But more needs to be done to raise HR’s image
The vast majority of HR practitioners are proud to work in the profession, according to the latest Pulse Survey.
The survey of 1,288 Canadian HR Reporter readers and members of the Human Resources Professionals Association found 59.9 per cent strongly agree and 31.4 per cent agree with the statement “I am proud to be in HR.” Only 2.3 per cent of respondents disagree.
“We can make a difference in terms of how organizations operate, how productive they are, the success of the organizations, by putting the right people in the right place at the right time,” said Eric Cousineau, an HR professional in Toronto with 35 years’ experience.
Unfortunately, not everyone in an organization sees the value of HR and the contribution talent management makes to the bottom line, he said.
“All talent is not created equal. You can always get a body but you can’t necessarily get the right people.”
Pro bono work for HR
Slightly more than one-half of respondents (54.1 per cent) think the HR profession would benefit from initiatives that encourage professionals to donate their services to the poor and disadvantaged, in the same way the legal profession encourages lawyers to do pro bono work.
“There are a lot of not-for-profit organizations (that) really can’t afford to have a full-time HR professional. (For an HR professional) to sit on their board or to do pro bono work is an asset for these organizations,” said Cousineau.
HR associations “have a certain obligation to educate the members on giving back to the profession,” said Denise Redgers, a director of HR at a Toronto-based organization.
But volunteering should never become a mandatory part of the profession, she said.
“HR professionals will only give what they want to give. You can’t force people and there’s no point in making people do it,” she said.
Associations should focus on providing information about volunteer opportunities and helping make connections between interested professionals and organizations seeking help, said Redgers.
Organizations that help new Canadians would especially benefit from the skills HR professionals bring to the table, said Heather Orr-Francis, an HR administrative assistant in Hamilton.
“As HR professionals, we could probably volunteer our time to go into these types of organizations, help people write their resumés, navigate different professional bodies, find out what the job market is like,” she said.
Redgers goes one step further and mentors immigrants before and after they come to Canada to help them adapt to the Canadian culture.
“I’m facilitating the process while they’re abroad so that when they come to Canada, they are already a step ahead instead of getting here and having a huge culture shock,” she said.
Boosting HR’s public profile
The HR profession could do a better job of making the public aware of the contributions practitioners make within their organization or to society as a whole, according to survey respondents. One-half (50.2 per cent) don’t think the profession has done a good enough job of informing the public of its positive contribution to society and 90.3 per cent think the profession should manage its image in a more proactive way.
An important part of managing HR’s image is to raise awareness of the profession among students, said Cristina Leyden, an HR assistant in Toronto.
“When I was in high school, there wasn’t a lot said about HR,” she said.
That awareness building also needs to go beyond the schools, said Redgers.
“What we need to do is educate people in society about the varying components and parts about what the HR functions are. We don’t just hire and fire,” she said.
These functions include health and safety, payroll, benefits, performance management, wellness programs and managing short-term disability, she said.
“All of these programs and initiatives, traditionally, are run out of HR and so many people just don’t realize it. The communication is instrumental in making sure these programs are a success,” said Redgers.
HR can make the biggest impact in an organization by stepping up and getting a spot at the senior management table, said Orr-Francis
“We have to ensure that we are at the strategic table so we can stand up for those who are in the organization, so that organizations become people driven,” she said.
Having that seat at the table will also give HR the ability to have an impact on society at large because HR can then guide organizational policies around volunteering and corporate social responsibility, said Cousineau.
“If you have an HR professional who is able to get past the personnel into really human resources strategy, then you can make those kinds of things happen,” he said.
