You are totally empowered to rethink Human Resources and how it operates in the global corporate environment. You can hire anyone you want, have any skill set in your department, and you can create a HR team that is as specialized or as generalized as you feel appropriate.
- What positions are on the team? Who are you hiring? Who is your ideal employee?
- Why are you hiring these people? What’s the driving force behind this new HR department?
- Do you even create an HR team or do you create something else?
If you’re not in Human Resources, what’s the one thing we need to know about HR so we don’t fuck up this new department?
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Don’t be afraid of square pegs for round holes and a career is no longer a ladder it’s a mesh of different forward, side and backward moves. Don’t presume you understand why that happened…ask…the answers may surprise you and provide just the skills set you’re looking for.
I want to hire business savvy professionals who will observe and listen without judging and will talk about the elephant in the room. People who like to live in the grey and find a way to say “yes” (instead of no) to their customers. HR is not black and white and not about CYA policies.
I want a marketing expert, an IT professional and a project manager on my team. An Accountant or some other financial guru who can track the $$ and the ROI of my HR programs and activities. I do NOT want to fill my new department with the same-old same-old HR types. Sure, I need a comp and benefits expert, and someone who can handle employee relations issues, but we are NOT going to exist to write policies, fill out forms and create new filing procedures to keep us busy.
I would want make sure that my HR organization (both staff and generalists) has a mix of very strong capabilities in the following areas:
1)Talent Management Strategy
2)Executive Compensation
3)Cutting Edge Talent Aquisition Methods
4)OD & Internal Communications Abilities
Most important is that all members would have the intellectual capacity to understand the business strategy and be able to predict the implications talent might have on that strategy. They would all clearly understand how we make money and why customers choose our products and services over our competitors.
Reliability, creativity, conflict resolution, willingness to change and high integrity are all on the list as well…
Think not only of the company, but also of the employees. Remember that the company IS the sum of it’s employees. My experience has been that HR exists in most companies/organizations to fulfill the whims of top-down leaders, not to actually nourish a productive work group. Ultimately, the company strangles itself because it does not allow creative ideas to emerge from its most viable resource–the people actually doing the mission of the company.
And ditto what Leanne said.
From a dedicated square peg…
Here’s the team Puf wants:
-An analysis guru, Steven Levitt in particular
-A creative compensation leader – someone that won’t constrain us to simply traditional models of comp
-An IT team internal to HR, we can’t wait a year to get things done
-Everyone in HR is trained and adept in sales, no exceptions
-I’m not sure it would be a wholly new organization, but I would push the police work out to the managers. We didn’t hire them to be stupid, know what’s right and what’s not, and take care of it. I would have HR focus on recruiting, compensation, benefits, and that’s it.
Each generalist is aligned to a business or group of functions, there in the “business of HR”, they talk the talk of the area their supporting, they may even have come out of an operating position in their group. They do all the recruiting for their own areas.
the benefits and comp group is small, they outsource administrative stuff, they work with business leaders on real issues. THey ignore what every other company does and they focus on what their company needs. They do programs that are meaningful (health screenings, education on health and financial mgmt.). They leverage the vendors to help (not sell).
the training and development staff works with the generalists, they spend 90% of their time on developing peoples skills to work in the business. Focus on skills that have ROI…No big words or big programs, they get dirty and play in the sandbox with everyone else…
ITS NOT REVOLUTION ITS EVOLUTION!
M
M
To be honest, I’m just tired of the continual chipping way of the Old School with very, very, VERY slow progress. What I’d rather have is a dream upper management team! I keep reading all this “HR needs to this,” “HR needs to that,” everywhere in order for us to be relevant, have a seat at the table, yadda yadda. What I really want to see is How to Get Your C-Suite to Open Their Minds and Make a Freakin’ Decision Already!
I say “WORD!” to BZTAT. Sure, lots of HR groups are totally ineffective, but the responsibility for that lies with upper management. They support crappy HR teams or they strangle dream HR teams. I could assemble my dream team, but we’d like just go out drinking a lot after the reality of corporate life set in yet again.
I think I need more coffee.
The only thing I see missing from the comments above is someone who knows I/O Psychology alongside all the business-savvy people …
Clowns. Hr needs at least one CEC — Cheif Executive Clown.
Seriously? The ideal HR team would have
1. I agree with MattyMat: A clown
2. Someone who’s well versed in the industry I’m in
3. Marketing personnel.
The ideal employee would have first of all the right attitude. Someone who shows enthusiasm for their job, is professional, takes initiative, can come up with solutions rather than harp on the problems and most importantly- won’t be an ass.
