Not Just Another Human Resources Story: Why HR is vital to organizations of all sizes.

• Author: Curry, Lynne
• Position: Corporate 100

Which of the following do you believe?

[check] You can't trust anyone in HR: they'll get you talking, look sympathetic, but then turn everything you say over to management.

[check] HR is a luxury we don't need because we need all our budget resources to pay the employees who produce,

[check] HR = a partnership for managers, employees, and organizations.

[check] HR = lots of talk + little action.

Thirty-nine years ago I leapt off a cliff, creating a business that offered Alaskan employers and employees "growth"--in profits, productivity, success, and employee and career satisfaction. The last thing I wanted to do was become an HR "type." I didn't like paperwork. And then I found out what HR can be and do for Alaska businesses and employees.

How HR Shoots Itself in the Foot

In many organizations HR has minimal impact. Supervisors don't let the human resources deparment know about problem employees until they're ready to terminate them, when HR intervention earlier might have made a difference. Senior managers rarely invite HR to the table to discuss strategy. A significant number of employees avoid HR, distrusting what might happen if they air their grievances. Some HR professionals contribute to this problem by falsely promising and then breaking employee confidentiality; it only takes one betrayal for the "don't trust them" word to spread. They fail to balance organizational interests with employee advocacy, when HR needs to serve both groups. They act as if HR certifications trump real-world experience and talk over supervisors and employees who leave conversations with HR thinking, "You don't get it."

The HR We Need in Alaska

True HR, or what we need in Alaska, is real-world. True HR focuses on what organizations need in terms of its people and how HR can help employers achieve success--making the right hiring decisions, helping managers motivate and retain productive employees, and fairly removing the wrong employees before they destroy the morale of others. Here's what HR can do to alleviate these issues.

HR professionals can vet applicants by creating recruitment ads that draw the most qualified candidates, assess them against organizational needs, and conduct reference and background checks to spot potential problems. HR can create the skills-training programs needed to keep managers and employers working at the highest levels and can teach managers and supervisors how to best motivate, appraise, and retain employees. While employees...