26 March 2018 
Susan Chambers, HR Director
Why HR professionals should be selfish for a change
HR has taken a battering again. It can feel as if criticism comes round as regular as winter snow storms. What’s the point of HR? They are growing in size, act as a hindrance and even have keypads to stop everyone getting in to HR offices. At least that was the thrust of an article published in last week’s Times Higher Education and co-authored by two UK academics. This blog does not set out to respond to the points made. I get the fact that academics who feel stymied from taking action in the way they want, when they want, find that frustrating. But HR professionals wouldn’t be doing their job if they didn’t point out the compliance and reputational risks and a plethora of legislation that regulates the employment relationship. Our advice is not intended to hinder but carefully consider actions that can have significant consequences. It’s time well spent and worth the effort, and will probably save time and money and even more effort later on…
But I digress. This blog is about the impact of such articles on the health and well-being of HR professionals – many of whom are graduates who have been taught by, and owe a great deal, to academics.
One of the consequences of living in a goldfish bowl of close scrutiny is the impact it has on HR professionals’ well-being. So what can we do about it? Here are my suggestions.
I learnt some time ago that, for me, one of the best ways of managing my stress was to get a sense of perspective. Getting that sense of perspective came from making sure I have ‘go to people’ that I trust both in my organisation and outside. Why not consciously set out to do the same? And, yes, those people could include academics. Fellow HR professionals – when you can get hold of them – I found to be the best listeners I’ve come across and as they tend to be solution-focused they could bring the perspective you need. Being mentored by someone either in or out of the HR profession is also a good idea. Not only do other people often have very good ideas that we haven’t thought of, but they can help you to develop your personal resilience. It’s good to realise ‘you are not alone’.
Note that I said – ‘once you can get hold of them’. I have never come across a HR department that doesn’t have a high volume of work – and most of our issues by the way are referrals from staff and managers. It’s a workload that can be demonstrated and despite every effort to work more efficiently, streamlining processes and using data analytics more effectively, there has been an increase in issues that are being raised by both managers and staff on a number of levels. As a consequence, HR professionals are, on a daily basis, one of the most sought-after groups of people in an organisation. In terms of giving advice and support to managers it’s pretty constant - and can be exhausting and at times overwhelming. Which is why it is non-negotiable in my view for HR professionals to ensure they have a positive work–life balance. It’s not as hard as you think it is once you agree that some actions are non–negotiable in terms of your own health and well-being. If you find it a struggle start with the basics and build up.
And the basics I suggest are as follows:-
We strive to do a good job, we are needed, work hard and care about people. We are admired for many skills and our knowledge and solution-focused approach. You are not alone. We don’t in my view shout loud enough about our self-worth and that can be damaging to each of us and our profession. So next time there’s a derogatory article about the HR profession – and there will be a next time – think about putting your side of the argument.
