Fixing the Failures of Human Resources

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"I can't give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time."
Herbert Bayard Swope, Journalist
1882 - 1958

Fixing the Failures of Human Resources

Failure: an act or instance of non-performance of something due or expected; an insufficiency.

Can you think of a profession, sport, or activity where you could keep your job even if you had an 80% failure rate? The only one I can think of is Human Resources.

These statistics indicate HR’s overall poor performance.
- 82% of the executives in North America are currently looking for new jobs.
- Less than 10% of the working population is passionate about their work lives.

Those dismal results have occurred under the responsibility of Human Resources departments.

Before HR professionals start to defend their performance and maintain that personnel failure is not their fault, let me say I’m not alone in my observation.

I recently attended a session conducted by Tom Winninger, named one of the top thinkers in the US by Inc. magazine. He believes HR Professionals have become nothing more than grocery checkout attendants who are determining who gets in and who does not. Beyond that function, they don’t appear to have a purpose.

When I attend consulting and training conferences, most independent professionals say they avoid HR departments like the plague.

We need to ask the question: Why?
- Why is HR so ineffective?
- Why do other professionals want to avoid them?
- Why do 80% of individuals dislike their jobs?
- Why is nothing being done about it?

What are some of the reasons for the failure of Human Resources? And what are some possible options?

1. HR has lost its purpose
What is the purpose of HR? Currently, it appears they are playing not to lose instead of playing to win. HR’s function has become one of administration, not leadership. Rules, regulations, and grievances are more important than fulfillment, passion, productivity -- and ROI.

At a recent HR conference, over 80% of the sessions were about the law and the administration of HR. Little training was available about developing or leading a winning team or culture.

2. HR Professionals need to get their passion and credibility back
How can HR individuals or departments with little passion help others find their purpose? It’s simple. They can’t. Unless HR professionals re-establish themselves as leaders with credibility within the organization, they truly will not be effective with others.

3. HR has too Many Inexperienced HR Professionals
In one national HR association, over one-third of the HR members had less than three years of experience. When I was younger -- much younger -- I refused to believe that anyone over 40 was any smarter or wiser than I was at 28. Now, of course, I see that was an arrogant and immature attitude. But individuals with little or no HR experience are attempting to lead others when, in fact, they are personally unclear about their own purpose and are simply way over their heads at work.

4. HR Needs to Stop Playing the Politically Correct Game
As I said above, HR has an attitude of playing not to lose. Winning teams and organizations play to win. Much damage has been done in the name of political correctness -- some HR professionals live in fear: What if I offend someone? You’ll never keep everyone happy so why even try? It is HR’s job to lead. Yes, there will be disagreements. Just get going!

5. HR Professionals Need to Give up their Arrogance and Unwillingness to Change
Odd, isn’t it, that the group responsible for helping others improve is itself known to be dogmatic about its own agenda and methods and hesitant to change.

One of the rudest individuals I ever met was an HR Manager for a company of 600 staff. She was clear with me that she was God’s gift to HR and that no one else knew anything. I left that meeting wondering about the casualties she must be leaving in her wake at work. Recently, I learned she had been fired. My understanding is that she left a legacy of mistrust, low morale, and suspicion among the ranks.

I was also part of a project where the HR manager treated the independent professionals like commodities and with disrespect. That type of approach is based on insecurity and ignorance. Unless there is a helpful and cooperative spirit, sustainable success will be difficult to obtain in the HR department.

6. It’s Time for HR to Take Risks
One of the other reasons HR professionals are generally not respected by outside professionals is that they can’t or won’t make a decision. They prefer a cover my assets routine. They take the safe route and rarely engage a new process. Unless they know their peers have successfully implemented the strategy over the past 25 years, they won’t take the risk.

HR professionals also have misguided loyalty to habitual processes and external relationships. One HR Manager openly agreed that what we were proposing was much superior to her company’s current methods but, because they had dealt with the firm for the past 10 years, they did not want to change and offend them.

Yes, loyalty is important but, when loyalty is keeping the organization from being the best it can be, loyalty is ill-placed.

Do you wonder why there are few highly successful HR departments? Because they only do what the other HR professionals are doing and thus get the same mediocre results.

7. HR needs to take responsibility and be held accountable for specific and measurable results, morale, and ROI -- not just "activity"
Imagine a sales or marketing department with no budget targets, expectations, or measurements. Yet arguably, HR, one of the most -- if not the most -- important functions in organizations is left to little or no accountability. Some might argue that there are benchmarks but, if those were working, why would we still have such low job satisfaction scores, morale, and productivity?

Yes, the intent of this article is to stir up the pot but I am writing it more out of frustration -- the HR Profession simply does not get it.

Although HR holds one of the keys to really making a difference in millions of lives, many HR people are apathetic.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t detest HR. I detest the attitude of indifference and lack of responsibility, leadership, and vision of this discipline compared to what it could and should be.

There’s little honor in keeping the status quo if it’s not working. In the end, HR must be about people -- not systems or bureaucracy. That’s why CRG is dedicated to Enriching People’s Lives through the resources we provide to professionals and individuals.

"If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down."
Mary Pickford, Actress
1893 - 1979

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Ken Keis, MBA, CPC, is an internationally known author, speaker, and consultant. He is President and CEO of CRG Consulting Resource Group International, Inc., Many professionals herald CRG as the Number One global resource center for Personal and Professional Development.

For information on CRG Resources, please visit crgleader.com

For information on Ken’s Training and Speaking Programs, please visit Please Rate this Article

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