We've Destroyed HR - Please Help!
What I See
What I See is a series of short essays on what takes place in businesses. Through the engagements of consulting firm Gift of Time, I work in many different types of companies helping to make them more efficient and effective. This series of essays is intended to share observations of common themes and issues facing corporations of all sizes and industries.

We’ve Destroyed HR
Mention the Human Resources department/function to entrepreneurs and executives and too often we get the same type of responses. The comments fall into common themes:
we don’t really need HR, our workforce is great, we don’t have personnel problems,
they are great at handling our new hire paperwork and health insurance,
they are too slow,
I just avoid them.
Not exactly glowing remarks of a department, especially one that (at least by title) is responsible for the resource that so many companies claim to be their number one asset, their people.
What has gone wrong?
HR departments are busy as ever keeping up with Payroll Processing, Health Benefits, Annual Performance Evaluations, Employee Handbooks, Sexual Harassment, Employee Complaints and a variety of other responsibilities. And while focused on all these tasks, companies have allowed HR departments to lose sight of their primary role: To Ensure “A” Players are in the Critical Roles.
Unfortunately, we’ve turned it upside down. We have forgotten that the reason that we hire, pay, offer benefits and retain employees is so that we have top talent performing within the company, not the other way around. Too often, performing all the HR functions is seen as a series of isolated tasks rather than a way to support the talented people in the organization. Look through an HR department and we see roles and titles such as benefits coordinator or payroll specialist. And while these jobs are important, performing tasks without consciousness of the larger role of the HR department leads to the sentiments mentioned above about the overall beliefs regarding Human Resources.
The time has come to course correct.
This is not a time to place any blame, but rather to refocus company’s efforts on the primary role of HR. Create an environment where HR is the driving force to ensure “A” talent is prevalent in the organization. If you have not already done so, revisit some of the basic questions related to your talent.
Is your organization set up to ensure “A” players end up the right jobs?
For each role in the company, do you know what high performance looks like?
Do you know what talents (previous experience, background, training, etc.) are most likely to produce results?
What is your source of talent?
Where do you recruit?
How effective is your interview process?
How do you welcome and train your team members?
How do you evaluate performance?
What reward structure is in place to retain talent?
People are our number one asset is easy to say.And yet in reviewing the activities of our teams, we can be more intentional and focused on recruiting, hiring, training and retaining “A” talent into our companies.Employee handbooks, processing payroll, and offering health benefits are important, but in addition to completing these tasks, we must remember that the primary role of Human Resources is to get “A” players on the team.I challenge you to assess the HR function in your company against this critical role and, if needed, to help get it refocused.
About Jason Stern: Mr. Stern started Gift of Time (www.giftoftime.us) to provide a cherished resource “time” to business owners and executives. By focusing on the critical areas that lead to results, business leaders avoid wasting time and achieve more. His firm Gift of Time (www.giftoftime.us) works with companies and their leaders to become more effective in less time. He can be reached at jstern@giftoftime.us or 949.244.1885.