Human Resources Defined: The Architect of Work

I continually talk to clients and fellow HR professionals bout how we
need to change our perspective on this industry we have chosen. We
can’t expect to walk a different path when we try to push this is what
we do on our organizations This week we received one of the best blogs
on this read we have seen recently from the HR Bartender. Today’s post
is that blog post in its entirety

Human Resources Defined: The Architect of Work

Posted: 03 Jun 2012 03:20 AM PDT

Human
resources is a tough profession to define. Whenever people ask me what I
do and I say “human resources”, their first response is … oh, you hire
people. Which is true, human resources often has responsibility in the
recruitment arena. But it’s certainly not the sum and substance of the
role. By far.

But then, when I try to explain what HR does,
it becomes this long list of things – benefits, compensation, safety,
employee relations, etc. etc. People’s eyes begin to glaze over…

So when I have to describe what HR does, I like to say – HR is the architect of work.

Think about it. What does an architect do?
They’re responsible for creating functional, safe, aesthetically
pleasing, economical structures. And they get their job done by not only
designing but communicating their design to clients, builders, and
others.

Human resources professionals are responsible for creating work that:

§ People will want to apply for

§ Pays a wage and benefits package companies can afford

§ Offers fulfillment to employees

§ Meets a need within the organization

And
just like some buildings change over time well, work changes too. HR is
responsible for taking a holistic approach to work and making sure any
changes align with the goals of the organization. It reminds me of the
funny story about someone I worked with years ago:

He and his wife
would go out to dinner every night. And one night they sketched out
their dream home on a bar napkin. They took the bar napkin to an
architect and said, “This is our dream home, draw us a blue print.” The
architect looked at the napkin and asked, “Can I make one suggestion?
Put a kitchen in it.”

So years later, they built their dream home
and, taking the architect’s suggestion, included a kitchen. They also
put a sign at the kitchen entry that said “This kitchen is for resale purposes only.” Ha!

So, there you go. The role of human resources is to be the architect of work. To create worthwhile jobs that people want to fulfill the company’s goals and objectives.

Reprinted from HR Bartender, a friendly place to discuss workplace issues, with permission from Sharlyn Lauby, SPHR, CPLP.

Daniel Bloom & Associates, Inc. assists organization’s with the creation of empowered change strategies which are customer centric, organizationally aligned and quality based in your organization.

Website: https://dbaiconsulting.com

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