I would hire musicians and artists as they would drive the soul of the business and make the workplace a creative environment.
I’m serious people! HR is about connecting people to the business and to each other in support of the business. We need to dump the compliance police and terrified to do something new folks and be creative and agile.
If thus is an HR Revolution it must be complete. Passive HR is out – Punk Rock HR is in!!!
@Hrjefe–Hear, hear for the artists!!! But need I remind you of a recent thread where we artists were sorta mocked for just wanting to be creative…
BZ
I’m going opposites on the artists and musician thing. If starting from scratch, and really blowing up the model of seeking “traditional HR people” I think I’d look internally or at competitors in the same or similar industries for:
**a corporate finance wiz to manage benefits and comp,
**a sales weasel to recruit & train,
**an IT pro for HRIS
**and maybe an ops person to function as a generalist.
I can teach them the legal HR gunk, but applied business knowledge makes them more valuable to the organization and credible to the managers they support. I also want to know how they deal with delicate situations, how they handle confidential info (especially the sales weasels) and if they understand how we make (or lose) money.
Then I’d spend my social time with the artists and musicians. I am irrationally fearful of clowns. So them I avoid.
Why is it that everyone wants to party with artists, but don’t really want to work with them? I’ll be happy to have a beer with all of ya, of course if you’re buying. Artists are starving, you know…
BZ
I would answer all of these individually but I [respectfully] think that HR is a dying function. Why replace it? Why not empower managers to act like leaders, employees to act like adults, and work ourselves out of a job?
I would move health care to the public sector, outsource much of the administrative work, and stop pretending like work will set our employees free. You know what sets us free? Using our brains and doing stuff. We don’t need psychologists or therapists or anthropologists in HR. We need meaningful work, decent products & services, and ethical corporate leaders.
PS — I would also use smarter technology to manage the workforce, get rid of paper & forms, and stop making a big deal out of performance reviews and the compensation cycle. Every day is a performance review and your compensation can move according to the whims and fancy of your company. There you go.
LOL, scottthekyhrguy! If you can find a sales weasel who can keep a secret, I will demand that you divulge your hiring source!
(All offended sales weasels, please forward your hate mail to…well, not me.)
BZTAT, I don’t want to work with artists because they look and act way cooler than me.
I’ll buy the first round.
@Leanne Wouldn’t you just love if HR asked managers to do their own hiring?
@Bonita I think we could have less CYA, in general, if people stopped fearing for their jobs. It’s such a pervasive way of operating, these days.
@Robin I want those things, too, but I might want them to stay in their departments.
@Matt Those are all interesting qualities but what does HR do in your ideal world? I’m curious because some people think HR is about compliance, while others think it’s about mitigating risk, and others think it’s about communication, and still others think it’s about comp & benefits.
@BZTat I think that’s good and ideal but I’d also like CEOs and VPs and managers to think of employees, too.
@Puf That’s closer to my vision.
@MarkF “It’s not revolution, it’s evolution.” Lately I think it’s devolution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devolution_%28biological_fallacy%29
@HAria You should really blog, m’friend. You are awesome.
@Red Seven I hate I/O Psychology at work.
@MattyMat Oh yeah, we know all about the clowns.
@Karen I support the don’t be an ass rule.
@HRJEFE I think Punk Rock HR = stabbing HR in the heart, Sid & Nancy style!!
@Scott Way to be all thoughtful & analytical & stuff.
I would argue that we shouldn’t think of it as working ourselves out of a job, but working ourselves into a new one. Who better than an HR rockstar to move into a fab, forward-thinking, bus dev, “change initiative!” position with some ridiculously creative job title (I really hate job titles).
But it’s nearly impossible to convince managers that they need to be empowered when you’re buried in benefits and other administrative shiznit. Prying their skulls open and pouring some AH-HA! light in takes a lot of time and effort, which I’m sure very few of us have in our workdays, particularly in this squeezed-for-time-and-money economy. So if we can find a way to offload a good share of this daily grind crap on to some enterprising-but-cost-effective TPA, I say YAY to that.
ESPECIALLY for female HR types. I’m finding it virtually impossible to crack the glass ceiling while I’m buried in paperwork.
Keeping in mind I am in an “old school” organization. Like most things in life I would model my HR department after the A-team series.
