HR is taking hits again. Remember Why We Hate HR? In case you missed it, this was the FastCompany article published in August of 2005 that indicted HR by stating they should add value to the business through talent acquisition, talent management and talent development. The article found that according to many business leaders HR was falling short in adding this value and was more focused on administration, policy development and implementation then the mission critical people strategies necessary to fuel the business. Not surprisingly the article sent business leaders cheering "I told you so" and demanding more from HR while HR leaders and professionals scurried into defensive positions and led to a sharply pointed HR finger right back at business leaders. Despite all the buzz the article generated in the HR community, along with the inflated view that this article was the harbinger of change in HR, it appears nothing has really changed.
The evidence comes in the latest study by Veritude entitled Working Together, Working Apart which comes on the heels of a spring study by Deloitte entitled "Aligned at the Top", which found that senior business leaders "perceive HR to be more focused on transactional activities...and HR operating efficiencies rather than high-level strategic people issues". I was all set to offer a summary and commentary on the Veritude study when I read John Hallon over at Workforce Blogs summarizing both the Veritude and Deloitte study very well in his blog post Survey Says: HR Still Doesn't Get It.
As many know, I have been a harsh critic of HR in the not so distant past. Not because I dislike the profession or feel they are inept but because I believe HR was given an opportunity to effect, change and drive business unlike any other time in the history of the profession as a result of the heightened level of discussion and I believe HR is sqauandering the opportunity.
This is most notable for me in the area of Talent Acquisition. So many of the companies and clients I meet with still do not have a written and defined talent acquisition strategy or have established meaningful and productive recruiting tactics to execute a strategy. Noticeably lacking in many of these organizations are meaningful sound business like metrics to measure the productivity, quality and performance of talent acquisition and virtually all of the recruiting teams I come into contact with are still process, requisition, resume and job board driven. Adding to talent acquisition challenges in most organizations is an inability to hire the right recruiting talent and train them properly to get the results necessary to succeed in todays war for talent.
The discussion about HR's role was at an all time high as a result of the FastCompany article. Business leaders and HR had an opportunity to spend some of the capital gained from this attention and convert it into real world results and proof of real strategic vision and presence in the form of an HR profession that added real business value. The Deloitte and Veritude studies show that the opportunity is being squandered.
It's not all on HR though. Business leaders also must accept some of the blame for not expecting more from HR and giving them proper resources, technology and business training to succeed, holding them accountable and then making tough but necessary changes if the current HR team does not produce results.
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