. Easier said than done, surely. Yet, is it not within each of our control to courageously take accountability for our words, actions and decisions in the workplace? Revolutionary. Disruptive. Dangerous??

‘Disruption is very inconvenient’.?

While the room was still heated, Andor Merks presented a crucial and sobering perspective that cooled everybody down. He reminded us about the reality of change in an organization and that by nature, people do not like it. As necessary as it may be, change without strategy, direction and strong leadership can destroy an organization. It was a timely reminder for HR professionals, and consultants like me, that when it comes to moving change forward in organizations, it needs to be done mindfully, long-term and as simply as possible.?

Andor’s talk reminded me of something I worked with often in the research world: implementation science.?

Exploring the use of implementation science to bridge the gap between theory and practice in organizations will need a whole other article to cover. But for now, it is important to remember that implementing useful change is literally a science all on its own. So if you have been frustrated with your lack of progress in your own organization?—?give yourself grace.?

Speaking of grace, ???????????? ???????????????? spoke about the need for more consideration around maternity leave in the workplace. In addition to being a gender equity, mental health and corporate social responsibility issue, it boils down to human compassion. While many speakers mentioned the need for empathy in HR, Ms Martinez, an HR professional herself, called out the ‘HR Karens’ in the room; the HR professionals who go strictly by the book on employee policies, rather than taking a realistic look at the individual in front of them. A policy-powered HR department is unlikely to deliver the results we desire. Firstly, because many local policies are based on wildly outdated and biased legislation. And secondly, the employee handbook does not have the answer to every imaginable situation.?

More than being a gender equity, mental health and social responsibility issue, it boils down to human compassion.

So, now that ‘HR Karen’ is a staple in our everyday language, I hope that you got as much out of these bite-sized talks as I did. You can check out more about the event and its speakers at DisruptHR Caribbean or connect with the Caribbean's chapter founder and host Julie Turney, (HRforHR) .?

Stay tuned for part two!