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5 Complaints About HR and How to Overcome Them

As HR professionals, we’ve all heard the usual complaints about human resources. We’re also aware that most employees would rather undergo a root canal than deal with us. Why the animosity? Is it possible that some of the accusations, though harsh, may have merit? In the spirit of honest self-reflection, HRGuru examines the most commonly voiced complaints about HR and our effectiveness (or occasional lack thereof). After all, if we know what our clients are thinking and saying, we’ve got a good chance of overcoming their objections, and maybe changing our own behavior for the better in the process.

Complaint No. 1. HR people do not understand the business

This may be the most widespread, and most accurate, complaint against HR.

1. Emphasize business learning in your regular curriculum: If it’s not the right time to get an MBA, take a business course at your local college. Make sure you are familiar with the basics of business strategies, marketing, and finance. (Test: Do you know what COGS is? Case in point).

2. Pay attention to the business strategy and objectives in staff meetings: Too many HR people think of their jobs as distinct from those of their clients, instead of thinking of a collective set of tasks targeting the same goal. A good first step to behavioral change: pay attention in staff meetings, ask questions about business decisions being made, and try to customize your deliverables to meet the new objectives. For example, if you are rolling out a bonus stock program to the organization, tailor your guidelines for managers, enabling them to reward the key players based on recent changes in the product strategy.

3. Build business into HR training. If you have responsibility (or even input) for training within the HR department, push to include business training. Schedule seminars with both internal and external leaders, where they’ll explain the business works.

Next page: HR people care more about the process than the outcome

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