Human Resource staff make people behave and they don’t like it. They
are the ones that tell you that even if you think the jokes are funny,
you still can’t tell sexist, racist or homophobic jokes. This is one
function that goes all the way to the top. The HR people, the
compliance people, are telling everybody how they have to treat each
other and a lot people don’t like it, including senior managers.
It doesn’t help that Human resources have become responsible for
things that they don’t have the authority to make happen. But are
still responsible for. Like getting people to fill out performance
appraisals. A task no one likes, it feels bureaucratic, with the
potential to upset people. HR end up nagging people to complete the
forms.But they can’t make them do it. And as a result, HR end up
wearing out their welcome.
It doesn’t help that where as finance and IT have a reputation for
solving immediate problems Human Resources best work is addressing
long term issues. They head off employee relations problems by keeping
good relations/ an open dialogue with the trade unions, advise on
negotiations with staff groups about changing working practises, they
introduce procedures and data to help managers tackle absenteeism,
mediate in conflicts between individuals and deal with grievances
against managers, often digging managers out of holes they have dug
for themselves. In so doing they contribute to reducing staff turn
over. They take the led on training and development to insure the
organisation has people with the right skills and knowledge in the
future. To this end they also manage the recruitment process so posts
are fill speedily and managers are assisted to get the right person in
the right post.
These functions are often seen as the soft end of the business
keeping the work force happy rather than adding to the bottom line,
maybe even at the expense of the bottom line. Perhaps because the work
of HR is long term the financial benefits are often not highlighted.
However recruitment is expensive getting it wrong is costly, high
staff turnover is disruptive and costly, high levels of absenteeism
reduce efficiency and effectiveness, bad industrial relations inhibits
an organisation ability to respond to changing circumstances, a
failure to invest in staff training and development will result in a
less agile, less responsive , less efficient organisation. All of
which impact on the financial health of the organisation always
important but even more so in a post pandemic economic recession.
Blair Mcpherson former Director author and blogger www.blairmcpherson.co.uk