Ah the dreaded question: What does HR actually do? Well here’s Becky to explain!
By Becky Mee
When people find out I work in HR, their automatic assumptions generally tend to fall into the following categories….
Some assume I love people, want to help them, am the office mother and constantly have a packet of tissues in my pocket ready to stem the flood of tears that I will be helping resolve. Oh, and possibly a balloon animal modelling kit in my bag ready to entertain various small children who may have been brought into my office as part of someone’s ‘keeping in touch day’. Fluffy.
Others assume I am the Grim Reaper incarnate, cold and dispassionate, here to be management’s hatchet woman, delivering difficult messages on behalf of others and leaving a trail of P45s in my wake. We have no voice of our own and are there to keep the machine working, not there for the little man. Evil.
Others assume the minute I’m involved they lose all control and have to hand management of their team over to me. I am a metaphorical pair of handcuffs that prevent them from doing what they want with their team, hiding behind ‘process’, ‘admin’ and ‘the law’. Disempowering.
The reality, like any good superhero, is in the middle plus some. We’re misunderstood.
HR done well, does all kinds of stuff. But what exactly is that stuff? Let me explain…
So, if you were wondering what HR actually do, I hope you’ve now got a better idea!
P.S. – the balloon modelling kits also come in very handy with MDs, not just children…
Leeds based HR180 is a team of superheroes in HR Outsourcing, Projects and Consultancy committed to work in partnership with organisations of all sizes to establish working policies to go above and beyond Employment Law requirements, to protect both employees and employers alike. We love to hear from you, so call us on 0113 287 8150 or hit the Rescue Me button.
You can filter through our news using the tags below, just select one and off you go!
We’ll fly to your aid for any HR reason (and some non HR ones!)