By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR
Managing Editor, HR Daily Advisor
Just My E-pinion
Responses from readers to our recent article that included HR as one of the five dumbest management concepts ever ranged from “right on” to “lost in a sea of intestinal compressed air.
To our surprise, many readers agreed with blogger Goeffrey James who came up with the five flawed management concepts. The original article appeared in the February 16-17 editions of the HRDA
We had so many comments that unfortunately we can only give a smattering here. Please visit our website to see all the comments we received. (We removed names of writers, company names, and other identifying data.)
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A Sampling of PRO Comments
Very thoughtful and so true.
Amen, amen, amen. I think you are right on target!
Thanks for having the courage to put this truth in writing.
I worked for a company for over 10 years who completely fits the mold of all these Dumb Concepts. Their turnover rate before the “recession” was about 55% or greater. They now claim victory that their turnover rate has decreased by over half, well dumb asses, look at the economy!
He is so right in fact that I would like to frame a few of those paragraphs and hang them in my office.
WOW! Finally someone who speaks the actual Truth and not regurgitating with management wants to hear! Although I know that the upper management folks at my company really do have the best of intentions, too many times they get smoke and mirrors when they just need a mirror.
A breath of fresh air!
He is dead on. The HR in my organization is robotic and mindless, they are self absorbed in their own bureaucracy and could care less about doing the right things.
When executive management (and I happen to be one) recognize that the people at the top really are the ones in the shipping/receiving and production areas, then you’ll see tremendous strides forward in the success of that business.
Any CEO that recommends downsizing should be tarred, feathered, and “right” sized himself—without those RSUs, options, and other benefits.
I agree with you on the term: Human resources is an insult. I do not use the term. I hate the term. Great article you wrote.
One of my pet peeves is referring to employees as associates. Are they at-will associates?
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Comment in the Middle
I completely agree on HR and on Downsizing. I absolutely disagree on leadership. Leadership is not a cheerleader. If he thinks that, he is lost in a sea of intestinal compressed air striving to reach his colon to escape.
Comments by Aghast Readers
James’ view of the business world is incredibly unbalanced: Re: Downsizing: Let me check my crystal ball to see if I can predict precisely what will be happening with the local, national and global economy in 6 mo., 1 year, 3 years, 5 years.
My advice is—don’t write something so stupid unless you have walked in the shoes of HR and know what it’s really about!!
Interesting article with NO accuracy at all!
Almost stopped after the first point since it was so ridiculous—I wish I did.
The guy is clueless … I won’t be buying the book.
Yikes—If I believed what Mr. James is saying about HR, I never would have entered this field of work—and I sure wouldn’t stay!
I work in the HR department and we interpret that as we are a resource for our employees and not that they are the resource.
I disagree with your article wholeheartedly … Your cynicism is disappointing and your comments serve only as an avenue for your own discontent.
Isn’t freedom of speech wonderful? This Geoffrey James guy is way off base and I’m surprised that BLR actually printed this nonsense.
You know, I’m getting sick and tired of people saying that Human Resources is a commodity, unnecessary, spies,etc.
I don’t believe that HR is one of the dumbest management concepts. I do believe that one of the dumbest is when management doesn’t listen to their HR department.
We may be labeled as an “indirect” service to the organization, but you won’t see this team downsize until the fat lady sings … or business goes east. Ask James to put that in his pipe and suck on it for a while.
I wonder what kind of past employment history someone has had to come to these jaded conclusions. It is truly sad. I feel pity for anyone who cannot see the humanity and the real joy in compassionate leadership.
Sometimes I am an employee advocate and other times the advocate for management. But a shill?? Never!
More Articles on E-pinions
I work in the field of HR and currently with a state wide organization consisting of 147,000 plus employees. Now you would think with an organization that large the HR Dept. would be right on top of what is going on in the realm of employee responsibility. I have never in my life work for an HR Dept. that is more disfunctional than this one with a staff of miserable individuals who have no business whatsoever working with and for an employee population.
