As HR practitioner, are you a Cost-Center or Profit- Center? How do you contribute to the bottomline results of your oganization? By the way, this is not just for HR people but also for non-HR managers who understand that human resource management is a line function. ------------------ HR discipline is a closed niche, at least from my perspective. This has both a positive and negative impact. Lets try to discuss some of the points. The Good Side Being highly-specialized, HR is an indispensable factor in every organization. In fact, when companies implement labor-saving device like retrenchments and lay-offs, the last one to go will always be HR people. Most often, they dont go at all. The nitty-gritty, or what is sometimes called the dirty job, will always be HRs nobody wants to handle them, definitely not manufacturing or sales. Even to the point of disciplining their own men, departments oftentimes rely on HR to do this for them which I believe is a practice that belongs to the old school of thought. And the ultimate horror of management function terminating employees, is always the butter on HRs bread. No wonder, were always the last to go! These are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, on the importance of the HR function in an organization. What a big tip! The Bad Side However, being highly-specialized also brings with it a great disadvantage. In terms of promotions and organizational movements, seldom is HR considered if at all. Thats why we almost always see somebody who joins an organization in the HR department, and retires in the same department 40 years after. Not too bad! I mean, at least one keeps his job over the long haul. Another point is, we are most often considered as idea-implementers and not idea-generators. We may have spearheaded a company-wide Employee Suggestion System, without even participating. Why cant we? Of course it seems awkward if we give rewards to ourselves (just in case our suggestion gets implemented). Well, some mature organizations have a way out of this trap. O-I-C So how do you get out of this cycle (please note I didnt say vicious; if you think its a vicious cycle, please read again The Good Side). By putting yourself into the companys profit stream. Mind you, its not easy. You need to develop some new skills, something that contributes directly to your companys bottomline. It means investing in yourself time and effort. Again, its not easy. It takes 1,000 hours to learn a new skill; 5,000 hours to master that skill. Oh my, Id rather stay in HR (did I hear you say that?). For those who dare to venture, come with me! Lets get down to specifics. One very good skill you can learn is making a website. Please dont shout at me IT BELONGS TO IT DEPARTMENT. In todays hi-tech everything, you cant leave your fate to anybody's hands. You must learn how to do it if you want to survive. But what are the benefits of learning this skill? Good question. And this is especially true to companies who maximize the use of modern technology. As HR, we have lots of programs recognition, simple celebrations, current updates, name it you have it all. Wouldnt it be nice to have at your fingertips the skills to document and show these activities right after the event? Yes, you have IT who is also very busy with their priorities. You may have your request done, but . . . you know what I mean. Knowing how to create a website, creating an HR website, and being current and up-to-date in bringing your activities to your constituents is such a great feeling - and an excellent morale booster. Besides, it makes you a valuable player in your organization, too. Believe you me, its not easy but its not that difficult either. If you only have enough whys, you will suddenly have more than enough hows. "But it's not in my JD." Yes, that's why it's called extra mile. To get yourself started, Im giving you access to a user-friendly resource where you will learn the basics from the perspective of a newbie: http://leadersladder.org/newbieclub/tund.html Oh, I forgot to tell you. Its not just about website building. Its everything about your pc and the internet. Enjoy! - Let me know when you've created a new website, I might have a tip or two to improve it! ------------------ Please feel free to email me your comments, reactions, or suggestions so that others may also benefit. It is one way where we can help our fellow HR practitioners grow and improve in this super-complicated field of people-management. ------------------ "Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." - William Faulkner ------------------------------------------ THE REVOLUTIONARY NEWBIE CLUB LEARNING SYSTEM will totally transform the way you use your PC and the Internet. The Website is different. The Free Tutorials are different. And your way of life will be different from the moment you enter this remarkable site. Get over NOW and watch the magic happen. It's at http://www.newbieclub.com/?leaders_ladder ------------------------------------------ |
