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Personnel Today

All in a day’s work

by Personnel Today 27 Mar 2001
by Personnel Today 27 Mar 2001

As
if the department didn’t have enough to keep it occupied, HR’s central role as
"the conscience of an organisation" means it always has to be there
to troubleshoot the extraordinary and mop up the mess when things go wrong…

Here
are some examples of the more human duties performed by HR people in recent
years.

Dealing
with the death of a 20-stone employee found floating naked in a vat of beer


Ray Barnes, head of HR at Partco

Persuading
the wife of an interviewee that it might be better if she had a coffee in
reception than sitting in on her husband’s interview

Mary Cope, European HR director at Eicon Technology

Being
threatened by a meat cleaver-wielding butcher who had been dismissed for gross
misconduct

Bill Hughes, HR controller at CWS

Investigating
hospital staff complaints of late night spooky sounds coming from a nearby
church. (It turned out to be someone practising the bagpipes)
James Farrelly, deputy HR director, South Glasgow University Hospitals

Handling
a request for bereavement leave from an employee whose pet parrot had died
Clare Roberts, HR director at Black & Decker, Spennymore

Avatar
Personnel Today

previous post
Utilities tread delicate path with farmers
next post
HR team rallies behind scene in farming crisis

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Personnel Today
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