I agree HR should view themselves as employee and management advocates. They also need to urge, nudge, train, explain, move management into the 21st century legal compliance world. As the federal gov’t hires more auditors to go out and fine businesses, (the newest non/tax income source for these agencies) the need to be on top of all rules and regs increase. Getting management to make wage/hour, exempt/non-exempt, contractor/employee policy changes become a dire necessity. If all of these matters were previously falling on the head of accounting (where the buck frequently stops) taking the weight off their shoulders is also a huge step forward.
In many ways, unfortunately for the profession, I agree with the comments about HR. I am a previous HR director, and now provide HR consulting services to organizations. I work diligently at discounting the stereotype described by helping HR professionals work toward overcoming these obstacles. I have a colleague who states, “HR people are neither human nor resourceful.” This certainly does not reflect on everyone, but unfortunately I see many who see themselves as law enforcement.
As someone that has been on both sides of the fence I can honestly say that James does not have a clue, and anyone that buys into his concept does not understand the real purpose of what Human Resources really is all about. Yes, if a complaint is brought to HR how do you think we are not going to get a solution? The only way to resolve a problem is to go to the source. Unfortunately everyone does not always tell the truth. There are always two sides to every story. As litigious as our society is today if it were not for HR more organizations, and individuals, would be sued based on frivolous allegations. Try dealing with a sexual harassment clasim on your own Mr. James and see where you get. At the end of the day Human Resources is the glue that holds the organization together. A good Human Resources team is the advocate for every employee, no matter what level. Now Mr. James take that and place it in your pipe and chock on it.
The problem with a lot of HR departments is that they are filled with people who have little or no real experience in HR. Companies many time put people in these positions just to push the paper and do not get qualified, certified HR people. Some times it is just a secretary or someone who is a member of the family if a family business.
Many companies just want to give lip service to HR. I was given a lead once about a company that wanted a two page policy handbook for it’s employees. He did not want to pay any big money. He had no idea of what a handbook should contain or how it could help him.
When I called him, his daughter answered the phone and commented that she was originally asked to put something together. She was on vacation from school.
Go figure.
No doubt the comments on both “sides” of the Goeffrey’s article are expectedly self-serving. Nevertheless, there’s no dodging the fact that, because of the expenses incurred due to over-reaching government regulations, over-blown “entitlements,” over-zealous lawyers, and over-achieving HR departments, it’s a wonder any business can stay afloat. Consider for a moment all these paper-pushing activities that have absolutely nothing to do with getting a product out the door. Unless we get these probably-useful things back into perspective real soon, the few businesses that remain will, like so many others, “go elsewhere.”
I can see where the author is coming from (angry, judgmental, hypercritical, perspective), but I don’t agree with his blanket pronouncement that all organizations, HR professionals, leaders, etc. are all the same. Yes, there are self-serving, clueless, shameless, vindictive, selfish, power-mongering, point-the-finger, give-the-finger, executives, managers, and horrible HR departments who act as the enemy of employees and are certainly no positive force. However, there ARE executives, managers, and HR professionals, myself being one of them, who DO act in the best interest of the people who work for the company and are advocates for doing the right thing for the people. We look at people as being human, with feelings, needs, goals. Sorry the author has never encountered us.
I have spent 40 years in human resources and was very proud of the function for the first 35. The past 5 years have convinced me that HR is a resting place for perhaps many of not the brightest bulbs. I am involved in numerous blogs, do extensive internet research, and just retired from a large, large consulting firm advising on human resources issues. I continue to be amazed by the stupidity of the questions, the lack of expertise, failure to use common sense. And very often this comes from HR practitioners with many initials after their names (SPHR, MA, even JD). (By the way I have my SPHR and advanced degrees, although certainly not convinced the SPHR really means anything based on my experience.) It is of special concern when you realize that the person could have accessed the SHRM, or DOL, or state, or OSHA sites with a few keystrokes and received the correct answer – rather that endlessly blogging. At times when I have mentioned that concept the individual is often dumbstruck. Is it any wonder management feels that human resources is irrelevant?