What is the Perception of the Role of the HR Department and Staff?

Last week’s The Desk of Gman newsletter asked the question, “Why is the HR Department Treated So Badly?”  And as one would guess I received well over 300 Emails directly, through the newsletter and through LinkedIn.  Some took me to task accusing me siding with the “enemy.”  Some explained how and why things worked in their companies and yet others (which was most of the responses) described their perception and experiences with the HR Departments at various organizations. 

I must admit, much of it was apparently painful and truly an eye opener to me.  I say that not because I point the finger at the HR team, but the management team(s) who made, implemented, directed and enforced a system that misses the point that “….it is all about the people.”  When a company gets an employee turnover issue because THE COMPANY’S system is broken, their knee jerk reaction is to hire another at perhaps less money.  But what happens when the new hard charging employee, goes to work in the broken system?  Sooner or later, they are looking for his/her replacement as well.

Below are a few unembellished excerpts from last week’s newsletter:  (Please don’t kill the messenger and your comments are welcomed)

“….I'm surprised that you had a 2 1/2 hour discussion with a C level client. It's pretty darn rare to get this kind of time commitment from someone at the executive level”

“….I have worked for a few large corporations in my career and in each, HR was viewed by the EMPLOYEES unfavorably. In each of these cases, HR was an insidious disease fostered by senior management. Each middle manager was assigned an HR rep constantly digging for the "garbage" on fellow employees.  In every case, my HR rep used information to undermine personnel management, share sensitive information up the leadership chain, causing people to be fired. As a middle manager, senior management driven HR policies create an environment of distrust and constant scheming, allowing personality conflicts to bloom and justifying the friction to create open channels for the flow of unflattering information.”

“….I am an HR Recruiter….I have experienced everything in this discussion and it's frustrating because as a Recruiter, I believe that the H.R. in my title and in my job stands for Human RELATIONS, not Human Resources. But being in the HR department I know for a fact that our employees and especially our Managers feel like HR is against them. Many feel like HR is supposed to be digging up dirt and getting rid of people... it's a tuff job! The worst part is the challenge I face in finding good prospective candidates, getting them to come in, going through the process, and then when I do hire them it's like we do everything we can to get rid of them, instead of onboarding, training and giving them the desire retire form the company. Seems like every time I hire a new employee they are getting nitpicked for their personality, their age, their looks, the way they talk... everything but whether or not they can do the work... this is not only stupid, it also makes me a bit paranoid, which has an adverse effect on my ability to do my job!”

“….Many managers and executives share the same perceptions and where there’s fire, there's smoke. I agree the HR dept. is saddled with bureaucracy and with keeping the company and those very managers out of legal trouble. It is also an area where it is difficult to hire the best leaders so the cycle continues. The same obstacles face the Legal and Compliance teams as well as other support groups. Those these obstacles are material, leadership can make a difference.”

“….Most employees view the HR department as the bad cops that executive management uses to promote and enforce policies and business processes that either hinder or eliminate opposition or new ideas of the individual employee.” 
Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC - CEO
Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

Why Is The HR Department Treated So Badly?

Of late I have seen more lack of appreciation of the HR professionals and the departments they staff, than ever before.  Case in point:

I was recently with one my “C” level clients and got into a discussion of employee retention and using me as a retained recruiter.  The conversation (by him) quickly moved to the HR department and his displeasure.  I almost didn’t believe my ears when he described he Human Resource department as pure overhead expense plus a few other negatives.

Because he and I have successfully done business together several times in the past, I made a conscious decision to put my employee retention hat on and come to the aid of HR folks.  I pointed out to him that most companies (his included) lay the following responsibilities directly onto the HR Director and their staffs’ shoulders: 

Recruiting, Retention, Compliance, Safety, Drug Free Workplace Issues, Benefits, Compensation, Community Events, Disciplinary Counseling, Sexual Harassment Issues, Hostile Work Environment Issues, Job Offers, Terminations, Exit Interviews, New Hire Paperwork, Scheduled Performance Review Paperwork, Handbook Policies And A Confidant To You…..and now you tell me that you view this department as direct overhead line item to your P & L?  Do you really mean that?

