Why I like working in HR....most days!

HR Colleagues, Please read this post with the love it’s intended in!

I’ve noticed a trend of HR professionals complaining about working in HR, and I can’t help but feel that it adds to some of  the more negative stereotypes that already exist around our glorious profession.  Maybe it’s because of my network, or the content I interact with on LinkedIn, but I don’t see the same negative sentiment from people in sales or healthcare or other professions.

For clarity, yes working in HR can be tough, but I think most people’s jobs can be hard and I’m not sure why we would want to be seen as any better or worse.

For me, I love working in HR, not every day…..some weeks no days, but it’s the career I’ve chosen and, for now at least, intend to stay in. I originally got into HR because I wanted to be like my Dad, Graham White . I never heard him moan about not having seats at tables or having to share too much data. I heard him talk about how he made a difference or how he partnered leaders, and that’s what I wanted to do.  I’ve stayed in HR because I’ve been lucky to work with great people and see how to truly be a partner to the business, I’ve then seen the results and impact of that in my own work.

So, to make this productive, here’s some advice that’s been useful to me over the years and I think could be useful in response to some of the theme’s I’ve seen here on LinkedIn over the last few weeks:

1: Stop waiting to be asked to the table – I hear HR leaders say regularly that they don’t have a seat at the table. I don’t think the metaphorical seat is right just because of who we report to or our title, we need to add value, and not just to the people agenda. One of the greatest compliments I see HR leaders get is when they are asked their opinions on commercial or product decisions, areas not typically within the HR sphere.

2: When/If you get to the table, earn the right to stay there – If your only contribution to the leadership team is to say it’s time for the 6 monthly survey or that the Company will be closed for a Bank Holiday on Friday….why do you think you deserve to be there? Engage leaders in topics that will truly move the business forward . In short, stop talking about appraisals and talk about building high performance cultures.

3: Embrace technology – HR tech can often be seen as the admin side of the business, and if you only buy/promote admin tech then this explains why. If you are sitting thinking that your business “can’t embrace technology”, remember that 1.8 billion households have tv’s, but only 4000 of them are still not in colour! We need to be at the forefront of driving businesses forward with technology . Think of all the areas we touch daily - comms, compliance, culture, operations...there are HR tools out there that can improve all of these, but it's unlikely that anyone else is going to suggest them, so let's push to be better in this area, rather than just waiting for what we get given.

4: Have Impact, don't just be busy -  If we continue to get caught up in the busywork of running processes and answering tickets, we might feel busy, but are we adding value. This doesn’t mean stop talking to people, if anything remove these operational touchpoints and use your time having more valuable conversations.

5: If you've tried all of this and still don't feel valued.....change company - ...this one is pretty self explanatory. I fully appreciate that some companys/leaders maybe don't want to change, so if you've given it your best shot and still feel undervalued, I really encourage you to take your efforts and ideas elsewhere!

So to my HR colleagues, I have the utmost respect for you all, but let’s help each other out. A leader once told me that he would stop treating HR like an admin function when they stopped acting like one, and that has stuck with me. Showing up on Linkedin complaining about how hard life in HR may be true, but it's not moving us forward, and that's what really matters.