HR - Why Have It?

Your wish is answered - Human Resources is gone.

Heaven, right? Operations is free to do what they need to do. No more wasting time talking to "personnel", trying to determine how to hire someone. We know what we are doing. HR is nothing but a group of non-revenue generating, party-planners who like to tell us what they think is right.

Hold on . . .

I am the first to self-criticize, but great news for my HR colleagues - businesses need us.

Think about the primary goals of business - increasing and protecting revenue, managing expenses, increasing productivity. HR plays a major role in all of these.

Increasing and protecting revenue has its roots in HR strategy. Businesses cannot increase revenue without the right talent; HR is responsible for attracting and securing such talent. So long as the HR team clearly partners with operations and understands what people need to flourish and succeed, they provide key value to sustaining and protecting revenue growth.

So how does HR contribute to managing expenses? They are a department of cost! First of all, there is generally no greater cost than labor. HR is in a position to understand and help manage that cost. Operators should be able to lean on HR for guidance on state/local work rules, OT requirements, legal liabilities, salary benchmarking.

HR may not be filled with "numbers people," but they can understand labor impact on the bottom-line and partner with operators to control that impact. They can protect operators from themselves, ensuring that operators are deferring to laws and good management practices so as to avoid the courts and costly turnover.

Productivity leads to increased revenue. Here, too, solid HR contributes mightily. HR teams in sync with operations can support the business as they manage employees and motivate them to perform. Let's face it, operators are not always the best at motivating their subordinates. HR can teach them how to do so, or drive that motivation concurrently. Is this merely party-planning? No. HR can motivate and contribute to productivity by ensuring proper and frequent feedback, ensure proper compensation packages, teach/drive culture and recognition.

Note a repeated point - HR must partner with operations. HR can do so much. So long as HR understands the business and partners with operators in every aspect of people management, they bring more than value. They bring business sustainability and success.

So, to all you HR "haters" out there - there is a reason to have HR. And to so many operators I have worked with over the years, we are here to help you, and you need us!