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‘Social Work and Transactional HR Voodoo’
Posted: 06/21/2007, 3:00 PM PT
Readers have strong opinions,
especially when you get into the debate over the strategic value of HR and
getting a “seat at the table.” I recently devoted one of my Last Word columns
(titled “HR ‘Hate’ Endures”)
to a new study by Deloitte Touche
Tohmatsu and The Economist Intelligence Unit on the same subject. Here
are some of the comments:
·
From a business and executive coach in
Indianapolis:
“I read the Fast Company article when it
originally came out. To tell the truth, it hit the nail on the noggin. Our
profession seems more like social work and transactional HR voodoo than anything
that will help the business fulfill on its strategic agenda and we seem happy as
clams about it. Meanwhile, HR doesn’t have a ‘seat at the table’ and gets its
resources slashed or outsourced. And we wonder why. Poor us. On the other hand,
I keep seeing executives selecting pals from production, sales and other
departments to be their ‘HR guys’ rather than selecting people who can translate
the business’ strategic goals into a people strategy that works. I’ve seen HR
professionals hire ‘people people’ (still don’t know what that means), thinking
that on-the-job training will take care of everything that’s missing. We did
(and continue to do) it to ourselves.”
·
From Barbara (no city given):
“Almost 25 years ago, I remember a midlevel sales manager telling me that ‘HR
can’t do anything.’ Since she was talking about my chosen profession, I
defended against her remark, but, as you can tell, I never forgot
it. Why? Because I suspected there was a lot of truth to it. Of
course, there are HR folks who have had and continue to have impact. But
for the most part, HR practitioners are bureaucrats, administering policies and
ensuring procedures are followed. … I think the HR profession is ripe for major
overhaul, and it’ll probably come from outside the profession. What that
will look like, I’ll not venture to guess, but it will probably be very, very
different from anything we’ve ever
imagined.”
·
From Meg in New York: I question how a publication whose prime readership is the very group
Mr. Hollon has chastised on repeated occasions allows such drivel. More
disheartening is Mr. Hollon's total lack of respect for the HR profession,
supported by his latest fear that, again, no one will speak up and help HR
professionals. Quite condemning and quite irresponsible, especially in light of
the Jeff Schwartz interview which offered a fairer assessment, to which Mr.
Hollon chose to paraphrase in his one-sided perspective. … Your ‘HR “hate”
endures’ is completely inappropriate and likely a tagline for nothing more than
the shock value. … Shame on you for disrespecting your readership, yet once
again.”
Have a comment on this subject or
one of my blog posts? I’d love to hear what you have to say. Until we get the
comment posting function on this blog operational, send me comments at jhollon@workforce.com. I will publish as many of them as I
can.
What Were They Thinking?
Posted: 06/20/2007, 6:15 PM PT
I never cease to be amazed at how some companies have to be pushed,
prodded or legally compelled to do the right thing. Here are two cases in
point:
A Massachusetts jury this week awarded almost $2 million to a
former Wal-Mart pharmacist who had claimed she was fired after complaining about
being paid less than her male counterparts. The woman, who had worked as a
pharmacist for Wal-Mart in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, for more than 10 years,
said in court that she was fired because she asked to be paid the same bonus as
male pharmacists. Wal-Mart paid her the bonus, then fired her two weeks later,
claiming she was dismissed for failing to keep the pharmacy secure. The jury
didn’t buy Wal-Mart’s story, in part because the female pharmacist had received
"rave reviews" in her employment evaluations and was described as "maintaining
the highest levels of professional conduct" in her most recent review.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Monday, June 18, that a fired
worker was still entitled to unemployment insurance despite the fact that he was
terminated for swearing at his supervisor. The 56-year-old worker, who washed
cars at a Minneapolis-area auto dealer, was told by his supervisor that another
manager wanted him to pick up cigarette butts on the lot. The worker, who had
come to work despite having the flu, said that he was busy and that the other
manager could go "[expletive] himself." The worker was summarily fired and later
was denied his unemployment claim. He appealed the decision. The three-judge
appeals panel ruled that he was eligible for $7,000 in unemployment insurance
"because his conduct was a single incident that did not have a significant
adverse impact on the employer."
So, what do these two cases have in common? From my view, both
show how companies all too often resort to pettiness rather than just doing the
right thing.
The worker who was fired for swearing at a supervisor is a simple
example of this. Should the guy have gotten canned for swearing and
insubordination? Yes, probably so. The problem, in my view, is the next step the
company took: denying him unemployment insurance. A lot of companies do this as
a matter of course—I used to work for an entrepreneur/bully who enjoyed forcing
the many people he fired to fight him for unemployment—but it’s a management
practice that is wrongheaded and shortsighted.
Firing a person is one of the worst things you can do to another
human, no matter what the reason. On top of that, fighting them for unemployment
benefits, which are designed to help bridge the gap for dismissed workers trying
to find new work, is callous and vindictive. This is particularly true in this
case, where the appeals court found that the offense in question was an isolated
incident.
The Wal-Mart case is interesting because despite all the PR work
the world’s largest retailer has done to spruce up its image, the company is
still saddled with the notion that it is a place that doesn’t care much about
how it treats its workers. And what genius at Wal-Mart decided to pay a bonus to
a "rave"-reviewed female pharmacist after she complained about
discrimination—and then turn around and fire her? It’s hard for any PR machine
to put a positive spin on that one.
