Do I Look Like a Dinosaur to You?

I am going to take you back to the 1st grade and one of my favorite books, Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct.

Everyone in town knows Edwina. She is the dinosaur who plays with the kids. She is the dinosaur who helps little old ladies cross the street. And best of all, she bakes yummy chocolate-chip cookies. Everyone loves Edwina except for Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie. Reginald knows dinosaurs are extinct and is ready to prove it. 

Edwina knew that, in the eyes of others, she was extinct. And here is the cool thing about Edwina . . .she just didn't care. So what you ask? Ok, here's the HR connection.

I don't bake yummy chocolate chip cookies and I am not loved by everyone. However, like Edwina, there are Reginald Van Hoobie-Doobies out there predicting my demise. Well, not my demise but HR's demise. And like Edwina, I really don't care. Ok, I care about the future of my profession but I don't care about the prediction.

From HR Gumbo, the Big Bend Society for Human Resource Management, 

"This is an exciting time to be a human resource professional.  Whether positive or negative, there is a huge spotlight on our profession, forcing our leaders to ensure all the 'ducks are in a row' so to speak.  From monumental changes in employment law to health care reform, HR pros are on a first name basis with the business community."

No doubt about it, HR is in the sea of change. The sea of change is pretty rough these days and not for the faint of heart. What is an HR professional to do?

EVOLVE.

You've heard the conversations and the predictions. When that little voice in your head says, "What the heck do they know?" "Sounds great for you but that's not happening in my organization - ever" "Don't tell me how to do my job" or some version of the same theme, quiet it down. Tuck away the fear. Listen. Consider. Try it out. Challenge, question, research and counter. Do something. And don't do it alone. Bring others with you. Share.  

Is HR dying? asks Laurie Ruettimann, Punk Rock HR. HR is not dead yet responds Mike Vandervort, The Human Racehorses Blog. Read the posts, read the comments (all of them!) and add your voice to the mix.

Together, let's show the Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobies of the world just how evolutionary HR can be and maybe, just maybe, they'll be making chocolate chip cookies for us.

While you are thinking evolution, think about joining me at HRevolution where we can continue the conversation.

News From Behind the Firewall

"What new and exciting things are you doing with your colleagues?" asked HR Maven, the host of the upcoming HR Carnival.

As an HR staff providing services to over 1300 employees, we are busy. And we are bogged down by administrativia. I could channel Tinkerbell and tell you our lights are dimming but that would be a bit melodramatic, wouldn't it?

My battle cry in 2007 was "Ban the No. 2" and we've covered some ground since then. 

You have to know, we have a firewall made of steel. There are many sites, tools and apps that we don't have access to (woe is me) but there are many that we do. We are making a conscious decision to be the first to fully leverage the technology available to us to make a difference in terms of reduced administrative work and increased efficiency, consistency and service. And, our IT/ADPAC staff has been right there working with us to do so.

So, here we are in Munchkin Land heading over the rainbow and Microsoft Share Point is our yellow brick road of choice. Change, I am learning, is a continuous conversation that evolves one step at a time. Our first step is our internal vacancy announcement process.  

Before September 1, 2009, we prepared vacancy announcements with "cut and paste" technology, made over 150 copies and distributed across the medical center while simultaneously sending a message out to employees on our internal email system. So, the vacancy announcements, which were not always consistent in terms of format and content, were located in one place, while the application forms and the position descriptions were in others.

After September 1st, we now prepare vacancy announcements from a Word template complete with drop down menus to provide consistency in terms of format and content. No more copies as we send a short e-mail message with a link to the HR Share Point page where the vacancy announcement is available. Within the vacancy announcement is a link to the position description and the application form is available right below the announcement. Employees now have all they need to apply for a position at their fingertips. 

We are building our Share Point site to be the one-stop shop for employee communications and resources and will use it to the fullest, while we develop a business case for access to sites, tools, and apps. I am not going for a we-want-it-because-every-one-has-it case, but one based on identifying the tool, site or application necessary to meet a specified human resource service delivery goal.

Pretty cool, huh? Do you want to know what the coolest thing is? I'm not doing it alone. I provided the initial direction and turned it over to staff members with the energy, excitement and ability to make it work - and they did.

Now be sure to check out the HR Carnival to meet other bloggers and see what new and exciting things they are doing with their colleagues and staff.