I will tell you ladies and gentlemen that after a 2 ½ hour gut wrenching and sometimes professionally heated discussion he said to me; “….You are one of the few people that could get away talking to me like this.  But after listening to you,  I have to admit that I have in all probability misaligned my thinking about our HR staff.  So tell me Mr. Employee Retention Specialist, how to I fix this relationship between  me and the HR team?”  Fortunately the light had come on in his head and we set the healing process in motion.

I tell you this true story because it is played out every day in businesses.  My relationship with the HR department as a retained recruiter and/or retention specialists is one of a business partner not as an adversarial relationship.  Are there bad apples in all industries/job titles?  Of course, but the companies that thrive, seem to willing share respect to all team members beginning at the highest level of management or ownership.  If it is not demonstrated there, it won’t be demonstrated throughout the organizational chart of team players.

I sincerely believe what I’ve told here so much so that I even have an Open Letter To HR Professionals on my website.  The occupation of Human Resource Professional truly ranks in the top five.  Be kind to each other and keep on doing what you do best…..people management.

Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
President/CEO
Client Growth Consultants, Inc.
www.ClientGrowthConsultants.com

Is Employer Loyalty A Trait of the Past?  

Last week I asked if employee loyalty was a trait of the past and I received well over 160 responses.  So this week I decided to share with you a “few” excerpts from those response.
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“….Is corporate loyalty a thing of the past? Works both ways. If companies want loyalty, they need to 'care' about their human resources, not just the bottom line. It seems to me that companies don't care that they are losing their most precious resource. I guess everyone is replaceable. In today's environment companies are willing to get inferior help in the interest of not paying a fair wage for experience.”

“….loyalty is a two way street. I think loyalty can be gained, particularly in a small business, by simple gestures.”

“….companies are not invested in their workers and so the workers will search for the best job, with the best benefits and highest pay, it is what we have come to expect in America today.”

“….Employee loyalty is directly related to and proportional to Company loyalty to their employees.”

“….It goes hand in hand with employer loyalty. In the past, a good employee kept a job for years or life. Employees were assets. Now, CEOs drawing bloated paychecks with obscene benefits packages, view employees as a liability. When employees are "laid off" (fired, let's face it). Stock prices rise and CEOs get huge bonuses. No one today can count on their job this week, month, year or decade. To be hired, you must be under 40, have many degrees (even without real world experience), pass a background check, pass a credit check, and give up all your computer passwords so your every word and thought may be investigated. Employee loyalty?”

“….Sadly, most companies don't do much to earn their employees loyalty. No appreciation is shown and reviews seem to focus on the negative and not the positive. Companies that will remain nameless dump people for the bottom line, while the top executives announce a bonus year and their personal bonuses are in the millions.”

“….If employers recognize high performing employees with perks, awarded compensation and expectations then loyalty becomes the link between the two.”

“….The truth is, at least in my personal case, it's not that I am un-loyal or don't desire to have loyalty to a company...I think I just hold companies to a higher standard of earning that loyalty more than my parents might have. Same desire to be loyal, I am just much more cautious to give it away.”

“….Watching fellow coworkers and friends get laid off to save a percent of a percent at the end of the year has a negative impact on the remaining employees. Workloads are often increased by employers as they reduce staff and the employee has little recourse. So, yes I would say loyalty is at risk when the power is on the employer's side for now.”

FROM GMAN:  Many responses talked about friends and family working at the same company for years and then one day, they were unemployed.  These unemployed people then read about the executives getting a huge raise or bonus.  Just this last week the CEO of Bank of America got a 600% increase, as an example.

Regards,

George F. Mancuso, CPC

President
Client Growth Consultants

Is Employee Loyalty a Trait of the Past?