These two cases are no surprise to me. I’ve seen this pattern all
too often, where a company decides to get petty with a worker, back them into a
corner, and just about dare them to fight back. It’s a dumb way to manage, and
in the end, all it really seems to do is give high-priced labor attorneys more
to do.
5 Books You Should Read This Summer
Posted: 06/13/2007, 2:11 PM PT
Now that Memorial Day has come and gone, it’s time to get the summer reading
lined up. If you want to multitask and combine your reading with an opportunity
to glean some great management wisdom, here are five books you should put on the
top of your summer reading list:
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Have you ever been told you should "surround yourself with great people"? Here’s
a lesson in how it’s done. Not only did Lincoln persuade three former political
rivals to join his Cabinet, but he skillfully managed these accomplished opponents
and turned them into allies who worked successfully for the greater good of the
country. This is one of the best examples of managing difficult yet talented people
that you will ever find.
Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time, by
Howard Schultz. Although a bit self-serving at times, Howard Schultz’s personal
account of how he built
Starbucks into a global company is interesting in its own
right. The real reason to read this book, however, is for the insight he brings
into managing and engaging a workforce to go above and beyond the call of duty to
drive the company ahead. If you have ever wondered what employee engagement is all
about, you should read this book.
DisneyWar, by James B. Stewart. There’s no doubt that former Walt Disney Co.
CEO Michael Eisner was a brilliant executive, but the thing that struck me after
reading this book is the litany of mistakes and missteps Eisner committed during
his last 10 years as chief executive at Disney. He was terrible and shortsighted
with people, too. As the synopsis on Amazon.com puts it, "a withering portrait of
Eisner as a grasping, self-centered, manipulative, and ultimately self-destructive
executive." In other words, a great real-world lesson in how NOT to manage people.
The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t,
by Robert I. Sutton. I’ve touted this
book before, but I’ll say it again: Sutton
makes a great case for why jerks and assholes are so disruptive, destructive and
generally toxic in the workplace. This is a thin book that is packed with must-have
insight and wisdom.
The Essential Drucker: The Best of Sixty Years of Peter Drucker’s Essential Writings
on Management, by
Peter F. Drucker. What would a business book list be without something
by the father of modern management? This book is a nice distillation of Drucker’s
many years of management wisdom. Two other possibilities: Drucker’s classic The
Practice of Management or Managing in Turbulent Times. Even if you just thumb through
these books, you’ll pick up a lot of the same ideas and principles that MBA candidates
get exposed to.
Got a good management book I didn’t mention, or a comment about one of my blog
posts? I love to hear what you have to say. Until we get the comment posting function
on this blog operational, send me comments at
jhollon@workforce.com. I will publish
as many of them as I can.
Running With the ‘Knuckleheads’
Posted: 06/05/2007, 1:15 PM PT
One of the curious
things about writing a blog is that sometimes, you get delayed reaction and
feedback from something you’ve written. So it is with Circuit City.
I wrote two blog
items, “More Gibberish from Circuit City”
and “Age Bias Suit at Circuit City”
that centered on the decision by
the electronics retailer to fire about 3,400 workers because they were getting
paid “well above the market-based salary range for their role.” From my
perspective, it seemed stupid and shortsighted to get rid of your best and most
experienced workers in a cost-reduction frenzy. For all of Circuit City’s many troubles, this rash and
ill-advised management decision appears to be adding to the company’s
troubles.
Readers of this blog
had some interesting things to say about that. Here are a few of their comments:
From Christopher (no
city listed): “Had to comment on
your postings re Circuit City. Not only did my HRCI prep class use this as a
real-time case study, but I personally e-mailed and called CC’s corporate office
in an attempt to see if we could access any of their IT professionals for my
company. Guess what? Never heard back from them. Guess where I haven’t shopped
since?”
From RMack in
Florida (who titled his e-mail “Circuit City being run by
knuckleheads”): “It’s amazing that
upper management [at Circuit City] does not see [what they are doing].When I try
to buy a DVD ($12) I’ve got 2-3 people looking to help me. When I went to buy a
new TV ($1,000) I couldn’t get anyone to help me. I ended up complaining twice
and walked out 30 minutes later. After I calmed down, I called back the manager,
and let him know I was going to Best Buy. He knocked another $200 off of a TV
already on sale. It saved me about $550. Point is ... I should not have to get
crazy just to buy a TV from a kid.”
From Michael (no
location given): “The articles
you provided about Circuit City, RadioShack and Merrill Lynch are more
great examples of employees being treated as “No Heads.” I’m no longer
surprised by such management stupidity, but I still wince
at such counterproductive, shortsighted and unnecessary
practices.”
From Paulette (no location
given): “I want
to add my 2 cents to why Circuit City has a loss in sales. I, for one, am
boycotting them. I will not do business with an organization that treats their
best employees in this manner. I have spoken to many people who are also taking
their business elsewhere because of this layoff. I would not want to be treated
in this manner, and I feel like there is a total lack of integrity in any
company who does treat their employees this
way.”
Got a comment
about one of my posts? I love to hear what you say—even if you think I’m the
knucklehead. Until we get the comment posting function on this blog operational,
send me comments at jhollon@workforce.com. I will publish as many of them as I can.
Next Post: 3. Running With the ‘Knuckleheads’
One of the curious things about writing a blog is that sometimes, you get delayed reaction and feedback from something you’ve written. So it is with Circuit City.
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John Hollon
Workforce Management editor John Hollon is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years' experience as a newspaper, magazine, Internet and business journal editor. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from California State University, Long Beach, and an MBA from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management.
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