Conversations with my son....
Small Boy: Mummy, I want to be a scientist!
Me: Are you going to come and work for mummy's company and make (product)?
Small Boy: Why?
Me: Because thats what the scientists do there.....
Small Boy: Do you make (product)?
Me: No, I look after all the people who make the (product)
Small Boy: Well, that's not much of a job!
What can I say?!
So I'm coming to the debate about the CIPD's new 'Think HR' campaign a little later than some, perhaps a little earlier than others.
The HRD's view ('Think Stink' - My hell Is Other People) at first made me howl with laughter (I'd been having a pretty bad day, so anything that lightened the day was a bonus). Rick at Flipchart Fairy Tales weighed in with a defence of the CIPD.
And so the debate goes on.
For what it's worth, here's my view. A good PR campaign? No, lets face it, it isn't. It's laughable. Obviously put together by a marketing team and/or agency that have no real knowledge of HR, and that comes through in the campaign. I think some of their pre-conceptions about HR have snuck their way in - did any of them think of actually asking some real HR people what they do (other than going to meetings - as the HRD points out)? Or how best to represent themselves? Or what bits of the job would be most worth profiling in order to attract people to the profession?
But over all I think it's another symptom of most of the HR profession's seeming need to prove their worth. As many others have said before (this is by no means an original thought), HR as a community seems both insecure and obsessed with introspective analysis and paranoia concerning 'how we're adding value', 'are we adding value?', 'how do we demonstrate we add value?', 'we are worth it, honest'.
Why can't we just drop the self obsessed introspection and do a good job, guided and supported by a professional body that knows what a good job is and how to get there? If we just focussed on that and got on with it, we wouldn't have to prove our worth.
And as for the 'hash tags' controversy, well, that just says it all doesn't it? The CIPD clearly aren't grown up enough to take criticism from the very community they are supposed to represent.
So I've come to the conclusion that I'm overworked and underpaid (haven't we all?!). No seriously. When I took the job I was managing my 3 units & basically doing local stuff. Then I started leading divisional project work stuff. And now I'm leading company wide project work stuff. And I'm still managing to fit in my day job (pat on the back to self.)
I know, I should have said something when it happened. But that's just it - it just sort of happened. Mostly because I keep volunteering (doh!).
Conversations with the man-at-the-top usually result in a 'well done', and a vague non-commitant expression of intent to do something. What? I don't know.
So I ask myself - do I actually want to step back again? No not really. I'm enjoying the way the role has developed. I've developed too, and learnt a lot. But in my humble opinion, I'm now outperforming my original job description and salary. And now I want both the recognition and financial reward.
But, now here's the rub, I know the budget. I know there's no money. If I, as HR person, were having this conversation with the man-at-the-top about someone else I might be saying something along the lines of "but we don't need someone that experienced and qualified to do that job, so why would we pay for one?"
So maybe I've just outgrown my role. There's not a lot of progression opportunity here, so for the moment it's stay in the role I've got or move on.
Off to have (another) conversation with the man-at-the-top. Only this time it's about my future rather than my pay. Wish me luck.........
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