Diary of a People Professional - Pt. 1
I didn’t start this blog with the intention of it being a diary, but I’m finding more and more that there’s a lot of things in my head that I want to share.
One of the things I wish I had the space and time to fully flesh out is the occurrence of bullying in the workplace. First of all, far too many organizations do not have bullying specifically identified as inappropriate behavior in handbooks or codes of conduct. Secondly, even if they do, they do not use a clear, well-crafted definition of bullying and/or use confusing, unhelpful examples (e.g. discounting or interrupting someone repeatedly during video meetings). And finally, what can constitute bullying has been such a part of accepted work culture in America, that often times complaints are ignored and/or treated as trivial. One of these days, we’ll explore this together, dig in specifically to what this might look like in hybrid and fully remote work environments, and I’ll share some heartbreaking stories I’ve encountered over the years.
Another thing floating around my brain is the god-awful phrase, “hitting the ground running.” This phrase is often used to refer to how organizations would like a new hire to enter the organization. Every time I hear it, it makes my teeth itch. In the first place, the saying itself originates from military terminology (i.e. soldiers who are dropped into combat zones by aircraft). We equity alphabet practitioners (i.e. DEIA, DBIE, JEDI, REDI, etc.) have all tried to move our organizations and clients away from violent language, and yet somehow this persists. Secondly, it ignores the very practical fact that those soldiers already have the mission-specific training necessary and know exactly what to do when they “hit the ground.” A new hire, on the other hand, has none or very little of that. And finally, and the worst part of it for me, the organization or team receiving the incoming new hire has already set up a scapegoat if the new hire doesn’t perform well. It doesn’t require them to acknowledge that – 9 ¾ times out of 10 – the real culprit if someone just “doesn’t work out” is poor or nonexistent onboarding. This is something we’ll probably need to flesh out over a few entries and needs to go into the “parking lot” for now.
What all of this does make me think of – and now want to write about – is what Human Resources is for. What is its purpose? Traditionally, Human Resources is seen as housing compliance for the organization and triage for the staff, basically an organization’s version of law enforcement and fire patrol wrapped into one. At small non-profits, the HR unit is often a department of one (or two) and those individuals must be actual or budding experts in all things HR (i.e. benefits, performance management, employee engagement, culture, training & development, compensation, labor and wage law, etc.). They must exude empathy and fairness, be perceived as cool-headed and reasonable, and sometimes actively act as coaches, therapists, and/or referees. My new BFFs* Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin at The Ready argue that this might be why HR has such a poor reputation. We’re seen as babysitters who can calm the crying child, but not strategists who can equip you with a routine to calm the child yourself, impart tricks and tips for picky eaters, and provide tools for navigating the Terrible Twos and Trying Threes ahead. And if you are an HR professional who also happens to a member of the global majority or come from a historically oppressed or marginalized community, there are additional hurdles which we’ll dig into another day. But HR is – and should be – so much more.
If you are an HR practitioner looking for assistance in getting your leaders or organization to utilize you to your full potential or a Leader looking to understand the ways that HR can reach beyond firefighting, drop a comment below, fill out a contact form, or schedule a free consultation.
* They don’t yet know that I’m their new BFF, but they will…
