I love working in Human Resources – probably because I really do care about people. I know that sounds cliché because every HR person would say they care
about people. Unfortunately I sometimes see HR “not practicing what they preach”. This is not always completely their fault. Part of it is due to the
direction of the HR focus over the past 10-15 years. HR has become much more focused on the business, being a part of the business, having a seat at
the table, influencing the strategic pieces of HR as they relate to the business. These have all been necessary, positive, right changes. But I fear
the focus on the employee has been lost in the shuffle. Employees see HR engaging with management and automatically believe that HR is therefore siding
with management in all the decisions. In some cases this is true depending on the HR person. Some HR professionals are able to separate themselves
from the business and still make good decisions around individual employees. But the bottom line, no matter how you cut it, is that the HR professional’s
first obligation is to the Company, not to the employee. Their first obligation is to protect the company against litigation or charges of discrimination/harassment.
The U.S. has become a culture full of lawsuits, some legitimate but many frivolous. A Company expects its HR professionals to help protect them from
both. …read more