The HR Profession

Listening to HR’s Critics
Rather than relishing a seat at the table, HR must transform from top to bottom and learn to act solely as a business-impact function.

HR’s New Opportunity: Removing Barriers to Productivity
Identifying and removing roadblocks to productivity produces real results immediately. And it makes HR look proactive.

The Data Sleuth
Peter Fasolo has made it his business to dig into turnover statistics and satisfaction surveys to discover why top performers leave. Hint: Money isn’t everything.

Capturing the State of Human Resources in an Annual Report
Human resources annual reports can reveal trends, illuminate plans for the future and be used for persuasive purposes with line managers. But they are far from universal.

Jac Fitz-enz, Metrics Maverick
In 1978–in this publication–Jac Fitz-enz proposed a radical, anti-establishment idea. Human resources activities and their impact on the bottom line could–and should–be measured. The reaction was apathy, disagreement and disbelief. Now, after arguing the importance of measurement and accountability for three decades, Fitz-enz is acknowledged as the father of workforce management metrics, and the accolades bring a pleasant satisfaction.

Strategic Human Resources Actions
Being strategic is sort of like the weather–everybody talks about it, but nobody does anything about it. Here, San Francisco State University professor John Sullivan gives some examples of actions that he says have proven to be strategic.

The Right Kind of Human Resources Talent
For too long, says the University of Connecticut’s Dennis Lee, the human resources function has settled for less than optimal candidates. He suggests new selection criteria for hiring the talent necessary to build a strategic human resources function.

Human Resources’ Goals Work Best When They’re Tied to Company Success
People talk about aligning corporate, departmental and employee goals, but not many actually do it. There are companies, however, that have concrete methods to manage and measure the performance that makes lofty goals a reality.

Seven Steps Before Strategy
In the rush to get a seat at the corporate table, some HR professionals skip the basics. That ruins HR’s credibility and holds it back. Here’s what you must do before you can strategize.

The Changing HR Profession
Academics, HR consultants and executives at major outsourcing firms describe a future in which the growth of outsourcing, advances in information technology and bottom-line pressures may lead to the demise of the traditional HR generalist.

The 30 Highest-paid HR Leaders Their Stock Is Rising
With increased regulation placing greater demands on workforce executives, companies are showing their appreciation through richer compensation that often includes valuable awards of restricted shares.

Your Wonderful, Terrible HR Life
There’s almost nothing you haven’t handled: the twice-fired employee, fashion tips for transvestites, and a confrontation with the snake woman.

A Stress Survival Guide for HR Professionals
Survival strategies for dealing with crises; ever-changing technologies; multiple roles, privacy requirements, and more.

Commentary: Human Resource Management–At the Table, or Under It?
In order for the HR function to maximize its impact on the organization, HR-related issues and HR executives need to be “at the table.” The question is whether HR has “made it” yet: Is HR at the table, or under it? If it’s under the table, is it holding up the table, or hiding?

Jobs Disappear When Work Becomes More Important
It’s becoming more and more apparent that traditional job descriptions are too rigid for today’s evolving workplace. HR must reinvent employment structure as work roles become less defined.