In todays' competitive, always changing business climate no
matter how big, how small, how new or how legendary a company is, without an
effective Human Resources function they will never reach their full potential.
And with an ineffective or worse, poorly functioning department, companies may
not just fail to reach their potential, they may actually fail…especially if
they are a startup or in an industry with strong competitors. I have worked in
both types of HR environments over my twenty-five plus years and I have seen
the positive and negative impact HR can create inside an organization.
Below I
outline a few key characteristics that distinguish a great HR function from a
bad one.
They Maintain a Business
Focus
At some point HR was only an administrative function and
while certain things need to be “Administrated” it should not be the sole
purpose of HR…to push paper (or collect and save data). If you are in business
your company aims to make a profit…and to do it safely, ethically (we hope),
legally (we really hope) and efficiently. Too often HR becomes the group that
finds ways to say “no” to everything instead of trying to find ways to say “Yes
but we need to take a slightly different path.” At the same time they add in
policies, procedures and processes that neither add value nor help the
organization and its leaders move forward. Great HR groups avoid the blockades
and instead they help to remove them because they know the business depends on
being able to function at its peak. But…
They Manage the “Small”
Things So They Can Work On The Big Things
I had a boss who said “If you want to place a big bet with
the organization you first have to make sure the trains run on time.” His
point; if the basics aren’t grooved no one will have time for you on the game
changing plans you might be scheming back in your cube. If things like payroll
are not handled well or there is a growing list of unfilled jobs and you decide
you want to create a new training program to help employees grow their careers
don’t be surprised if you meet not just with resistance but some hostility. HR
while not solely an administrative function often gets tasked with those
responsibilities. If you don’t do those well don’t expect to be given more
responsibility. They will just assume you will do more things badly too. The good
ones make the trains run on time so they can work on the new exciting things
that the organization actually needs but just doesn’t know it yet.
Results vs Action
Too often HR groups tend to equate being busy with doing
great work. Many times…they are wrong.
Ask yourself these simple questions:
Is what we are working on going to help the organization become:
·
More effective?
·
More efficient?
·
Safer?
·
More legally compliant?
·
A more enjoyable place to come to work?
·
More Profitable?
If you answer no to any of these you need to think long and
hard about what it is that you are doing and why you are doing it. Being busy working
on new initiatives is fine as long as they mesh and align with the company’s
goals and profit plans. When they start to be “Feel good” projects they simply
become a waste of time and energy. They can also eat into profits and
profitable companies stay in business…and give raises.
They Accept and
Embrace Feedback
I recently was asked by an HR group about an idea they had
for training new employees. The idea was to in essence “Grow their own”
employees and train them because the skill set needed was very difficult to find
outside the company. It made sense to me…if you can’t hire for it, train it in.
They were very excited and had big plans to “Brand it, create online and radio
advertising and cascade it through the rest of their organization on a national
basis.” There was just one problem. Their plan was only for new hires. Existing
employees who did not have the skill set were not going to get this new, career
enhancing training. When I pointed out that this would most likely create a set
of resentful employees who might either quit or worse, stay and be angry they dropped
the idea completely. Instead of adapting it for existing employees and new hires
they just became upset that not everyone loved their idea. In the end, HR
provides feedback all the time…they need to be willing to accept it as well.
They Make and
Sustain A Great First Impression
Very often the HR group is the first contact a prospective
employee has with an organization and first impressions matter. A cumbersome on-line
application process, a difficult to navigate voice system, an aloof or under
informed in the business side of your company HR representative may be helping
you to send the best and the brightest talent to your competitors. The first
impression really does matter and whether people admit it or not those
impressions are often best made with people…supplemented by excellent
technology. Having great people and crap HR technology is almost as bad as
having crap people and great HR technology. After all you end up working with
both don’t you? HR can and should help evaluate both.
Once in the door, failing to sustain this impression can
send great talent right back out the door. The great HR groups make and keep
that great first impression primarily by staying engaged with employees yet under
promising and over delivering…on everything. Business knowledge, setting
realistic expectations about job requirements, what the employer expects, what
the employee should expect, by living the mission statement. Again, HR should
be there to support AND partner with the business. This includes hiring and
keeping great employees. How do you keep them?
