Dear HR Professionals,
I have observed that it is the responsibility of all professionals to develop a platform for new professionals and emphasize the importance of their profession. However, over the last 5 years, I have noticed a decline in the importance of HR in organizations, especially in the NCR region.
Please think positively and let's discuss what can be done.
Regards,
Dr. Ashish Kumar
From India, New Delhi
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1I have observed that it is the responsibility of all professionals to develop a platform for new professionals and emphasize the importance of their profession. However, over the last 5 years, I have noticed a decline in the importance of HR in organizations, especially in the NCR region.
Please think positively and let's discuss what can be done.
Regards,
Dr. Ashish Kumar
From India, New Delhi
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Hello Dr. Ashish,
It is actually a sad fact that the HR department is always sidelined compared to other departments in most companies.
I do not know the actual reasons about this, but from some discussions that I had whilst in college and during my internship with one of the reputed firms, I happen to trace down a few reasons:
1) HR is observed as a cost center as we are to devise some or other motivational things which may have some expense.
2) Training, Recruiting, Engaging, Payroll, etc., are HR's responsibility and these do have their own cost.
3) The efforts of HR are a soft skill and can't be measured in a factual manner as the finance or marketing department does. They can claim an increase of 10% or 50% in the turnover or sales or profits. How are we to claim we engaged 50% more employees compared to previous year(s)?
In order to change the management's view of HR, it is important to start measuring our work as much as possible. We too will have to speak numbers. We need to be sure that we are doing something to give to the company. We first, ourselves should be confident that yes, our efforts are contributing to the company's vision and mission.
As a result of this, my summer internship project was to study HR Metrics and try to develop it. I wrote about this and got my article on HR Metrics published in IIM-Shillong's magazine. (Here's the link for your kind perusal):
http://iimsushr.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/togethr_january-february-2012.pdf
Scroll down to pg 16 (of PDF which coincides with pg 13 of the booklet).
Apart from this, I would love to hear from seniors about their ideas on making the HR department as respectable as others.
From India, Mumbai
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It is actually a sad fact that the HR department is always sidelined compared to other departments in most companies.
I do not know the actual reasons about this, but from some discussions that I had whilst in college and during my internship with one of the reputed firms, I happen to trace down a few reasons:
1) HR is observed as a cost center as we are to devise some or other motivational things which may have some expense.
2) Training, Recruiting, Engaging, Payroll, etc., are HR's responsibility and these do have their own cost.
3) The efforts of HR are a soft skill and can't be measured in a factual manner as the finance or marketing department does. They can claim an increase of 10% or 50% in the turnover or sales or profits. How are we to claim we engaged 50% more employees compared to previous year(s)?
In order to change the management's view of HR, it is important to start measuring our work as much as possible. We too will have to speak numbers. We need to be sure that we are doing something to give to the company. We first, ourselves should be confident that yes, our efforts are contributing to the company's vision and mission.
As a result of this, my summer internship project was to study HR Metrics and try to develop it. I wrote about this and got my article on HR Metrics published in IIM-Shillong's magazine. (Here's the link for your kind perusal):
http://iimsushr.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/togethr_january-february-2012.pdf
Scroll down to pg 16 (of PDF which coincides with pg 13 of the booklet).
Apart from this, I would love to hear from seniors about their ideas on making the HR department as respectable as others.
From India, Mumbai
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Dear Dr. Ashish,
With 12 years of managerial experience in NCR, I can state that due to various pressures, it is rapidly becoming difficult to walk the talk. Once management is clear on HR as a facilitator, things would be brighter.
Mahesh.
From India, Hyderabad
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With 12 years of managerial experience in NCR, I can state that due to various pressures, it is rapidly becoming difficult to walk the talk. Once management is clear on HR as a facilitator, things would be brighter.
Mahesh.
From India, Hyderabad
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The problem is that many a management does not know the true value of an HR function. They forget that it is all about resources just like other resources that are used to build a product or service; employees are the Human Resources and are just as important as other resources.
HR must be able to make management understand the importance of human resources.
I have seen numerous posts about companies worried about people leaving and joining the competition. Why are they concerned about this?
They do not realize that this is just like capital flight when capital is withdrawn from the stock market or from banks, then the economy suffers.
When employees leave, the company suffers.
The trouble is that managements set up an HR function but do not really know why they have done this and use it as the recruitment wing and for policing employees, which then turns it into a pure cost center. No, it is not; it is an investment in an important resource called EMPLOYEES.
