HR People... What Do They Do?
Discussion
HMV UK Ltd's deputy of HR has an office right next to my (so-called) office.
I'd very much like to ask her exactly what it is that HR people do, as I've no idea, but I'm afraid she might be insulted and strike me off the payroll or something!
Anybody care to enlighten me?
>> Edited by DanBoy on Friday 29th July 20:15
I'd very much like to ask her exactly what it is that HR people do, as I've no idea, but I'm afraid she might be insulted and strike me off the payroll or something!
Anybody care to enlighten me?
>> Edited by DanBoy on Friday 29th July 20:15
I HATE the term "HR" - a few years back we had a new head of HR who changed the department's name to: "Personnel" - he got my vote!
BUT today, I was talking to a man from a company who described a member of his staff who had been working with us as his "resource".
"I am not a resource I am a free man!"
Prof Beard
BUT today, I was talking to a man from a company who described a member of his staff who had been working with us as his "resource".
"I am not a resource I am a free man!"
Prof Beard
Prof Beard said:Tell me about it. Few things have got me more annoyed over the years (in a professional context, that is) than a manager once telling me in the pub that I was a resource and that he was buying me, not my time, so I should finish my work. Needless to say I didn't stick around too long under that w*nker and left a few months later.
BUT today, I was talking to a man from a company who described a member of his staff who had been working with us as his "resource".
"I am not a resource I am a free man!"
The amusing thing was that several years later he was sacked for rolling up at a meeting drunk from the night before and making an arse of himself. Oh how I laughed when I heard that on the grapevine.
Reminds me of my favourite Dirty Harry quote:
[url] http://new.wavlist.com/movies/192/enf-personnel.wav [/url]
[url] http://new.wavlist.com/movies/192/enf-personnel.wav [/url]
The function of HR departments is to prevent you from sacking incompetent or disruptive 
ers.
They quote endless procedures and rights at you, while explaining why Johnny Tosspot deserves his forty third chance, and even if he screws that up you still can't fire him.
HR departments are, IMHO, totally on the side of the asshole and totally opposed to effective management.
(You might assume, correctly, that I have an axe to grind here. Well you'd be kinda right. My missus recently had a similar experience with a guy I would have kicked out the door many times over, but the HR department thwarted every effort of the senior management to do this.)
ers. They quote endless procedures and rights at you, while explaining why Johnny Tosspot deserves his forty third chance, and even if he screws that up you still can't fire him.
HR departments are, IMHO, totally on the side of the asshole and totally opposed to effective management.
(You might assume, correctly, that I have an axe to grind here. Well you'd be kinda right. My missus recently had a similar experience with a guy I would have kicked out the door many times over, but the HR department thwarted every effort of the senior management to do this.)
anonymous said:
[redacted]
The true function of HR managers is to scare the shit out of the company management to such a degree that they are no longer capable of making any decisions without first consulting them. I have worked for 20 odd years with the lower end of the social scale, where unfortunatly sometimes you need to sack people. But now we don't just get on and do it we have to "invite in writing to a hearing" then we have to find out if anything is a concern, put in an action plan and go through the whole thing until hr can give no more reasons why they should not be sacked, then we sack then. But that is not the end, oh no, we have an appeal, then we might have the sacked person just punt for a cash handout, and all the time the HR just build up the empire of crap they sit upon. Health and safety are just as bad. Don't get me wrong I am all for good practice in bith areas and fairness but these lunatics see danger in everything and legal problems from every action.
They do lot more than you think! I looked after Personnel & Facilities until recently (wouldn't refer to myself as HR either, especially as there was only one of me and 220 staff). All I dealt with is policies, unhappy people and blocked toilets!! Not really a field I want to return to. There is one heck of a lot of admin in this area, so feel sorry for those that have to do it rather than knock it. Every day is different in the wonderful world of 'HR' - you never know where you are.
>> Edited by AlisonMcTed on Friday 29th July 22:00
>> Edited by AlisonMcTed on Friday 29th July 22:00
Well if you guys go and sack any old soul you felt like you would be dragged through every tribunal going and costing your company £££. The company image would take a battering and new hires just won't want to join if you get booted out for not being flavour of the hour with the manager. You might also decimate any talent or succession planning that might be in place and spiral upwards the cost of your recruitment budget which would never meet headcount targets because nobody would want to work for the company lol. The company might stagnate because of lack of continuity within business units as many people leave as others join. Elsewhere is Rival X who to potential employees and employees within your company looks like a much better place to work and your company goes down the pan.
AlisonMcTed said:
They do lot more than you think! I looked after Personnel & Facilities until recently (wouldn't refer to myself as HR either, especially as there was only one of me and 220 staff). All I dealt with is policies, unhappy people and blocked toilets!! Not really a field I want to return to. There is one heck of a lot of admin in this area, so feel sorry for those that have to do it rather than knock it. Every day is different in the wonderful world of 'HR' - you never know where you are.
>> Edited by AlisonMcTed on Friday 29th July 22:00
Please don't spoil our rants with facts and reasonable explainations Mrs Ted.
>> Edited by alexkp on Friday 29th July 22:12
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