They Are Company
Advocates Always But Employee Advocates First
Trust. Too often the HR group becomes the bureaucratic, red
tape creating, prosecuting attorneys in companies. The very group that is there
to be called upon by employees to “Make life at work a little easier” and to be
available to help them in a time of difficulty or crisis does just the
opposite. HR groups over time tend to get very black and white and frankly they
forget they are dealing with people not commodities. Too often ridged policies
or procedures are enforced in the name of “Consistency” when a deviation is
both appropriate and necessary. Being consistent simply means handling the
situation in the same manner as a previous situation that had the same
circumstances. Sometimes two circumstances are very much alike. Sometimes they
are not. Great HR groups know the difference.
In addition, employees and managers may disagree, have a
personality conflict or simply may not be compatible. It is HR’s job to balance
the needs of both the manager and the employee. When HR forgets there are two
sides to every story, they lose the balance between company interests and
employee interests. I have had my share of “problem” employees and there can be
a tendency to discount what they say, especially if they have a proven track
record of bad behavior. That said if you fail to follow-up and dig deep into
the issue and happen to be wrong…every other employee good and bad will be
watching. Deep down employees want to know someone will at least give them a
fair shot. Most times the expectation is that will be the HR Department.
If HR loses the trust of the organization they not only
become ineffective they become expendable.
They Pay Attention To Trends But They Avoid Being “Trendy”
Open concept office spaces, flexible work schedules, no
limit on paid time off. Read any business publication and you can always find
the “Next hot thing” in HR. Here is the problem with many of these “Hot” things.
They aren’t necessarily right for every business. Said another way, they sound
great but in practice they don’t turn out nearly as well as the article says
when implemented beyond the company profiled. HR groups seem to be especially
vulnerable to chasing the next hottest trend and I would submit this is because
they want to stay relevant within the organization. But this is flawed
thinking. I for one am happy to “borrow” a successful concept provided I feel
there is a need and that concept fills that need. Too often HR groups run off
to implement the next big thing and it either isn’t needed or it is the wrong
fix for the problem they are “solving.”
Years after the open concept office we are now seeing
studies that show that not all environments or work groups benefit from this arrangement
yet companies continue to put them in because “Everybody is doing it.” Netflix
made headlines a few years back when their HR Executive Reed Hastings shared an
internal document on the company culture. It was both profound and brutally
honest…and specific to Netflix. Yet HR group after HR group went about trying
to replicate the Netflix culture. Entire consultancies were born from this “Manifesto”.
Yet many organizations have found it hard to replicate. The problem? It was
specific to Netflix. And it didn’t happen overnight. Did I mention it was specific
to Netflix?
There is nothing wrong with sharing, dare I say stealing
best practices but make sure that when you do the fit is both right for your
organization and is actually going to be a big enough improvement over what
currently exists. With change, culture, and with your employees…if you aren’t
authentic you will be found out and quickly…and the good you sought to create
will not only be undone but be even harder to earn back.
They Actively
Listen And Seek To Understand
I recall a time when on a field visit away from my
headquarters job the GM for the location expressed his frustration with HR
because he had a number of unfilled jobs despite having conducted near constant
interviews. When we spoke with the local HR team they were defensive and adamant
that the candidates they were sourcing met the hiring criteria. When we dug in deeper it turns out the hiring
criteria was outdated and the GM and HR had not aligned on what it should be.
In this case it was a big miss because both parties had failed to connect.
Given that HR was doing most of the work I put the responsibility on them.
Instead of going through the motions make sure you take some
time up front to make sure everyone is on the same page and if they are not…get
there. This is not just to cover your backside (although in some cultures that
sadly is needed) but more importantly so you can help the organization be
successful and not spin their wheels and yours. The Great HR groups are
proactive and engaged…they don’t just run the same play because that is easier.
The run the right play because it is better…and they know the right play
because they bothered to get input.
The Difference
To be great, HR departments need to not just support the
business they need to partner with it too. That is, they need to remember that
while well intentioned, many of their efforts are not truly adding value to
anyone but their own agenda. If they push change for the sake of change and
through time handcuff employees throughout the organization with seemingly reasonable
but poorly conceived policies and practices, then the company frankly doesn’t
need an HR department...it needs a bankruptcy lawyer.
Ultimately their job is
to help drive the company forward with great hires, smart policies that are thoroughly
vetted while helping it stay out of trouble. This happens by being lock step in
line with Sr. Executives, knowing the company goals and the operating plan for
that year. In the end if they do this and allow the company to function at its
peak, employees thrive, HR is both respected and influential, the company makes
money and everybody wins. And we all like winning don’t we?
These opinions are my own and not those of any company or
employer. By the way…I think Netflix is awesome.
