When was the last time H.R. did anything for you?
The initial purpose of the human resources movement in Corporate America was to meld the human factor to the business factor in order to produce mutually beneficial results. It was supposed to benefit employee, employer and the company’s bottom line. A win-win-win, if you will.
But like a group of idealistic college students setting off on some grand adventure into the unknown… something went horribly wrong.
Despite claims to the contrary, H.R. has become little more than an indifferent placement agency saddled with compliance duties and an administrative hangover.
Their goal is not to fill openings with the best candidates and then to help those candidates succeed for the sake of the company, but to get those positions filled. Period. What happens once an employee is in place only becomes their concern if there is a breach of a compliance policy. And then (if you are management) only if it is a really serious breach.
I remember a time when H.R. had a face. Her name was Helen.
It was my first real job - with a major retailer on the in-store level. Helen, a very sweet, older woman, interviewed me. We hit it off right away. She had a good feel for people and the store benefited greatly from her knack of spotting bright prospects. Helen became my go-to person whenever I had issues, concerns, or problems, or when I just needed an ear or some constructive feedback. It was a large store, yet, amazingly, she knew everyone by name. She should. She hired them. In turn, employees felt comfortable going to her, confiding in her. She could be trusted to point them in the right direction – suggesting a course of action or inaction or a department to touch base with - or to tell you when you were way off base. And because we trusted her, we always took her advice.
She never dropped the ball. She was always accessible. She had a face.
None of this is true of modern H.R. Once you accept a position and attend orientation, you are pretty much on your own – and therefore, at the mercy of whomever they plugged into the role of your immediate supervisor. You see, H.R. expects managers to manage people in addition to their management of company projects. It’s that old you-fix-it-it’s-your-problem-now attitude. Unfortunately, most people placed in such positions, lack the basic tools to do so - and there is the crux of the situation. You’re stuck with whomever you’re given. For better or worse. Until resignation do you part. It’s a marriage of convenience, all right. Their convenience – not yours.
It’s sad. Because those supervisors incapable of managing people feel that it is H.R.’s responsibility to do so. H.R. on the other hand believes it to be the manager’s responsibility – that’s why they were hired. So, in the end, it begs the question:
What’s become of the human in human resources?
Should you have a problem with management (or lack, thereof), H.R. will tell you to deal with it directly. In other words, don’t look to them for help – don’t involve them – don’t even look in their direction. They will only intervene if an egregious violation of a written policy comes to light – like if your manager starts hitting you and leaving bruises. Keep in mind that H.R. doesn’t acknowledge spiritual or emotional bruises and that the more senior the management level, the more egregious the violation must be to warrant intervention. They’re consistent that way.
Sure. You can go to them and complain about things, but why waste your time, energy or breath? H.R. will begin to view you as the problem. You will be branded as ‘a problem’ – which means eventually you’ll need to go away. That’s kind of sad – and a waste of potential talent. Exactly when did employees with concerns and issues become ‘problems’? When did your development as a valued company employee come to rest solely on your own shoulders? Where did the win-win-win philosophy of having an H.R. department become an us against them kind of situation?
It feels like that. Frequently. Us versus Them.
That’s why I miss Helen. Helen listened. She was approachable. She had a face. She had common sense. And she was empowered to use it.
H.R. is there to serve the greater good. Which I think, at one time, included everyone employed by a company and the company goals. Now that greater good is something called ‘brand identity’ – which, I might point out, is a thing – and not human at all. H.R. is there to protect that brand identity. If you want to play on their playground with their equipment, you better be prepared to be branded. Even if it means being branded a problem.
And this branding? It’s not a question of choice. You will become what they say you are – be it problem or success. No matter what you bring to the table, what you heard in the myriad of interviews you participated in (my last position? nine separate interviews!), no matter what you thought you were getting yourself into – you will succumb or be banished. You will comply or be denied.
That’s why companies like Target Corporation and Walmart are represented by symbols (again, a thing, not human). Basically, once you come on board – that is what you must become – be it an omnipresent, stoic red and white bulls-eye or a big generic smiley face. To be anything else is heresy.
So could one to conclude that H.R. is there to take/keep the human aspect (individuality, originality, common sense, opinions) out of the company?
Everyone with a smidgeon of personal integrity (i.e. a personality, a sense of self, a world view based on reality, common sense, etc.) that I have spoken with in Corporate America has a horror story involving H.R. It would seem that those who lack such integrity (the bigoted, the cruel, the small-minded, the insecure – those with chips on their shoulders) use H.R. as a tool of evil so that they can remain in power. This explains a lot about the state of corporate America and the state of H.R. You see, H.R. likes it when people who lack integrity operate in that manner. That way, H.R. doesn’t have to be bothered with ethical dilemmas – like reassessing someone they put in a position of power or potentially making a judgment call based on common sense and not hearsay – or (gasp) actually investigating a situation before jumping to a conclusion. As long as all the rubber stamps are in the right places, then it’s right by H.R. After all… that is what they hired that manager to do - to keep people (the human element) away from H.R.
In my experience, most H.R. departments do even a worse job as administrators (think COBRA, confidentiality, etc.) than they do as placement and compliance entities. Is that possible? Yes.
Keep in mind - they hired those people, too.
There’s more to this little essay… a lot of back story, actually. But I’m not inclined to share the details. Mainly because I am still processing the experience – yes, it’s been that head-shakingly unbelievable. But one final thought…
Helen? Wherever you are? Please come back. Corporate America needs you.