Many managements think training is just an expense; they are wrong. Once again, it is an investment that will bear fruit down the line.
I have noticed that most SMEs and family-owned businesses do not give the importance due to HR since they do not know the exact role of HR.
My suggestion is that the HR function in such organizations should write white papers on how a good HR group functions and how good HR policies are really investments and not just costs.
This is, of course, easier said than done, but the HR group has to stand up and demand its worth as a function that helps build an organization.
I trust all those in this function will wake up and start to showcase the importance of HR more as an investment in Human Resources than just a group who does what it is told and meant only for policing the employees. They have to do all the bad work.
They are the BAD COP whereas management is the GOOD COP.
Best regards and keep your heads high; you are very valuable to those who know your value.
From India, Hyderabad
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HR must be able to make management understand the importance of human resources.
I have seen numerous posts about companies worried about people leaving and joining the competition. Why are they concerned about this?
They do not realize that this is just like capital flight when capital is withdrawn from the stock market or from banks, then the economy suffers.
When employees leave, the company suffers.
The trouble is that managements set up an HR function but do not really know why they have done this and use it as the recruitment wing and for policing employees, which then turns it into a pure cost center. No, it is not; it is an investment in an important resource called EMPLOYEES.
Many managements think training is just an expense; they are wrong. Once again, it is an investment that will bear fruit down the line.
I have noticed that most SMEs and family-owned businesses do not give the importance due to HR since they do not know the exact role of HR.
My suggestion is that the HR function in such organizations should write white papers on how a good HR group functions and how good HR policies are really investments and not just costs.
This is, of course, easier said than done, but the HR group has to stand up and demand its worth as a function that helps build an organization.
I trust all those in this function will wake up and start to showcase the importance of HR more as an investment in Human Resources than just a group who does what it is told and meant only for policing the employees. They have to do all the bad work.
They are the BAD COP whereas management is the GOOD COP.
Best regards and keep your heads high; you are very valuable to those who know your value.
From India, Hyderabad
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Hi,
HR departments in organizations, as mentioned above, are crucial because I believe human resources are a vital and crucial part of an organization. No organization will ever exist without this. The management and the business owners are also well aware of this fact. Then how come we, HR people, still say the importance of HR has gone down over the years in the organization? My view about this is - HR people many times fail to bridge the gap between management and employees on business understanding, purpose, and perspectives, which is the core function of an HR department only. Unfortunately, in most cases, I have observed that HR is found to be more inclined towards the interests of management while lacking a grip over the employees, thus resulting in employee engagement/retention problems. In turn, management suffers on the production/service front, and the blame comes to the HR department.
However, the management of any organization needs HR support in a manner that will support business growth along with its employees in a cost-effective way. In my view, HR people should ensure more focus on trust and faith-building between management and employees, apart from looking into the work profiles of employees/HR administration, rather than worrying about management not giving importance to HR, etc.
Let's have the positive side of people with us, and I'm sure every HR professional will be a successful and equally important part of the organization.
Thanks,
Bijay
From India, Vadodara
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HR departments in organizations, as mentioned above, are crucial because I believe human resources are a vital and crucial part of an organization. No organization will ever exist without this. The management and the business owners are also well aware of this fact. Then how come we, HR people, still say the importance of HR has gone down over the years in the organization? My view about this is - HR people many times fail to bridge the gap between management and employees on business understanding, purpose, and perspectives, which is the core function of an HR department only. Unfortunately, in most cases, I have observed that HR is found to be more inclined towards the interests of management while lacking a grip over the employees, thus resulting in employee engagement/retention problems. In turn, management suffers on the production/service front, and the blame comes to the HR department.
However, the management of any organization needs HR support in a manner that will support business growth along with its employees in a cost-effective way. In my view, HR people should ensure more focus on trust and faith-building between management and employees, apart from looking into the work profiles of employees/HR administration, rather than worrying about management not giving importance to HR, etc.
Let's have the positive side of people with us, and I'm sure every HR professional will be a successful and equally important part of the organization.
Thanks,
Bijay
From India, Vadodara
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Hello Bijay,
A very nice post. I agree with your viewpoints, but not completely as I believe there is always another side to the coin. Often, we fail to flip it to see the other side.
Hi,
HR Departments in organizations are crucial because human resources are a vital part of any organization. No organization can exist without them. Both management and business owners are well aware of this fact. So, how is it that we in HR still perceive a decline in the importance of HR within organizations?
