Why does everybody hate HR?

I don’t think everyone hates HR, but if you’ve been paying attention to the recent conversation, there are people who are advocating an HR overhaul, promoting a blow up of HR, or politely requesting that we rethink HR.

It’s so top of mind that “Why we love to hate HR” was the topic for a recent #nextchat — the weekly Twitter chat hosted by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM).

When it comes down to it, the HR department and the people working in HR, are in a difficult position. They have to walk a difficult line between helping employees and helping the business. In an ideal world, the employees drive the business and the business, in turn, supports the employees. But that’s not always the case and HR gets caught in the middle.

At the core of its function, HR is about the human resources in the business…everything they do impacts people. And humans are, well, human; and addressing the behavior of those humans encompasses much of what HR does — rewarding the good, monitoring the bad, and removing the ugly. HR is present in every division of the business and in every employee’s experience. As such, HR is bound to be loved, and hated. It’s like a child’s relationship with his or her parents — one day the kid loves you and the next she thinks you’re “the worst”.
What does this mean for you as someone who markets to HR?

For starters, you need to understand that HR holds a difficult, ever-changing position in the organization. It might be difficult for them to get leadership support for their ideas. It might be difficult for them to demonstrate their results. It might be difficult for them to obtain project funding. With these challenges in mind, be prepared to help HR by providing answers to these questions:

• How will your offering create an opportunity to drive the business forward?
• How does your solution positively impact employee engagement?
• How will your solution make it easier for HR staff to do their jobs?

Partner with your HR colleagues so that they can deliver results and advance their position in the organization. And hopefully, if you do your job well, HR will choose to bring you along for the ride.