All in a day’s work

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

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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