by Sue Bingham
Last month, I spoke with a former human resources director who had recently quit her high-paying job at a large company where she felt required to treat people with suspicion, devoid of dignity. She simply couldn’t take it anymore.
Facing such a crisis of values is a common experience for many progressive HR leaders. Companies end up driving these individuals away instead of empowering them to make a significant impact, both culturally and financially.
HR’s Frankenstein
Traditional HR training has created a monster.
Because HR doesn’t typically have a seat at the executive table, its true purpose — employee support — is frequently overshadowed by other responsibilities, such as recruiting, handling compensation, and onboarding.
While many people enter the HR field wanting to become employee advocates, traditional training mostly equips them to plan appreciation picnics and control employee behavior in an effort to mitigate risk to the company, rather than a function that can reduce costs. Ochsner Health System, for example, instated a rule that forces employees smile and make eye contact if they are within 10 feet of someone.
Absurd rules like this exist because company leaders are terrified of being sued. Although actual lawsuits are rare, HR leaders are turning to lawyers, who encourage them to enforce irrational policies and procedures to avoid headline-making jury verdicts that grant costly awards. Adding to the perception that HR should be responsible for preventing employment-related charges, HR members are often given inappropriate authority to hire, fire, and deal with employee relations issues.
Too often, leaders view HR as an unavoidable overhead cost needed mainly to protect the company. However, HR done right can foster a culture where people thrive, saving companies hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs related to absenteeism, turnover, process streamlining, and employee engagement.
This can only be accomplished when an HR department models behavior that champions such a culture and equips other leaders to do the same. To thrive, employees at every level need to be treated as unique individuals and be given opportunities to contribute their wide variety of knowledge and experience.
Here are three ways to abolish outdated, traditional HR management and revolutionize your company from within.
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About the Author: Sue Bingham is the founder and principal of HPWP Group. She works closely with company leaders to analyze their organizations and facilitate the implementation of commonsense systems that have a positive impact on their organizations’ bottom line. She has a passion for helping companies embrace and transition to high-performance work environments. Sue is the bestselling author of Creating the High Performance Work Place.
By Dawna Jones
