Humans as a resource
We have been looking for a ‘HR’ manager so that we can hire a lil easier and get our culture across effectively in places we would like to hire from. Basically since none of us are MBAs and with only a single guy amongst us having worked in a software company where they did have a HR team – we were clueless.
What does an HR do? I mean, sure, we have all heard what they do. They basically are supposed to look after the employees and ensure that their growth needs are taken care of rather effectively. Ofcourse that is apart from the regular hiring, training stuff. We asked around and realized that the HR folks are basically the most hated people around. This definitely needed more investigation.
Turns out most companies and their policies are tuned to do one thing. Treat people as ‘resources’. This got me thinking. Isn’t that wrong ? I mean how can you treat a human being as a resource? Sure, count your buildings, computers, inventories, goods as resources. But it just doesnt make sense to call a human being a resource. With that in mind we did more research and realized that people are generally treated as a ‘resource’. After speaking to a few people I realized that it was not a one off thing. Almost all the corporations which have a human resource team treat humans as resources. Quantifiable resources. Resources that can be trained and made to work and when there is no work, they are counted as an inventory. Something felt woefully inadequate here, because everytime I get to hear companies call themselves experts in the areas of knowledge management and almost all of them end up treating their employees as a disposable resource. From the looks of it HR seems to be a hangover from the industrial era. A time where companies had unions, unrests and people needed to be slotted into specific work because the HR team knew better than the employees themselves.
Sure, thats how businesses works – you might argue. But is that because it hasn’t been given enough thought? Isn’t it the real easy way out? Hire people, fire people, shift people around, act like a mediator, act like you truly care about people when you dont, give people forms to fill everyday when they leave work. If companies really cared about people, I am not sure all of the above would be done with such impugnity wherein people are reduced to mere inconsequential numbers in an appraisal form.
Are we going to fix all of this at Inzane Labs? May be not all – but we are surely going to darned try. How do we start? By looking for a compassionate, ingenious and crazy soul who understands people and business to head our team. Are we going to call him/her a Human Resource manager? I don’t think so. If we have to start fixing others mistakes, we better start right at the bottom and for a change, lets give ‘Human Resources‘ a better name 
How about Human Relations Manager?
People Manager?
Changing a name doesnt make mucha difference! You ask the guys to send their resumes to the say, People Manager, they will be like huh?! Oh, you mean the HR.. Ok!
Employee Relations a la investor relations
Its not just about changing a name. Its about starting somewhere and doing a better job at it
Interesting observation…as the recent HCL campaign says “We treat people as people, not resources
”
1) strict discipline in assigning relevant responsibilities to competant people and enabaling them to achieve that.
2) final judgment/appraisal: leave that to doers/appraisee
point 1 & 2 are applicable to small company with smart and dedicated people only.
otherwise people=resource/inventory is pragmatic and risk-free approach
Remember the chat we had once? Where I told you abt an HR bigshot that I met and how his responsibilities stretched litte beyond spewing out jargon? I dont need to tell you this, but be very careful if u try to hire an ‘HR professional’.
Now to your problem. WHY ON EARTH do you want an HR manager? Wth are you doing pg? Chairing board meetings? Get your arse out there and talk to each and every chap you’re planning to work with. Your venture is new, and everything it becomes would be influenced by the initial bunch. When(if you plan to) you grow in number, you might have to delegate this task, for the junior positions atleast, but not at this stage.
Trust me, we are spending a lot of time ‘talking’ to all the people we intend to hire. Sometimes the ‘talking’ goes on for weeks. There is a serious mismatch in why we need an ‘HR’ and what you think the regular HR folks do
So don’t assume that its a bunch of people who sit here and hope for someone else to do their work. Our collective arses’ are on the line when it comes to hire even one person. So now quit talking like a consultant and get back to studying
I can second PG’d last comment pretty well..
Talking of consultants …. why doncha ask suhas for some ‘advice’ :mg:
i call my HR – He’s redundant.. sumtimes hated r*****.. U can call yours he’s not
very true about all companies treating people as resources.. recently a manager was pointed out in my comp by another senior manager for calling people resources.. not tht i think it matters.. If they believe we are resources no matter what they call us.. we’ll be treated like resources.. Of course i make sure to create enough trouble once in while to have them realize i’m a person not some table piece.
Hope you find your not-so hated or redundant manager soon
ATB
Good thought..how about human capital manager..
Most companies don’t even consider their employees as Resources also …. they just consider them as “costs” !!!
I am happy that U r not looking for a common HR guy to do common HR job but r looking for an uncommon HR guy to do some uncommon HR jobs …. and hence the search for a new Term to replace HR … hey wait a sec …. R U looking for a “Chief Talent Scout” ???
could not have been said better….all the the best mate…google started your way and is now following some thing else(great firewall of china thing !!)….hope you don’t…ever
How about Employee Moderator???
Wow.. thanks for the response people! We’re still looking and looking hard. But apparently people come with loads of professional or educational baggage. The lack of thought I’ve seen in people is mind numbing to say the least. Pray we find someone who can bring back the ‘human’ back into the limelight
apparently people come with loads of professional or educational baggage
Insightful, +1.
Well. I think the main task of the so called ‘HR Head’ is to ensure the development of people in the organization- both professionally and personally. Hence, my take on the name would be Head- People Development or People Development Officer. You can replace People with Human also. But then, it would sound like some UN affiliated organization.
This is where your education and perception comes into play.And also it act as a barrier for HR from being promoted to higher level like LEADER,CEO.
What i mean to say that,if V look @ history of gr8 leaderz they treat people as a family not as a resource.A HR fella who treatz people like resources is definitely a business minded guy.He only looks @ material thingz like money,status, seeing juniorz as a junior.Even if we train him,that fella not going to change(very rare case few ppl wil change) becos of his grown up atmoshere.This is d largest problem every company is afcing.Few company act on it and few ignore it.It is a slow poison,no one knows when it gonna kill company.Even in INDIAS big soft company(i don’t wanna take their name), they proud to say that XXXXX no. of people workin in their company but when i look @ bottom level,I can surely say, few HR fella recruit people by taking money,becos it happens with me.
Thatz Y,i say,our education,perception and values will come into play.Not all HR people fit for HR post:-)
Hubba hubba,
You’re right on that mate. Human Resources my foot. I dont get treated as well my resources do. The machinery in our factory gets a day off on friday (i live in the middle east), gets oiled everyday and is treated like a baby (changing diapers and all that jazz). I once heard one of our plant managers telling a technician who was careless with the crane sling, that the cost of the sling is more than 3 months his salary. Im not even a polyester crane sling. In the Gulf, employee relations are an entirely different thing all together.
IMHO, lets make it Employee Welfare Manager. ‘Human’ sounds so Zorgonian (Dr. Who;-)
Why is the owner-manager’s numberone headache HRM?
This is exactly what I expected to find out after reading the title Humans as a resource. Thanks for informative article
[...] in reading this post. I do not agree with the term HR. You cant treat humans as resources. My be this post will clarify my perspective. I will suggest every person interested in this field should read [...]
Talents Manager
We can call them as “People Fuction” Department