Col. John “Hannibal” Smith — Unorthodox planner as Director or VP of HR constantly stretching the organization with plans and strategies that are “outside of the box” the quote says enough “I love it when a plan comes together”
LT Templeton “Faceman” Peck (AKA Face) — With the unorthodox plans created from above you will need someone who can communicate those strategies in a way that gets everyone on board and commits them to mission fullfillment. Training, communicating, development, and massaging egos will be his specialty.
Capt. HM (Howling Mad) Murdock — The teams pilot, I see him as the HR Systems guy I need someone that can take HR systems and move them to the next level. He needs to be partially insane in order to put his foot down with IT and explain to them our needs.
SGT BA (Bad Attitude) Barracus — Legal and compliance…don’t “F” with him. When he speaks you listen. Face will be needed to massage egos after he is through with whichever manager catches his gaze.
Frankie Santana — Special Effects. Probably would have to be two people for compensation and benefits. He is in charge of making people believe that the organization is putting their money where their mouth is as far as the unorthodox strategies. The right explosion at the right time is very close to getting that great package together for that talent aquisition and making sure that comp and bennies fit in with the rest of the picture.
Meh, probably a stretch and I am sure there are holes, but it would be fun. Now everyone hum the A-Team theme (Bah da dum dum).
OK, in my day job, I am a mental health therapist, but for the life of me, I have never heard of I/O Psychology. What’s that? Something to help @MattyMat with the clown thing?
@Laurie–I agree that the CEOs and VPs and managers need to think of employees, too. Seems like HR folks are their servant, when really, it should be the other way around. And I agree–psychology is way overrated–especially in the workplace. They are already into your head enough.
@HAria–You just really don’t know how uncool this artist is…but I’ll still accept the round!
BZ
@Laurie I actually don’t think that HR will be primarily about any of those mentioned items in the future. Certainly not compliance, risk and benefits anyway…. Those areas will likely continue to be outsourced or “delegated” along with traditional administrative/transactional items and even employee advocacy functions. Some of those items will leave the HR function and move to line management and outsourcing providers quickly, while other items will transition at a snail’s pace based on the developing capabilities of line management and external providers. What HR will continue to be about are the items that are core to the strategic success of our organizations.
1)Continually assessing which few positions are truly strategic to achieving the organizational mission and strategy as they evolve
2)Making sure those few key positions are filled with top talent and a future pipeline
3)Directing executive behavior through incentive compensation that rewards strategic success.
But if HR is in fact reduced to a bunch of Project Managers that negotiate contracts with vendors, even for the strategic items mentioned above, I might lose my religion and have to find a new profession.
I could be way off base and if so, no worries. I can still plan a mean picnic, collect performance appraisals with the best of em, recite stupid labor and employment law, and tinker around with our health care plan design until the sun comes up. That should buy me a year or two while I learn a new trade….
@H Aria @BZTat OMG you guys would have so much fun with drinks. I foresee trouble and shenanigans. It would rock.
@Dan Can I just say that you are awesome and brilliant? I want to be The Face!
@Matt You’re *nothing* in HR if you can’t plan TYCTWD and order a few dozen donuts for an executive meeting. Get your house in order and stop dreaming about these crazy opportunities in HR.
Wow, stabbing HR in the heart. . . I could be down with that. . . wern’t all good revolutionaries and punk rockers also great drinkers?!!!
Therefore, I will also pony up a round to get the creative juices flowing \~/ \~/ \~/ \~/ Cheers!
@Laurie — would love to hear more of your thoughts on the “slow death” of HR, and if/how we can hurry it along. Although the Sid & Nancy stabbing metaphor is juicy, I am envisioning more like how they blow up Vegas hotels. Here’s my short list…
*employee relations — send to Legal.
*Benefits/payroll admin — send to Finance
*HRIM — send to IT. SO much time wasted while those two groups fight — throw ‘em in the same group with shared accountability and let ‘em hug it out.
*Performance management — trash it. Performance is one of the many leader accountabilities that HR allows leaders to shirk by overbuilding and directing process, along with hiring, culture, career development, change management, team dynamics… the list goes on.
*Hire, reward, and promote leaders who understand that THEY are HR to their people. Fire the ones who think they can’t “do” career coaching without a form. Support them with a very lean group that is NOT called HR and whose sole purpose is support leaders to unleash people potential.
@BZTAT Industrial and Organizational Psychology cannot, and will not, help me with my clown thing.
@HRJEFE Prosit!!!!
@Kristy OMG, you’re hired. I’ve written about this in the past and my thinking has actually evolved, more aggressively, to your position! Awesome.