HR Management & Compliance

Stop Being an HR Terrorist

Yesterday’s Advisor featured consultant Tim Sackett’s What the CEO Wishes HR Would Do. Today, his 6-step program for HR managers.

How is HR a terrorist? HR tends to use the law as a hammer, Sackett says. “No you can’t do it; it’s against the law.” A better approach is, “Yes, you can do it, but we put ourselves at risk for an expensive and prolonged lawsuit.” You be the CEO’s risk advisor; he or she can decide whether to accept the risk.

Sackett (www.timsackett.com) offered his tips during the recent SHRM annual Conference and Expo in Orlando.

Sackett’s 12-Step Program in Only 6 Steps

Sackett offers six steps to HR success:

Step 1: Say “Yes” to Everything

Here’s the scenario:
• VP/Hiring Mgr.—comes to you
• Wants to fire one of her staff
• Details:
o Long-term employee—15 years
o Average performance reviews documented

You want to say NO, but that’s just the same old HR saying no again like always.

Try this on the hiring manager, Sackett says:
“Hell yes! Let’s get rid of that slacker. Don’t worry, before we go to court, I’ll coach you through the questions the opposing attorney will ask you. And I’ll work up an estimate of how much this is likely to cost us.”

Step 2: Step into the Vacuum

Step up to take on things no one wants to do. No one likes the picnic. “HR will do it.” Electronic medical records are messy. “HR will take it on.” Look around. Why isn’t anyone taking care of that? Step into the vacuum.


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Step 3: Give Your “A” Card Away

Sometimes it helps to give your “A” card away. For example, take the dress code. Give it away. One client did that, and the department that took it on wrote a 15-page dress code. Let them have it.

Step 4: Become an Evangelist

If you can’t be an evangelist for HR, you really need to leave your post, Sackett says.

Step 5: Give Your CEO a Performance Review

CEOs rarely get good feedback. We fail them in this regard, says Sackett.

Step 6: Go to Lunch

You asked for a 25 percent increase but the buzz is that you’re going to have to take a 7 percent cut. Have lunch with the CFO, says Sackett. And then do it again. The second lunch, you can spill about all your plans. Then, when the CEO asks the CFO about the HR budget, you’ll get your increase.

Bonus Step—The 15-Minute Dialogue

Prepare a 15-minute dialog for the next time you get stuck with the CEO. You don’t want to be tongue-tied with nothing to say.

One important thing to include in that 15-minute dialogue? Training. You know your people need training but who has time for training? Or the budget?

We’ve solved that with an easy-to-manage program that lets you train in discrete, 10-minute chunks. It’s a program that’s easy for you to deliver and that requires little time from busy schedules—BLR’s unique 10-Minute HR Trainer®.

No budget? If you’re like most companies in these tight budget days, you will like that it is reasonable in cost.


Yes, you do have the budget and time to train managers and supervisors with BLR’s® 10-Minute HR Trainer. Get it Now.


As its name implies, this product trains managers and supervisors in critical HR skills in as little as 10 minutes for each topic. 10-Minute HR Trainer offers these features:

• Trains in 50 key HR topics. Includes all major employment laws, including manager and supervisor responsibilities, and how to legally carry out managerial actions from hiring to termination. (See a complete list of topics below.)
• Uses the same teaching sequence master teachers use. Every training unit includes an overview, bullet points on key lessons, a quiz, and a handout to later reinforce the lesson.
• Completely prewritten and self-contained. Each unit comes as a set of reproducible documents. Just make copies and you’re done. (Take a look at a sample lesson below.)
• Updated continually. As laws change, your training needs do so as well. 10-Minute HR Trainer provides new lessons and updated information every 90 days, along with a monthly Training Forum newsletter, for as long as you are in the program.
• Works fast. Each session is so focused that there’s not a second’s waste of time. Your managers are in and out almost before they can look at the clock, yet they remember small details even months later.

Evaluate It at No Cost for 30 Days

We’ve arranged to make 10-Minute HR Trainer available to our readers for a 30-day, in-office, no-cost trial. Review it at your own pace, and try some lessons with your colleagues. If it’s not for you, return it at our expense. Click here and we’ll set you up with 10-Minute HR Trainer.

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