It's not the HR professionals who feel that the value of HR has diminished, but rather the way management treats HR as a whole that leads us to perceive this decline.
1) Companies rarely consider HR perspectives in forming business strategies.
2) We have CEOs, CFOs, COOs... have you heard of a CHRO? Very few have, and it is often overlooked.
3) Have you ever encountered a situation where the Marketing head gets a higher budget for performance incentives, but when the HR head requests funds for training to improve productivity, it's seen as a cost rather than an investment?
4) Many companies are less stringent in selecting HR personnel compared to marketing, finance, and operations roles.
5) Do our management teams not expect HR to deliver quantifiable results like our counterparts in other departments?
6) Have we not faced questions like - "What improvements have your training sessions or employee engagement plans brought?" Sometimes, it feels like these efforts are not recognized and valued.
7) Is it easy to equate human efforts with the capital traded in the market?
In my opinion, HR often fails to bridge the gap between management and employees in terms of business understanding and perspectives, a core function of the HR department. Unfortunately, in many cases, HR tends to lean more towards management interests, neglecting employee engagement and resulting in retention issues, which ultimately affect production or service quality and shift the blame to the HR department.
Management in any organization requires HR support that fosters business growth while supporting employees in a cost-effective manner. HR professionals should focus on building trust between management and employees rather than lamenting the lack of importance given to HR.
Let's embrace the positive aspects of people, and I believe every HR professional can be a successful and essential part of the organization.
Thanks,
Bijay
To reinforce my earlier point, I'd like to share an example. As the sole HR personnel in my current role, I often find myself walking a fine line between management and staff. Despite this challenge, I have developed policies that remain neutral, benefiting both parties and promoting mutual growth.
What should one do when management appreciates and acknowledges efforts but fails to implement ideas? How should HR navigate situations where proposals are well-received but not put into action?
Although my staff acknowledges my efforts, dissatisfaction lingers. The uncertainty lies in our inability to guarantee specific outcomes, not due to lack of confidence in our plans, but rather:
1) Uncertainty about staff reactions
2) Time needed for individuals to become productive post-training
3) Management's patience levels
4) Market trends that could impact the situation
One reason HR struggles to quantify results is the unpredictability inherent in human interactions. While accountants can be certain that 2+2 equals 4, in HR, it's unclear whether 2+2 in training will result in fourfold skill improvement.
I hope this helps clarify the challenges HR professionals face in organizations.
From India, Mumbai
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A very nice post. I agree with your viewpoints, but not completely as I believe there is always another side to the coin. Often, we fail to flip it to see the other side.
Hi,
HR Departments in organizations are crucial because human resources are a vital part of any organization. No organization can exist without them. Both management and business owners are well aware of this fact. So, how is it that we in HR still perceive a decline in the importance of HR within organizations?
It's not the HR professionals who feel that the value of HR has diminished, but rather the way management treats HR as a whole that leads us to perceive this decline.
1) Companies rarely consider HR perspectives in forming business strategies.
2) We have CEOs, CFOs, COOs... have you heard of a CHRO? Very few have, and it is often overlooked.
3) Have you ever encountered a situation where the Marketing head gets a higher budget for performance incentives, but when the HR head requests funds for training to improve productivity, it's seen as a cost rather than an investment?
4) Many companies are less stringent in selecting HR personnel compared to marketing, finance, and operations roles.
5) Do our management teams not expect HR to deliver quantifiable results like our counterparts in other departments?
6) Have we not faced questions like - "What improvements have your training sessions or employee engagement plans brought?" Sometimes, it feels like these efforts are not recognized and valued.
7) Is it easy to equate human efforts with the capital traded in the market?
In my opinion, HR often fails to bridge the gap between management and employees in terms of business understanding and perspectives, a core function of the HR department. Unfortunately, in many cases, HR tends to lean more towards management interests, neglecting employee engagement and resulting in retention issues, which ultimately affect production or service quality and shift the blame to the HR department.
Management in any organization requires HR support that fosters business growth while supporting employees in a cost-effective manner. HR professionals should focus on building trust between management and employees rather than lamenting the lack of importance given to HR.
Let's embrace the positive aspects of people, and I believe every HR professional can be a successful and essential part of the organization.
Thanks,
Bijay
To reinforce my earlier point, I'd like to share an example. As the sole HR personnel in my current role, I often find myself walking a fine line between management and staff. Despite this challenge, I have developed policies that remain neutral, benefiting both parties and promoting mutual growth.
