The Manager - Edition 95 - What is the job of HR?
THE MANAGER - BY ROB LAMBERT
Hi,
Hope you are safe and well.
It's pretty busy here at Lambert HQ. The kids are soon on school holidays, but with lockdown still in place it will be interesting times for sure. Things are slowly opening up here in the UK so we may be able to get out and do some things, but it will be, for many parents, a challenge.
I've been busy on the YouTube channel with a new video about training being about shifting behaviours - you can watch it here. I'm still working on a few books also, which I hope to have released in the next month!
This week I've also being musing about the role of HR and why so many managers, leaders and employees believe HR are their friend......
What is the real role of HR?
It's important to know that the real role of HR, their fundamental job, is to keep the business out of trouble.
They aren't primarily your friends, "here for the people", or the team responsible for employee engagement.
They exist to stop the business getting into trouble. They exist to ensure the laws of the land are upheld. They exist to ensure legal and compliant recruitment and employee management is in place. They exist to ensure that people are treated in alignment to the law.
They aren't the people team. No amount of branding and name changing alters the fact that HR is primarily about protecting the business.
Why does this matter to managers?
Well, if HR work for the business, then so do managers. Managers are responsible for upholding those same laws and regulations. Managers are an extension of HR. They hire, fire, retain, promote and work with people. They therefore also too, work for the organisation.
And this is where I see so many managers failing.
They believe they work for the people. They battle new initiatives designed to protect the business.
They don't do due diligence when dealing with low performance (feedback, tough conversations, performance plans, coaching plans, detailed notes of low performance).
They don't spend time getting to know their HR team or the laws of the land. They expect HR to bend and shift their processes for the good of the people.
If you've read my work long enough you know I am all about the people - they are the engine of a company's success. But a manager also works for the business.
If you're a manager you work for the business, not your people.
That new process you don't like.....support it and roll it out.
That new law that means you have to do something different.....support it and roll it out.
If we approach HR knowing these two things, then we'll have a successful chance at building good relationships and supporting the business, and hopefully - also ensuring HR stay away from our people.
HR work for the company and their job is keep the business out of trouble.
Managers work for the company and their job is to get business results AND keep the business out of trouble.
HR are not your friends in a sense that they represent the people - they don't, they represent the business.
A good HR team will support its managers and it will provide high value HR initiatives. A good manager will re-enforce those policies and initiatives and work to get business results with their people.
But at the end of the day, both roles represent the business. Both roles are there to stop the business failing, going to court and breaking employment laws.
An effective way to succeed as a manager is to find out what the business needs you to deliver, build great relationships with HR and then do the hard work of achieving business results, whilst creating an environment where good employees thrive.
Be under no illusion though, when the business needs to take drastic action such as downsizing, redundancies, office closures, mergers or dealing with legal issues and claims - you will find HR at the centre of this (protecting the business) - and managers will be an extension of this (working for the business).
So today, go and build good relationships with HR, but know that they exist primarily to keep the business out of trouble. That way you won't be surprised when, by extension, they ask you to protect the business too.
Until next time.
Rob..
FOOD FOR YOUR MANAGEMENT BRAIN
1. The team over at manager-tools.com have a special discount for licenses and some great resources on managing during Covid-19. What? You're not subscribed to their podcast......... - https://www.manager-tools.com/we-answer-your-questions-how-be-better-manager-and-have-more-successful-career
2. Facebook are in trouble. Could the boycott of the advertising platform seriously damage the company? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-53281875
3. MOM. I share Jim Kwik's method in my comms workshop. Motivation, Observation, Methods. MOM. It's a brilliant way to boost your memory - https://www.inc.com/emily-canal/jim-kwik-tips-improving-memory.html
4. Product Managers can go from Zero to Hero in 90 days - https://postlight.com/insights/product-management-zero-to-hero-in-90-days
5. Should this meeting be an email? Probably. https://doist.com/blog/meeting-vs-email/
6. Stop the annual pizza and beer. Well, don't stop it, but add more natural opportunities for your people to mingle. https://thriveglobal.com/stories/create-regular-opportunities-for-your-team-to-bond-as-regular-people-with-penny-bauder-kat-vellos/
7. Do you have a Chief Behavioural Officer? I knew one company that did and it was a disaster - I suspect they had the wrong person. Every interview became 90% personality behaviour and assessment tests and 10% was manager driven. And here's the kicker - even when the manager said "NO" but the candidate passed the test - they got hired. The test was all that matters - only it didn't. Some very poor quality people made it in to the teams - and even worse - the managers who said "NO" to candidates then had to work with them!!!!! https://www.marketingsociety.com/the-library/chief-behavioural-officer-its-new-%E2%80%98must-have%E2%80%99-role
8. Internal communication, journeys and people tagging along - https://cipr.co.uk/CIPR/Network/Groups_/Inside_content/Blogs_/Focus_on_the%20_ourney.aspx?mc_cid=194517e3c8&mc_eid=b63b24b0f3
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Thanks
Rob..