My experience with HR has always been individuals that are trying their best to help although I’ve mainly been in smaller companies than I think you mention here.
The biggest issue has really been that they’ve been overwhelmed and under resourced. That has permeated frustration across the organisation and a lot of the criticism that came their way was because of that.
Also, much of their time was often taken up with unions.
I’ve always said, Human Resources, neither human nor a resource. As the department that is supposed to be human centric is nothing more than cold and calculating. Definitely think you nailed it. Although, it sets you up perfectly for your next article of AI enabled filters for job screening. 😆 Which shows how letting the machines get in the way of candidate selection can be even worse.
I'm still in the defense space however, with a company where I don't even know my HR rep and have never dealt with them. It's a much healthier organization for it and leadership actually, you know, leads...
I've had many less than wonderful experiences with HR, too. They haven't all been bad, though. Only most.
It should be pointed out that HR isn't what it used to be. Many years ago, HR's role was basically to be benefits clerks. They gave you a safety lecture once a year and made you sign that you had seen the employee handbook (which only had 10 or 20 pages, tops). HR departments were small and often staffed by elderly ladies who had transferred from the call center or the secretarial pool after long years of service. They were not specialists and they usually had some hard earned common sense.
Somewhere along the line, HR people began to get college degrees in HR and brought all sorts of "initiatives" into the company to make things "better." They used buzzy words like "dignity" and "human-centric." In practice, those words never seem to mean what everyone says they mean. The employee handbook ballooned in size without ever seeming to include the information the employees were looking for (had that experience just a few weeks back!). Work got worse, even while executive and HR paychecks increased.
Defund HR!
My experience with HR has always been individuals that are trying their best to help although I’ve mainly been in smaller companies than I think you mention here.
The biggest issue has really been that they’ve been overwhelmed and under resourced. That has permeated frustration across the organisation and a lot of the criticism that came their way was because of that.
Also, much of their time was often taken up with unions.
Yeah, I think they do try to do good but since their main charter is legal protection, they’re hands are tied.
This has definitly been my experience as well. Glad to see it's not just me!
That’s the bad part for sure.
I’ve always said, Human Resources, neither human nor a resource. As the department that is supposed to be human centric is nothing more than cold and calculating. Definitely think you nailed it. Although, it sets you up perfectly for your next article of AI enabled filters for job screening. 😆 Which shows how letting the machines get in the way of candidate selection can be even worse.
Exactly right. And the AI filters was already done two years ago. Not sure anything has changed there yet!
Truly competent HR lets you perceive the heat that develops when they quickly pull the wool over your eyes at contract-signing as nest-warmth ...
Totally despicable creatures; exemptions to the rule are optional.
Really hope you jumped-off "the defense contractor-s wagon" in the meantime ...
I'm still in the defense space however, with a company where I don't even know my HR rep and have never dealt with them. It's a much healthier organization for it and leadership actually, you know, leads...
I've had many less than wonderful experiences with HR, too. They haven't all been bad, though. Only most.
It should be pointed out that HR isn't what it used to be. Many years ago, HR's role was basically to be benefits clerks. They gave you a safety lecture once a year and made you sign that you had seen the employee handbook (which only had 10 or 20 pages, tops). HR departments were small and often staffed by elderly ladies who had transferred from the call center or the secretarial pool after long years of service. They were not specialists and they usually had some hard earned common sense.
Somewhere along the line, HR people began to get college degrees in HR and brought all sorts of "initiatives" into the company to make things "better." They used buzzy words like "dignity" and "human-centric." In practice, those words never seem to mean what everyone says they mean. The employee handbook ballooned in size without ever seeming to include the information the employees were looking for (had that experience just a few weeks back!). Work got worse, even while executive and HR paychecks increased.
That's a really good point. Once HR went from administrative to a professional program it lost its way.
The only thing worse than the HR Dept are the people that work in the HR Dept
Haha. I do know quite a few wonderful people in HR but they complain just as much as we do about HR.
Amen!
And you know better than anyone about that Missile Defense Contractor. Thank you for saving me from BZ! You were the best counter to the madness.
Love the tie in to your toxic empathy article. Plenty of overlap there in the stories you shared and countless others out there
Yeah, it’s a great example of a good idea that seems to always go wrong.