What should one do when management appreciates and acknowledges efforts but fails to implement ideas? How should HR navigate situations where proposals are well-received but not put into action?
Although my staff acknowledges my efforts, dissatisfaction lingers. The uncertainty lies in our inability to guarantee specific outcomes, not due to lack of confidence in our plans, but rather:
1) Uncertainty about staff reactions
2) Time needed for individuals to become productive post-training
3) Management's patience levels
4) Market trends that could impact the situation
One reason HR struggles to quantify results is the unpredictability inherent in human interactions. While accountants can be certain that 2+2 equals 4, in HR, it's unclear whether 2+2 in training will result in fourfold skill improvement.
I hope this helps clarify the challenges HR professionals face in organizations.
From India, Mumbai
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The situation that you have written is true not only for NCR but most other places too. However, it's only the HR professionals that are to be blamed. Most of the time, they don't have any knowledge of the business. They believe that saying goody-goody things (nice-sounding words & management jargon from their HR books) will serve the purpose. But people want to see the results. And it is here that HR fails miserably.
Further, the HR guy is often the most insecure person in the organization. The first thing that any finance or accounts guy does is to get a number of consultants for various jobs. But HR guys would not do that. They feel that if they get consultants, management would question them, "What are you here for?" They go about trying to do everything themselves & fail miserably. That's why they are only seen as cost centers, although finance is more of a cost center than HR.
From India, Mumbai
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Further, the HR guy is often the most insecure person in the organization. The first thing that any finance or accounts guy does is to get a number of consultants for various jobs. But HR guys would not do that. They feel that if they get consultants, management would question them, "What are you here for?" They go about trying to do everything themselves & fail miserably. That's why they are only seen as cost centers, although finance is more of a cost center than HR.
From India, Mumbai
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Hello VMS,
I, as an HR professional, would like to share the blame with every other person higher up in the organization.
Regarding speaking numbers, I have explained very clearly why HR may not focus solely on numbers. Dealing with humans, who are unpredictable beings, makes it challenging to quantify their performance.
For instance, today an employee may give their best effort, but tomorrow, due to unforeseen circumstances like illness, their performance may drop. Unlike machines that can be predictable, humans are complex beings created by a higher power, making their behaviors less certain.
Furthermore, even when HR presents well-thought-out strategies, their effectiveness depends on how receptive the management is to these ideas.
Personally, I have proposed policies aimed at fostering growth and healthy competition within the company, only to face resistance during implementation. Despite management's initial appreciation, they deemed the ideas too idealistic or premature for execution, citing concerns that were not explicitly shared with me.
On a different note, my observations on the appraisal process in our organization reveal potential favoritism towards certain departments, which may impact overall morale and fairness.
There seems to be a prevailing hierarchy in management's perception of departmental importance: Marketing ranks first for revenue generation, followed by Finance for financial management, Operations for sales enablement, and finally, HR.
It is crucial to acknowledge the equal significance of all departments, as any imbalance or neglect can disrupt the overall functioning of the organization. I encourage you to assess the dynamics within your own firm to validate these observations.
Thank you.
From India, Mumbai
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I, as an HR professional, would like to share the blame with every other person higher up in the organization.
Regarding speaking numbers, I have explained very clearly why HR may not focus solely on numbers. Dealing with humans, who are unpredictable beings, makes it challenging to quantify their performance.
For instance, today an employee may give their best effort, but tomorrow, due to unforeseen circumstances like illness, their performance may drop. Unlike machines that can be predictable, humans are complex beings created by a higher power, making their behaviors less certain.
Furthermore, even when HR presents well-thought-out strategies, their effectiveness depends on how receptive the management is to these ideas.
Personally, I have proposed policies aimed at fostering growth and healthy competition within the company, only to face resistance during implementation. Despite management's initial appreciation, they deemed the ideas too idealistic or premature for execution, citing concerns that were not explicitly shared with me.
On a different note, my observations on the appraisal process in our organization reveal potential favoritism towards certain departments, which may impact overall morale and fairness.
There seems to be a prevailing hierarchy in management's perception of departmental importance: Marketing ranks first for revenue generation, followed by Finance for financial management, Operations for sales enablement, and finally, HR.
It is crucial to acknowledge the equal significance of all departments, as any imbalance or neglect can disrupt the overall functioning of the organization. I encourage you to assess the dynamics within your own firm to validate these observations.
