Human Resources vs Personnel department
So something DaveK said to me the other day got me thinking about this. His comment went something like this "the problem with HR was when they changed it's name from personnel department to HR". I thought he was making too much of a fuss really, in that they were both pretty ineffective.But something in me has made me ponder this point for longer and the more I think about it, the more I realise that calling someone a "human resource" is a bit like calling someone a gogga, or some other form of un-PC hate-speech. What was it in the apartheid days - dehumanise them and then it's easier to persecute them. So now here we are, human resources. We're not people any longer. We're just resources that, well are human, but can be thought of primarily as resources. And what's a resource anyhow? Mirriam Webster describes a resource as "a source of information or expertise". So if humans are resources, and we apply this definition then one would expect, being a source of information and expertise would mean that the humans in question get treated with some degree of value.
My experience of HR though, [ and not only in my present position, but in previous companies ], is that the humans which the HR department should be valuing, are seen as of little value. IT used to have [ and in many places still does ] a reputation of being out for themselves. They couldn't care a hoot for the user or what they want and need. My experience is that HR have the same selfish attitude. So why is this the case? Why is it that HR people seem to wield such power in organisations and seem oblivious to the very people they should be serving who are of value to the organisation?
"Great Human Resource professionals add value to any organization. Recruiting and retaining star performers, building a productive workforce, coaching managers to perform at higher levels, ensuring that the organization stays compliant, and raising the bar on performance are what HR brings to the table"
This may be true, but I've never seen it. Are we just extremely short of great HR people or have the HR people I've ever dealt with lost touch with what's important - the people. So that brings me to the personnel department. Somehow, this keeps the people who should be dealing with people understanding that they're dealing with people. It could just be me, but would a return to the name personnel department make a difference to how they deal with the valuable people in the organisaion?
