People

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Maybe you did not plan on it…maybe you did. But you have ended up in one of the toughest jobs around.

As a Human Resource Person, you are expected to wear many hats. You are working with moods, tempers, expectations and misunderstandings. You are dealing with personalities…human beings. You are expected to cope with their headaches, hormones and personal hang-ups. It can be a rough and tumble job and at the same time, a very rewarding one.

Let me illustrate the rough and rewarding nature of HR. For example, if someone were to ask me to go back in time and pick the one person who left an indelible mark in your psyche, who would it be? I would have to say, her name was Sarah and she was the Human Resource Manager for a very large International Corporation. It was always my opinion that Sarah was the glue that held the company together.

Sarah's door was always open to all employees. She was always willing to listen and to offer a guiding hand whenever needed. Seems like every time I ventured past her office there was always someone there seeking advice, assistance or moral support.

I remember asking her once, "how do you do it, how do you cope with the workload and the people load?" With her usual beaming smile she answered, "I enjoy helping people that is why I chose Human Resources". I never forgot those words.

A few years later, Sarah was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis but insisted on continuing the job she so enjoyed. She never made it public knowledge as she felt it would impede her relationship with her fellow employees. She refused to let anything get in the way of her doing her job.

I watched her amble down that long corridor from the front entrance to her office each day, stopping every now and then to rest and exchange a word or two. I could see the pain in her eyes as she struggled and often wondered how she did it…but she always did, with that luminous smile of hers.

Sarah was my first mentor. She taught me the true meaning of Human Resources and set me on a path that truly changed my life.

The 'Sarahs' of Human Resources are rapidly becoming rare. Not because there is a lack of truly caring people out there but because of the overload of paperwork and repetitive tasks.

I truly believe that companies should spend more money on finding and securing H.R. systems that greatly reduce repetitive paperwork thereby freeing up their H.R. staff to do what they do best - manage people.

Would it not be great if we could put the Human back in Human Resource.

David Baird coined it best when he said: “Dare to take an enlightened view - it demands more but the rewards are greater.”

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