Thank you.
From India, Mumbai
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Dear members,
Very true. This situation is everywhere, not only in NCR. Management does believe HR is a cost center. But we have to try from our side to make them believe that HR is not a cost center; rather, it's an investment for furthering the growth of the organization. An HR recruiter can show the numbers of employees hired. HR is a bridge between the employer and the employee. It's a backbone without which the organization can't stand for long. We have to manage both the organization and the employees. We don't have as much liberty as other departments do, but we have capabilities that no other department possesses. Every department has its own importance, and that is what management has to understand.
HR plays a crucial role in organizational and employee growth. We have to maintain a good retention rate, which is one of our key objectives.
From India, Mumbai
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Very true. This situation is everywhere, not only in NCR. Management does believe HR is a cost center. But we have to try from our side to make them believe that HR is not a cost center; rather, it's an investment for furthering the growth of the organization. An HR recruiter can show the numbers of employees hired. HR is a bridge between the employer and the employee. It's a backbone without which the organization can't stand for long. We have to manage both the organization and the employees. We don't have as much liberty as other departments do, but we have capabilities that no other department possesses. Every department has its own importance, and that is what management has to understand.
HR plays a crucial role in organizational and employee growth. We have to maintain a good retention rate, which is one of our key objectives.
From India, Mumbai
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Hi, Ankita,
"Have you ever imagined a situation about an HR leader with such a repute that if he leaves an organization, then all other followers (employees) also walk out and follow him without a second thought."
HR people in the industry are there for people's management. Managing people is not a simple thing; they are not machines, and their performance cannot be set and predicted. That is how today in one of our training sessions we were trying to discuss - How services can be measured or how the service performance can be evaluated? I am of the opinion that HR people are more like the service providers to an organization, and hence they find it difficult to evaluate the services of each of its employees and themselves as well. Accordingly, in most cases, HR fails in convincing the management on these aspects.
Every management or business owner expects and feels happy when they see that employees are working enthusiastically and contributing 100%. HR is expected to bring about and accomplish this expectation of management through his skills - I call this skill - "winning people and giving people their share". Here I strongly feel that for "winning" and "giving", both words are correlated to or attributed towards management by an HR person, and HR expects that management should look out and contribute to winning the people as well as giving their share. No doubt Management will always be ready to give the best share to employees, but management has kept the HR person to win the people on his behalf, and it is the point where many of HR people fail to understand their role and correlate it with the management. This is the only point where the conflict of management and HR begins, and hence the question of faith, loyalty, dedication, contribution, retention, etc., arises. I may be missing certain realities on the ground, but my experience says an HR person is the people leader in an organization, and he is the one who can bring about major changes in the organization by winning the people and thus convince every management that they are Human Resource managers and equally important, rather more important than any other vertical in the industry.
These are my views, and members, please forgive me if I am wrong.
Thanks,
Bijay
From India, Vadodara
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
"Have you ever imagined a situation about an HR leader with such a repute that if he leaves an organization, then all other followers (employees) also walk out and follow him without a second thought."
HR people in the industry are there for people's management. Managing people is not a simple thing; they are not machines, and their performance cannot be set and predicted. That is how today in one of our training sessions we were trying to discuss - How services can be measured or how the service performance can be evaluated? I am of the opinion that HR people are more like the service providers to an organization, and hence they find it difficult to evaluate the services of each of its employees and themselves as well. Accordingly, in most cases, HR fails in convincing the management on these aspects.
Every management or business owner expects and feels happy when they see that employees are working enthusiastically and contributing 100%. HR is expected to bring about and accomplish this expectation of management through his skills - I call this skill - "winning people and giving people their share". Here I strongly feel that for "winning" and "giving", both words are correlated to or attributed towards management by an HR person, and HR expects that management should look out and contribute to winning the people as well as giving their share. No doubt Management will always be ready to give the best share to employees, but management has kept the HR person to win the people on his behalf, and it is the point where many of HR people fail to understand their role and correlate it with the management. This is the only point where the conflict of management and HR begins, and hence the question of faith, loyalty, dedication, contribution, retention, etc., arises. I may be missing certain realities on the ground, but my experience says an HR person is the people leader in an organization, and he is the one who can bring about major changes in the organization by winning the people and thus convince every management that they are Human Resource managers and equally important, rather more important than any other vertical in the industry.
These are my views, and members, please forgive me if I am wrong.
Thanks,
Bijay
From India, Vadodara
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