| Are you surprised when, either as an employee or as | | | | for you) or condescension (you're doing them a |
| a candidate for employment you are not treated | | | | favor) |
| with courtesy and respect by Human Resources? | | | | - Communicating with candidates only as it suits you, |
| Have you ever been the victim of poor | | | | without consideration of how your actions affect |
| communications, inadequate and / or careless | | | | others |
| responses to your queries, or even the reaction by | | | | - Treating the core value of personal ethics as a |
| HR personnel that you're bothering busy and | | | | moving target, subject to periodic (and varying) |
| important people? | | | | degrees of interpretation |
| Isn't it sad that we are no longer surprised when | | | | - Failure to treat employees with the respect due to |
| receiving such treatment by those whose role it is to | | | | fellow team members; forgetting that the |
| represent us to senior management? Those who | | | | organization is composed of "we", not "you vs. me" |
| should be looking out for our interests? The ones | | | | Likely you have your own examples. |
| who should be speaking up on our behalf? | | | | Often have I heard it said that being a professional, |
| The missing element is the professional experience | | | | aside from having letters after your name, means |
| we had expected to receive. | | | | that you profess to stand for something. If you |
| Maybe we expect too much. What does the word | | | | don't, or only do so when it's convenient, then all the |
| "professional" mean to you? It conjures up something | | | | certifications and official paper "suitable for framing" |
| above the ordinary, right? Perhaps you think of | | | | won't truly describe who and what you are. |
| someone a cut above, someone whom you expect | | | | So why do HR professionals treat us this way? Likely |
| more from - because of either credentials or | | | | it's a combination of internal and external pressures: |
| supposed experience and responsibilities. But what | | | | - Reduced staff levels force us to do more with less |
| makes a professional? Is it something that anyone | | | | - Lack of management training leaves us ill-prepared |
| can claim? | | | | to deal with myriad number and diversity of |
| To me the word stands for being a notch above, | | | | employee problems |
| providing a higher standard of performance, a higher | | | | - There are bad apples in every bushel: |
| level of knowledge and experience, a higher level of | | | | - Those who put ambition ahead of ethics and fair |
| ethics. This is the "go-to" guy when you're in trouble | | | | treatment |
| and need help. The professional is someone to put | | | | - Those who curry favor with their boss, at any cost |
| your faith in. It is someone to help get you out of a | | | | - Those who use HR only as a career stepping stone |
| jam. | | | | can be suspect, though not always part of the |
| So, how do you feel when someone you have | | | | problem |
| elevated to that rank, or has claimed that | | | | The impact of this "treatment" problem can be |
| designation, misrepresents themselves by not acting | | | | serious and far-reaching; lower employee morale, |
| in a professional manner? | | | | disengaged workers (occupying the chair, but there's |
| Makes you mad, doesn't it? If you are in a customer | | | | no one home), higher turnover of key talent and high |
| situation, it may well convince you never to return. | | | | performers, company reputation suffering via word |
| You might never do business with "them" again, as | | | | of mouth, etc. Each of these symptoms, left |
| they have broken your trust. | | | | uncorrected can result in negative financial implications |
| In Human Resources the term "Professional" is a | | | | for the company. |
| designation that is easy to claim, yet for some rather | | | | What can be done? I have no call to action, no |
| difficult to maintain. And once lost, that aura of | | | | rallying cry for HR professionals to wake up |
| "better than thou" is difficult to recoup. For example, | | | | tomorrow renewed and reinvigorated. There is no |
| being suddenly anointed as a "manager" conveys to | | | | "diet pill" guaranteed to change behavior with a glass |
| the outside world that you must be a "professional" - | | | | of water. |
| yet the knowledge and experience that brought you | | | | But I do ask each of us to look in the mirror |
| this far won't be enough to maintain that veneer, | | | | tomorrow morning and ask if we can identify those |
| unless you start to *act* like a professional. | | | | core values that we do stand for, and whether we |
| So why are many so-called HR professionals | | | | have been walking our own degree of talk. |
| perceived as acting as anything but? Some examples: | | | | If you don't like what you see, you can change it. |
| - Failure to respond to known colleagues who have | | | | You can start by dealing with others as you would |
| reached out to you via phone or eMail | | | | like others to deal with you. It's as simple as that. |
| - Ignoring resumes / job candidates that you have | | | | The employees in your organization deserve better. |
| solicited | | | | They deserve a professionalism that comes from the |
| -Treating employees with either rudeness (no time | | | | heart as well as the head. |