It’s Time to Hire a Different Kind of HR Leader
By: Our Guest Michael Lyam
Are human resources your friend or your foe? As much as we’d like to think that human resources represent themselves to be an adviser for management and alike but other people see it as the company’s assassin.
Picture the scenario. You’re asked to treat employees with suspicion and devoid of dignity, being at a top-level position, you simply won’t be able to do it. One of the many reasons why HR leaders quit their high-paying jobs.
It is a common experience to face such a crisis of value in a large organization where companies end up driving candidates away rather than empowering them. This causes a huge loss to the company both financially and culturally.
If what we do not know the real definition of HR anymore? It is about time we change this concept. Many of the latest HR topics are about how the role of HR has changed. They all reflect the changes that have taken place in employee behavior, motivators, new workforce, and organizational needs.
Breaking the curse of Frankenstein in HR
The human resources management has been in constant growth – from traditional practices to implementation of technology. However, the true purpose of an HR is towards employee retention and managing talent which has been overshadowed by responsibilities that include recruitment, on boarding, and managing employee payroll.
As the role of an HR has become insight driven, the impact of traditional human resources practices restricts people in the HR field becoming employee advocates and leaders. But most people end up taking up traditional roles which mostly includes planning trips and appreciation parties. At Ochsner Health System, it was a rule for every employee to pass a smile and make eye contact with their subordinates at a 10-ft. distance, which is obnoxious. Such rules are absurd for the company’s growth. Nonetheless, is followed because leaders in such organizations fear getting sued. Actual lawsuits are not common these days, but HR leaders are now turning to lawyers who are helping them enforce irrational policies that may cause costly to the organization, such as giving them the authority to hire, fire or deal with employee-related issues.
Most often leaders in human resources management are viewed as an unavoidable cost to help protect the company. However, if HR is done right it can foster a positive culture that can save a huge loss to the organization.
Are you in the HR leader list?
It is for you to decide.
Let’s do some plaster on the Frankenstein and bake a new cake. Here’s a list of human resources skills that will foster the future human resources models.
- Generate new HR job profiles
Most employers today are in a hunt for people who are not just great with handling compliance, staffing, benefits, and employee retention but people who can add value to the organization. To fall under the HR leader list one must possess the following traits – employee relations, onboarding, performance management, project management, technological aptitude, and thinking strategically.
- Do you feel disengaged? Use hiring simulations
While doing simulations with candidates it is imperative that you see how the candidate react to a scenario. Good simulations can work wonders – helps reveal the ability of how well the candidate can work among teams, whether they reciprocate well when there is a conflict and how well they can handle the situation.
- Interview candidates for personal attributes
Interviewing the right candidate is a challenging task. People with good listening skills, strategic thinkers and conceptual thinkers are always the best fit. Hiring for a high performing C-suite leader? Then you might need to look for professionals who can turn the tables radically.
Radical times call for radical changes – It is indeed time to hire a new kind of HR.