I have been a retained executive recruiter for over 26 years and have had the opportunity to interview thousands of possible candidates.  There is little doubt in my mind that employee loyalty is at an all time low.
Of late I have been seeing more and more people ready to jump ship and their employers don’t have a clue.  Secretly sending off resumes for immediate review and marking Emails containing resumes as CONFIDENTIAL and DO NOT FORWARD WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE written all over them.  A recent national survey claims that ONE in THREE professionals surveyed, hope to have a new position within the next 12 months.  This statistic if even 50% accurate,  is HUGE!
So why the downturn in loyalty you might ask?

A.      Stress levels are at an all time high

B.      Morale levels are at an all time low

C.      Insensitive and inept managers are in charge

D.      Inclusion of the team as a concept has been thrown by the wayside for penny pinching ideas

E.       Very poor communications

F.       Employees have learned how to give lip service to pacify supervisors/management

G.      Mission and Values that may or may not be stated and/or demonstrated by management

H.      Little utterance of the words, “Thank You”

I.        Lack of respect of one’s supervisor which happens to be an earned assessment

J.        No defined corporate business and social responsibility

What makes all this terrible for profitability, the morale of the company and the well being of the employee/employer health is that it doesn’t have to be this way.  So many times I’ve counseled executives who have an employee departing, I’ve asked, “did you try to save him/her?”  No is usually the answer, they’ve made up their mind so I just wished them well.  But don’t you have time and money invested in that employee I’d ask?  Well yes, but there is nothing I can do is typically the response.

The cost to replace one $9.00 per hour employee is somewhere between $5,000 and $7,500.  The cost to replace one $80,000 salaried employee is about $120,000.  THAT’S MONEY COMES RIGHT OFF THE BOTTOM LINE AND REDUCES YOUR PROFITS ACCORDINGLY.

The time to think about retention is the first day an employee starts.  You must have a plan in place.  Secondly, you must take control of the corporate destiny by treating people as people and realize that we are all individuals.  It matters not the number of employees in your organization, if you are not a good business citizen you will not be respected, rewarded and grow your organization.  If you need assistance, we CAN help!

Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
President
Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

Q; What are the steps for Grooming Successful Mentors?

A:  First off, I’d like to acknowledge that managers need to play a role in driving employee engagement and performance. I would not recommend that you replace manager-employee coaching or try to make up for bad managers with a mentoring program.

Clarify your objectives. An effective mentoring program supplements coaching from managers, and it should be positioned as a way to make the business, not just individual employees, more successful. From there you can add a more specific goal, such as helping new employees get up to speed quickly.

Define your mentor selection criteria. Mentors need to be more than willing. They need to have a coaching attitude and ability. Describe these characteristics in writing—and other traits, such as particular business knowledge or specific skills.

Equip your mentors. Provide tools and training to help mentors fulfill their role. This process goes beyond basic coaching skills to include an emphasis on:

·         Individualized partnerships. “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you” may serve people well most of the time, but it can actually get in the way of successful mentoring. Effective mentors understand their individual mentees’ needs and work with everyone differently. What works great for one person can derail another.

·         Career coaching. Although employees may look to their mentors for career “navigation” advice, our research indicates that few are clear on what’s important to them. Mentors need to help people get behind the core values that create job satisfaction for them. What do they like to do and why? What would enrich their work each day? Only then can mentors help employees create a plan for professional development, career progression or job enrichment.

Reinforce mentoring. To reap the benefits that mentors provide, you need to make mentoring a way of life. Senior leaders must be role models and discuss with employees the impact that mentoring has on business and personal success.

Leaders experience success as mentors through practice. The more they mentor, the more successful their mentoring becomes. A virtuous cycle will then take hold: They believe in mentoring, they’ve seen how it works, and they’re motivated to build their own competence.

And don’t forget to build in accountability, metrics and recognition systems. Without these, mentoring can fall by the wayside as a “nice to do that we don’t have time to do,” instead of remaining a core strategy for building an engaged workforce and thriving business.  Of course if you need help in setting up a mentoring program and/or would like to send your managers to a 2 day seminar that teaches mentoring, leadership and building relationships to improve your company culture, please call or write and I will respond immediately!

Regards,

George F. Mancuso

George F. Mancuso, CPC