Why We Hate HR?

Every HR professional should spend time thinking about this article from Keith Hammonds at Fast Company magazine. Four years later the HR profession is still hampered by a overall lack of talent within the function and a continuing disconnect between HR initiatives and company profits. There are some HR people who "get it" and add value on a day to day basis, but the vast majority are lamenting the outsourcing of the administrative functions that defined their day to day work lives. I was inspired by the Chief HR Officer of a Fortune 100 pharmaceutical companies who spoke at a recent HR symposium. The CHRO had worked his way up the corporate ladder and was promoted internally to the top HR role at the company. One of his first actions was to fire 20% of the HR staff across the globe. As he put it, "I surveyed my staff and realized we were hampered by a large percentage of secretaries who had somehow worked their way into the HR department." This strategic action allowed him to craft a team of HR leaders that would be able to focus on adding strategic value to the firm. I think this is a best practice for consideration.