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Does your company promote an "HR Happy" atmosphere?
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Does your company promote an "HR Happy" atmosphere?
Discuss workforce management, performance management, retention, communication, motivation, contributing to business results and other topics.
The following link is to an article, which appeared in today's edition of the NY Times. The author presents a very negative and, in my opinion, totally clueless portrayal of HR professionals.&n
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Forums » Topic Forums » General Forum » Does your company promote an "HR Happy" atmosphere?
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Does your company promote an "HR Happy" atmosphere?
posted at 5/7/2013 12:27 PM EDT
on Workforce Management
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Posts: 15
First: 4/11/2013 Last: 5/8/2013 |
The following link is to an article, which appeared in today's edition of the NY Times. The author presents a very negative and, in my opinion, totally clueless portrayal of HR professionals. |
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Re: Does your company promote an "HR Happy" atmosphere?
posted at 5/7/2013 2:13 PM EDT
on Workforce Management
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Posts: 28
First: 10/7/2011 Last: 5/7/2013 |
Jimk1952--great post. Glad you want to stoke the conversation here. This article may be a harsh portrayal, but I'm curious, in your opinion on what points is the author clueless? |
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Re: Does your company promote an "HR Happy" atmosphere?
posted at 5/7/2013 4:12 PM EDT
on Workforce Management
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Posts: 12
First: 2/24/2013 Last: 5/7/2013 |
I stopped halfway through the article, but the "HR happy" sure rings true with my experience. I can only say I've had positive experiences with HR in my current company. The last ones I ran into (one at a Big 10 university, another in a Fortune 500 company). In the first case, my HR contact blatantly ignored me through numerous e-mails (going so far as to suggest something I had already said in my e-mail I had tried, and didn't work). She then went on vacation for a week, leaving me with no alternate contact in HR. Finally when I e-mailed my two weeks notice to the same HR rep, she e-mailed back saying "I hope this doesn't have anything to do with that issue you wrote me about a couple months ago!" Uh yeah, actually, it does. At the Fortune 500 company, I reached out for a different reason - I was interested in moving up (eventually) in the company, and was curious what other paths there might be for managers aside from the field direct route. I e-mailed HR, even my boss talked to our HR rep for me, and after 4 weeks her only response was "look at the internal job board." No advice on what I could do, what positions are out there that may not be available now, but I could work towards, etc. Way to motivate your people. So that is just my opinion, based off my experience. But I haven't heard very many HR success stories from the associates they're supposed to be supporting.
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Re: Does your company promote an "HR Happy" atmosphere?
posted at 5/7/2013 4:22 PM EDT
on Workforce Management
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Posts: 215
First: 9/20/2011 Last: 5/14/2013 |
In Response to Re: Does your company promote an "HR Happy" atmosphere?: I stopped halfway through the article, but the "HR happy" sure rings true with my experience. I can only say I've had positive experiences with HR in my current company. The last ones I ran into (one at a Big 10 university, another in a Fortune 500 company). In the first case, my HR contact blatantly ignored me through numerous e-mails (going so far as to suggest something I had already said in my e-mail I had tried, and didn't work). She then went on vacation for a week, leaving me with no alternate contact in HR. Finally when I e-mailed my two weeks notice to the same HR rep, she e-mailed back saying "I hope this doesn't have anything to do with that issue you wrote me about a couple months ago!" Uh yeah, actually, it does. At the Fortune 500 company, I reached out for a different reason - I was interested in moving up (eventually) in the company, and was curious what other paths there might be for managers aside from the field direct route. I e-mailed HR, even my boss talked to our HR rep for me, and after 4 weeks her only response was "look at the internal job board." No advice on what I could do, what positions are out there that may not be available now, but I could work towards, etc. Way to motivate your people. So that is just my opinion, based off my experience. But I haven't heard very many HR success stories from the associates they're supposed to be supporting. Posted by anonymouse Anonymouse- What function are you part of since it is not HR? |
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Re: Does your company promote an "HR Happy" atmosphere?
posted at 5/7/2013 4:33 PM EDT
on Workforce Management
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Posts: 215
First: 9/20/2011 Last: 5/14/2013 |
In Response to Does your company promote an "HR Happy" atmosphere?: The following link is to an article, which appeared in today's edition of the NY Times. The author presents a very negative and, in my opinion, totally clueless portrayal of HR professionals. http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/07/where-the-happy-talk-about-corporate-culture-is-wrong/?ref=business Posted by JimK1952 I do not agree that the author is clueless. Clearly his view of HR is less than good but that does not mean he is wrong. There are many companies that have part of their HR functions working on employee morale/satisfaction with other parts of HR working on service delivery and strategy. The former is what makes the press (for example The Top 100 Best Places to Work List), the latter is what is done to sustain the business operations by providing Talent Management and other related strategies. What the author of the article did not realize is that folks come to work at Google, Apple etc for both the job content AND the work environment that provides those things that make your personal life easier and/or more enjoyable. When the work/life balance is out of balance because you are spending so much time at work, the time at work needs to cover more than just job content. You need both and the best companies (IMHO) have both. |
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Re: Does your company promote an "HR Happy" atmosphere?
posted at 5/8/2013 12:21 AM EDT
on Workforce Management
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Posts: 15
First: 4/11/2013 Last: 5/8/2013 |
In Response to Re: Does your company promote an "HR Happy" atmosphere?: Jimk1952--great post. Glad you want to stoke the conversation here. This article may be a harsh portrayal, but I'm curious, in your opinion on what points is the author clueless? Posted by rick_bell Thanks Rick, Since my role in HR was in labor relations and ensuring compliance with the CBA, regulations, labor law and our handbooks and manuals was our primary function I found his statement minimizing this function of HR as inappropriately dismissive. He reinforced his disdain for "compliance and regulations" by praising UPS' "agent orange" program, even while its practices were found to be in violation of OSHA regulations. In essence he viewed compliance with laws and regulations as an unnecessary annoyance and lacked the ability to view the existence of these regulations and laws as necessary protections against employee abuse and ensuring compliance was necessary to protect the company from possible ruinous lawsuits. I also drew the inference, perhaps incorrectly, that he viewed "HR happy" as incompatible with efficient productive operations and therefore based on his views HR personnel were incapable of achieving his ideal of "performance happy" employees. Moreover, his overall description of HR illustrated a functional area, where the main goal besides enforcing those pesky regulations was to promote a "happy workplace" regardless of the actual performance of each individual employee. Finally, his views that interacting with individual employees was contrived belie the fact that understanding the lives and personal issues of some employees is a management necessity, especially when it comes to issues such as FMLA and the ADA. I should note my views are based on my experience and maybe in other settings his views may be appropriate, but I cannot see any successful company suffering the HR priorities he describes. |
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Re: Does your company promote an "HR Happy" atmosphere?
posted at 5/14/2013 11:26 AM EDT
on Workforce Management
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Posts: 14
First: 10/13/2011 Last: 5/14/2013 |
What the author decries as "HR Happy" appears to be the superficial giving "lip service" to the concept of promoting employee happiness, as opposed to more deep-seated, genuine, efforts to create both a positive workplace environment and one fostering professional excellence/success. However, the article's connotations come across as -- basically -- cynical and jaded, that the author doesn't like anything, or anyone. Some of us would be thrilled to even have the illusory fools' gold of "HR Happy" at work. |
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