No Love For HR
I received an interesting comment to my article on Top Five Reasons Employees Hate HR , and I’d like to address the comments here. First, I’d like to say that I love what Alissa has to say here. She has a great attitude and is very optimistic and idealistic. Many people look at idealists in a cynical light, but I want to be clear that I don’t feel this way about Alissa’s comments.
That being said, I am not an idealist…I’m a realist. As a realist, I’ll add some commentary to her remarks (Alissa is in italics ):
Wow! I am brand new to HR and didn’t realize that there were people who actually “hated” the HR Dept.
Not knowing that there are people who hate the HR department is a sure sign you’re new to HR. Wait until you start firing people and then see how well you’re received in the hallway.
Perhaps you have had bad experiences or what not but I do my job everyday and I do anything and everything to see that each employee is treated fairly. I handle our benefits and I have employees that come up here just to say hi and talk to me. I think its all about your personality and your ability to deal with employee relations.
This is a great attitude to have, and the one that I personally try to adhere to. Soon, though, you’ll realize that people don’t like/dislike HR because of our cheery attitude or lack thereof. They hate us because of what we’re forced to do sometimes. Re-read the article and show me where I say anything about interpersonal skills.
To stereotype an individual based on the department they work in is a bit childish.
It absolutely is. Re-read the article. It’s not me who is stereotyping HR, it’s the employees. They’re often EXTREMELY childish. You’ll learn this too over time.
I read some of the comments and found them to be way off target. Im 24, and Im the HR Assistant so perhaps I only know the bare minimum of HR, but as far as your definition of “human capital” thats what Im here for.
Again, excellent attitude. Please don’t lose this.
I don’t think Im a hall monitor. I didn’t know we were still in high school.
High school is just microcosm of the world at large. Those same people you despised from school just grow up and join the workforce. Now, instead of pulling on the cheerleaders bra strap, that same jerk is harassing her by the water cooler. They never really change.
I care about people, and I care about each person who walks through my door. Everyone knows that if you don’t have inter-personal skills you shouldn’t work in HR. If you are selfish, you shouldn’t work in HR. You work with different people everyday and you have to be open minded and caring.
This is the usual reason that good-hearted people go into HR. This is a fine approach to take while the business is going well, but it’s only a matter of time before things turn south. Businesses are cyclical, and there will always be downturns. When you are telling a father of four that he no longer has a job and have to watch him cry his eyes out, this will really test your caring interpersonal skills. You need to prepare yourself for the fact that HR is part of the business, and business is sometimes very harsh.
And as far as planning company picnics,, that is our receptionists duties. I created my whole policy handbook when I hired in here. I have incorporated new policies, shared them in meetings, and Im just an assistant. So I guess that eliminates me! Nice input! Maybe it will help those who really have those problems, because I don’t.
In the end, Alissa reminds me of me when I first graduated from college and entered the labor market. She’s young, bright, enthusiastic, idealistic, naive, caring, generous, and probably a few years from being bitter and cynical. I’d love to fast forward and have her assess her own comments.
