The Only Part of HR I Like Is…

Hmm….I’m still trying to think of an appropriate answer for the title of this post.

I guess in the world of entrepreneurs, ANYTHING is appropriate from an HR standpoint.

HR Questions:

• What is the purpose of HR?
• What does it actually stand for?
• Do HR people really have to be so anal retentive?

In my world these days the only HR I really like to see is when it’s a stat next to a New York Yankees box score! Unfortunately, lately, the HR next to the Yankees stats haven’t been there too much either.

Last night I was going through my nightly routine of stumbling and reviewing shared articles and ran into this classic about the IDIOTIC practices in HR. Just reading this article caused me to reminisce about the miserable days of working in “corporate America” and answered a few of my HR Questions from above.

Read this awesome rendition of a classic HR WTF:

This morning, I had to deal with one of our HR secretaries, and it was déjà vu.

When I first started to work for this place I was in HR. I had passed my interviews and was doing paperwork as part of the hiring process. The HR secretary and I had the following conversation:

Her: Can I have the phone number of the consulting company where you worked for the past 6 years?
Me: I was self employed. I am the owner and sole employee of the consulting company and I would be happy to answer any questions you have.
Her: No, I need to call to verify!
Me: …But you’ll just be calling me.
Her: I have to call — what’s the number?
Me: The number of the office is [my cell number].
(note: I’m standing 2 feet directly in front of her. She dials the phone and I answer.)
Her: Hello — this is Paula from Initrode Global, calling in reference to Snoofle’s employment.
Me(both into the cell phone and to her): I know, I’m standing right in front of you.
Her(into the phone): Could you please verify the dates of Snoofle’s employment at VirtuDyne, Intelligenuity and Initech?
Me(reading from my résumé that is laying on her desk in front of her): VirtuDyne: a₁ to b₁, Intelligenuity: a₂ to b₂, and Initech: a₃ to b₃.
Her: Great, thank you! *click*
Me(directly to her): …Did you not notice that you were talking to me right here in front of you?
Her: I know, but I have to call to check these things.

At this point I walked away, wondering if the rest of the company would be just as WTF-y.

What Can We Learn from This HR #FAIL?

1. In order to be most effective, companies have to adapt to their environment.
2. Following “company policy” letter-of-the-law can be a huge waste of time.
3. If you ever have a slightest urge that a company is “WTF’y”, leave as soon as you can.
4. Fastcompany.com did a survey about HR and here’s what they found:

1) Companies hire inexperienced and unqualified people to handle HR, but expect them to perform at higher levels than they are qualified.

The survey showed that most people enter HR without being qualified for the job. Companies hire people to be HR Directors who have no higher education, certifications or experience – then expect these people to be strategic partners. According to Hammonds, “In a knowledge economy, companies with the best talent win. And finding, nurturing, and developing that talent should be one of the most important tasks in a corporation. So why does human resources do such a bad job — and how can we fix it?” The answer is for organizations to hire the best HR talent and to invest in educated, certified, experienced HR professionals.

2) Companies do not invest in HR as they do in other departments.

The salaries for HR may be “commensurate with experience”. The survey shows that very few HR people make any where near 6 figures – in a 6 figure world. Over half of the participants have been in HR for more than 10 years. Half of the HR respondents have a PHR, SPHR, GPHR or other certification. There seems to be no distinction in pay between those highly qualified for the job and those minimally qualified for the job.

3) Many small to medium size companies have HR people that are strategic partners.

Most of the HR participants believe that they are strategic partners. It would be interesting to ask their CEO’s and management team’s opinion.

What are YOUR thoughts on HR?

Is it really needed? Why or why not?

Nate Moller, a self-employed entrepreneur, has been teaching clients how to start an online business for over five years. He’s worked with thousands of companies who are looking for answers in their online marketing journey. Follow Nate on Twitter and become a fan of Moller Marketing on Facebook!