My self being an HR professional and a strong advocate of the importance of HR in all walks of business; I am pissed off hearing that “Human Resources Executives are neither strategic nor leaders”. This accusation is not from some sales or marketing honcho, but this blow to HR comes from Hewitt Associates!
I love you mom!
Nishchae Suri, Business Head, Consulting Analytics, Asia-Pacific, Hewitt Associates says “Despite this, HR departments are on the whole still not considered a valuable strategic asset. After nearly 20 years of hopeful rhetoric about becoming “strategic partners” with a “seat at the table” where the business decisions that matter are made, the truth of the matter is most HR professionals aren’t even close. The majority of HR executives remain, to all extent and purposes, neither strategic nor leaders.”
Sorry! I retaliate! Mr. Suri, I strongly disagree with you!
The importance of HR in organization has always been on the top of my mind. In one of my researches at Talent Junction, where I invited CEOs to wear HR’s Shoes; I found that companies that respect HR grow as large as Microsoft or Google! And those who don’t; please note thousands of the businesses wipe off the scene every day.
HR is the mother of all business!
Mother is the originator, facilitator and half of the world! Same is HR. Similarly, in any organization, Human Resources Department also plays the role of mother.
Back here in India, we respect mother a lot – just like a goddess; we respect her because where we are today is because of her. So I want the same respect HR at work.
Here are my one dozen arguments that advocate to my new found title “HR is the mother of all business”.
| Mother @ Home | Human Resources @ Business | |
| 1 | Capable to give birth to new human beings. | Capable to bring talented employees. |
| Sex with father; give peace to his soul! | Talks to management and assures that everything will be all right tomorrow. | |
| 2 | Mother’s ova mates with the most capable sperms among millions | Selects a few talented leaders from thousands of Resumes. |
| 3 | Give Birth to baby bearing lot of pain. | Give offer letter and get employees on the board. |
| 4 | Helps baby to understand the new found land! | Conducts Induction programs. |
| 5 | Prepares food and feeds the baby | Create and offers satisfactory compensation plans |
| 6 | Mother teaches primary lessons to the child. | HR Conducts basic Training programs at companies |
| 7. | When children get spoiled, mother disciplines them by pointing to the rules of home. | When employees deviate from their goals, HR would discipline employees. |
| 8 | Whole family thinks mother’s job is no-brainer, anybody can do it. | Management also thinks that HR’s job can be done by anybody, no specific education or qualifications required. |
| 9 | When boys achieve the success – they are called papa’s boy. | When employees achieve success they are the CEO’s man. |
| 10 | When kids do poorly, papa will always scold mother “What have you taught these guys”. | When any employee has poor performance management blames: HR had a wrong hire or send him back to HR for training. |
| 11 | Even after all her efforts, mother hardly becomes head of the family (except she is a widow or divorcee) | HR never becomes CEO (except a few exceptional examples or in a HR outsourcing or a Recruitment agency, where these is nobody else to take care of business.) |
| 12 | Mothers are Poor: In most of the countries (including India) mothers (females) do not have any stake in the family property and aren’t too wealthy. | In companies HR Department has much lower budgets (for its own development) as compared to other departments. Back here in India, HR executives get not so good salaries (when compared to their peers)! If not all, most of them! |
Hey C…E…O… (Damn! The Papa), if you still think that HR (The Mom) is neither strategic nor leader… I give you a DAMN!
Finally I dedicate this post to my favorite half a dozen HR Moms (or to be moms) who are making a difference in the business from HR’s point of view:
Laurie Ruettimann @ Punk Rock HR http://punkrockhr.com/
Lisa Rosendahl @ Simply Lisa http://www.lisarosendahl.com
Trisha McFarlane @ HR Ring Leader http://hrringleader.com/
Sharlyn Lauby @ HR Bartender http://www.hrbartender.com/
Shauna Moerke @ HR Minion http://hrminion.com/
Suzanne Lucas @ Evil HR Lady http://evilhrlady.blogspot.com/
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[...] Gireesh Sharma makes a compelling case for HR being the mother of all business. If the CEO is the father and HR is the mother…what’s the rest of the C-suite? Is the CFO the rich uncle who makes everyone dance to get in his will? I WANT ANSWERS! [...]