The initial purpose of the human resources movement in Corporate America was to meld the human factor to the business factor in order to produce mutually beneficial results. It was supposed to benefit employee, employer and the company’s bottom line. A win-win-win, if you will.
But like a group of idealistic college students setting off on some grand adventure into the unknown… something went horribly wrong.
Despite claims to the contrary, H.R. has become little more than an indifferent placement agency saddled with compliance duties and an administrative hangover.
Their goal is not to fill openings with the best candidates and then to help those candidates succeed for the sake of the company, but to get those positions filled. Period. What happens once an employee is in place only becomes their concern if there is a breach of a compliance policy. And then (if you are management) only if it is a really serious breach.
I remember a time when H.R. had a face. Her name was Helen.
It was my first real job - with a major retailer on the in-store level. Helen, a very sweet, older woman, interviewed me. We hit it off right away. She had a good feel for people and the store benefited greatly from her knack of spotting bright prospects. Helen became my go-to person whenever I had issues, concerns, or problems, or when I just needed an ear or some constructive feedback. It was a large store, yet, amazingly, she knew everyone by name. She should. She hired them. In turn, employees felt comfortable going to her, confiding in her. She could be trusted to point them in the right direction – suggesting a course of action or inaction or a department to touch base with - or to tell you when you were way off base. And because we trusted her, we always took her advice.
She never dropped the ball. She was always accessible. She had a face.
None of this is true of modern H.R. Once you accept a position and attend orientation, you are pretty much on your own – and therefore, at the mercy of whomever they plugged into the role of your immediate supervisor. You see, H.R. expects managers to manage people in addition to their management of company projects. It’s that old you-fix-it-it’s-your-problem-now attitude. Unfortunately, most people placed in such positions, lack the basic tools to do so - and there is the crux of the situation. You’re stuck with whomever you’re given. For better or worse. Until resignation do you part. It’s a marriage of convenience, all right. Their convenience – not yours.
It’s sad. Because those supervisors incapable of managing people feel that it is H.R.’s responsibility to do so. H.R. on the other hand believes it to be the manager’s responsibility – that’s why they were hired. So, in the end, it begs the question:
What’s become of the human in human resources?
Should you have a problem with management (or lack, thereof), H.R. will tell you to deal with it directly. In other words, don’t look to them for help – don’t involve them – don’t even look in their direction. They will only intervene if an egregious violation of a written policy comes to light – like if your manager starts hitting you and leaving bruises. Keep in mind that H.R. doesn’t acknowledge spiritual or emotional bruises and that the more senior the management level, the more egregious the violation must be to warrant intervention. They’re consistent that way.
Sure. You can go to them and complain about things, but why waste your time, energy or breath? H.R. will begin to view you as the problem. You will be branded as ‘a problem’ – which means eventually you’ll need to go away. That’s kind of sad – and a waste of potential talent. Exactly when did employees with concerns and issues become ‘problems’? When did your development as a valued company employee come to rest solely on your own shoulders? Where did the win-win-win philosophy of having an H.R. department become an us against them kind of situation?
It feels like that. Frequently. Us versus Them.
That’s why I miss Helen. Helen listened. She was approachable. She had a face. She had common sense. And she was empowered to use it.
H.R. is there to serve the greater good. Which I think, at one time, included everyone employed by a company and the company goals. Now that greater good is something called ‘brand identity’ – which, I might point out, is a thing – and not human at all. H.R. is there to protect that brand identity. If you want to play on their playground with their equipment, you better be prepared to be branded. Even if it means being branded a problem.
And this branding? It’s not a question of choice. You will become what they say you are – be it problem or success. No matter what you bring to the table, what you heard in the myriad of interviews you participated in (my last position? nine separate interviews!), no matter what you thought you were getting yourself into – you will succumb or be banished. You will comply or be denied.
That’s why companies like Target Corporation and Walmart are represented by symbols (again, a thing, not human). Basically, once you come on board – that is what you must become – be it an omnipresent, stoic red and white bulls-eye or a big generic smiley face. To be anything else is heresy.
So could one to conclude that H.R. is there to take/keep the human aspect (individuality, originality, common sense, opinions) out of the company?
Everyone with a smidgeon of personal integrity (i.e. a personality, a sense of self, a world view based on reality, common sense, etc.) that I have spoken with in Corporate America has a horror story involving H.R. It would seem that those who lack such integrity (the bigoted, the cruel, the small-minded, the insecure – those with chips on their shoulders) use H.R. as a tool of evil so that they can remain in power. This explains a lot about the state of corporate America and the state of H.R. You see, H.R. likes it when people who lack integrity operate in that manner. That way, H.R. doesn’t have to be bothered with ethical dilemmas – like reassessing someone they put in a position of power or potentially making a judgment call based on common sense and not hearsay – or (gasp) actually investigating a situation before jumping to a conclusion. As long as all the rubber stamps are in the right places, then it’s right by H.R. After all… that is what they hired that manager to do - to keep people (the human element) away from H.R.
In my experience, most H.R. departments do even a worse job as administrators (think COBRA, confidentiality, etc.) than they do as placement and compliance entities. Is that possible? Yes.
Keep in mind - they hired those people, too.
There’s more to this little essay… a lot of back story, actually. But I’m not inclined to share the details. Mainly because I am still processing the experience – yes, it’s been that head-shakingly unbelievable. But one final thought…
Helen? Wherever you are? Please come back. Corporate America needs you.
.webp)
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