Some random ideas and beliefs I have about human resources:
- People have a life outside of work – and it makes them better employees.
- Policies shouldn’t cater to the lowest common denominator (example: corporate dress codes).
- The best performers don’t always make the best managers (in fact, they usually don’t).
- A lot of the things HR does are things managers should be doing (and good managers already do).
- Performance appraisals don’t work. Regular, ongoing feedback does.
- People do better work when they feel it’s meaningful and provides some sort of challenge.
- That applies to jobs like assembly lines and janitorial roles, too (not just knowledge workers).
- More jobs than most managers are willing to admit can be done from places other than the office.
- In fact, for many jobs, an office is actually the least ideal place to get great work done.
- Strong relationships between team members produce better results.
- When you speak/write in HRese, people don’t understand you or trust what you say.
- The best HR pros interact with their employees every day.
- If you treat employees like children, that’s how they’ll act.
- If you treat employees like adults, that’s how they’ll act.
- Great interviewers don’t necessarily do great work (and vice-versa).
- The best recruiters communicate with candidates openly and often (whether or not there’s news to share).
- The best recruiters build a pipeline of candidates – before they have a job opening.
- Just because someone did something well at one organization doesn’t mean they’ll do it well at yours. The circumstances are different.
- Curiosity and drive are more important than experience.
- Social media is not a fad.
- Great HR is about getting out of the way (and letting people do amazing things).
Any you’d add to the list? Disagree with? How do these ideas change the way we think about and practice HR now?
If you always say no, people will stop asking for your opinion.
Employees want to know their expectations and be held accountable.
Little things make a big difference to employees.
I am looking forward to the list growing!
This should be a huge button linked from your sidebar. I love the list. Printing it and sharing with my HR team. :-)
@Bonita – Thanks for adding to the list!
@Ben – Glad you like it!
Great thoughts and links Chris! I especially like #21. If HR does its job and helps managers find the best fit talent for the job, there is little left but to get out of the way and reap the rewards of a job well done.
I have included your post in my Rainmaker top five blog picks of the week to share your thoughts and suggestions with my readers.
Be well!
@Chris – Cheers!
Would you mind explaining #17 : “pipeline of candidates”?
@Stefan – Great question. I’d be happy to!
Pipeline recruiting is about networking with people who would be a good fit for your organization, whether or not you’re currently hiring. It’s about talking to people about your culture, finding people who would be a great fit, and getting them excited to come join your team.
When you have an open position, you can quickly pull candidates from your “pipeline” rather than dealing with the lag that normally happens when you post an opening on the job boards and wait for piles of resumes to come in.
Hope that helps!
Sure, right now it seems to be absolutely clear :) Thanks!
G’Day Chris,
At last I’ve found another HR person who clhllenges the conventional wisdoms Here’s a few more
* the purpose of staff selection is to get a job done, not to choose a person
* you can’t tell what people can do merely by talking to them
* Of itself, training rarely improves on job performance
* The basic human unit in the workplace is the team, not the individual
8 Staff are your most important customers
And, of course, the golden rule of the workplace: make sure you have fun
Regards
Leon
@Leon – Brilliant! Thanks for the additions!
Here are a couple more Chris- you and I speak the same language
1. Leadership is a gift word- as is mentor… you can call yourself a leader by title but it has WAY more impact when the word is gifted to you by someone else
2. The manner in which we conduct ourselves @work @home @play has a tremendous impact on how others feel about themselves… (similar to your #1) and as leaders we need to be mindful of this
3. People don’t work for the company- they work for the people around them
4. There is brilliance within all of us waiting to emerge
What a great discussion Chris- those who are commenting here might want to check out a few of my blog posts which touch on several things on this list- http://www.impactpeoplepractices.com/blog
Not just building a link Chris – you’ll see we share VERY similar thoughts on the brilliance that often lies dormant in organizations!
HR is everybody’s job. Managers should supervisor, mentor and coach; employees should know their rights and the HR policies of their organization; human resource professionals should support the managers and the employees.
From an HR professional
Juliette – I love it! Any tips on how to build that kind of organizational culture?
Hi,
Thanks for sharing this. This really affirms what I strongly believed in!