HR, Trying to Put 2009 Behind Us
- and Make the Most of 2010
by Ron Thomas, HR Hero of the Year, 2008
W
hether it was layoffs, down-
sizings—or “other”—2009
was a year that we hope
we’ll never witness again. Either you
were directly affected, or a spouse, part-
ner or friend was. Human Resources
departments in general took a huge hit
in terms of reputation. As HR profes-
sionals, we had front-row seats to the
mayhem. Our profession has been
impaled to such an extent that it will be
years to get back the respect that we
once had. Everyone has lost trust in us,
from job applicants to our employees to
senior management. And from every-
thing I’ve read, HR has its work cut out
in the years ahead: there will be more
layoffs—some large, some small—and
we see a disengaged and demoralized
workforce. We may encounter problems
that we have never faced before.
We face the challenge on three fronts:
· The senior team: We have to con-
vince senior management that we are
equipped to tackle the upcoming issues.
Why isn’t HR involved as much in cor-
porate strategy as marketing, sales or
finance? I’ve never read articles about
any of these disciplines fighting for a
seat at the table. They are respected,
seen as thought leaders, strategists and
experts. They bring their expertise into
the boardroom. HR has to show its
strategic muscle. We have to demon-
strate how our strategic initiatives are in
sync with company goals and will
impact the bottom line.
· Employees: We must demonstrate to
our employees that we are concerned
about employee engagement. They need
to know that they can depend on us to
guide, protect and nurture them as they
struggle with career and life issues. Your
human resources mission statement
speaks volumes about your level of com-
mitment to the things employees think
are important. Yes, you should have an
HR mission statement.
· Prospective employees. The hiring
process from now on will take place
within the context of the war for talent.
Will the candidates you interview believe
that your company is the best fit for
them? Remember that value is deter-
mined by the receiver. With the advent
of social media—Facebook, Twitter,
Glassdoor,Vault and others—your corpo-
rate reputation is out there for all to see.
Control of the corporate brand is harder
to maintain, but HR can play a strategic
role in tilting things in your favor.
Not long ago I followed a LinkedIn
discussion concerning HR, and when I
last checked, there were an astounding
800 comments, for the most part taking
human resources to task. The topic for
discussion was: “Things that the
recruiter, HR or hiring managers
do/don’t do that tick you off.”
If you have ever built a question-
naire or assessment, you know that this
is a loaded question and will generate
more heat than light. However, as I read
through the comments, I felt that, Yes, a
lot of what was being said was spot on. I
wondered, “What happened? How did
we get into this predicament?” I once
heard Jack Welch say, “HR is what sepa-
rates good companies from great compa-
nies.” So 2010 is a good time to consid-
er, “What is the role and future of HR?
How will we guide our companies
through the upcoming turmoil?” This is
HR’s moment of truth.
Our Work Is Cut Out for Us
But maybe 2010 will be remem-
bered as the year HR got its mojo back.
With all the things that are headed our
way, the world of human resources will
have to adapt to accommodate rapid
and profound change. If we have the
aspiration and ability to capitalize on the
challenges we face, we can catapult
human resources into a vital new strate-
gic role. HR can make a real difference in
THE FIVE O’CLOCK NEWS / APRIL 2010
the strategic
success of the Ron Thomas
organization.
This opportunity was not even available
years ago in most organizations. There
was an article in the Wall Street Journal
that maintained that the most sought-
after people on corporate boards today
are senior-level HR officers. And accord-
ing to Business Week, boards are also
becoming very interested in talent man-
agement and succession planning. The
stars may be aligning in favor of HR.
But we need to rethink what it
means to be HR. There is an avalanche of
issues headed our way:
· Employee engagement
· Workforce planning
· Employee value analysis
· The intersection of social media and
the organization
· Talent management strategy
· Succession planning
· Transition from tactics to strategy
and consultancy
· Transition from management review
to career development review
· Creation of each work environment
as a “best place to work”
Is this a tall order? Yep! But try to
imagine what will happen if we don’t move
human resources to the next level. You
don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure
out what the consequences will be. l
Ron Thomas, an expert in talent and
strategic HR management, is the co-author
of an upcoming book tentatively titled
“Successful New Employee Onboarding
Programs” to be published by McGraw-
Hill this year. He was selected by The Club
to be the HR Hero of the Year in 2008.
Ron’s work has been featured in
Workforce Management Magazine,
Crain’s New York Business, Chief
Learning Officer Magazine,
VentureHacks.com, Entrepreneur.com
and The Wall Street Journal.
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