HR Departments; does the world need them?

[Alf W]

The world would be a better, happier and more profitable place without HR departments. Thoughts, congregation?

Personnel. Admin function. Should look after no more than holiday lists, sickness records, payroll admin etc. Nothing more. As a rule, shouldn't employ men.

[SuperZ]

Unions and HR departments, no we don`t need them.

Had an experience with a HR department a while ago, quite an interesting story.<evil grin>

[Tarquin Farquhar]

I wish somebody would tell HR departments that. Last contract - entry and exit questionnaires, induction training was completed during the last week of a six month gig, the flexi time wall clock plugin thingie couldn't cope with the hours I worked so weekly sessions with HR sorting out what hours I was owed and so on...

I'm a contractor not a permie, your company and my company have a business to business relationship, what don't you understand about that?

They don't understand anything about that. To them, they are the employer, you are the employee, and it doesn't matter what ypu don't understand about that, you'll be doing it their way.

[SueEllen]

Permies need them, they do actually add some value given the maze of conflicting rules and regs that management have to navigate these days and they are usually quite good at keeping track of who has yet to do their working at heights awareness training (in my case, working at heights means "Rob - get up that ladder and bring down that spare tape drive please"...) and the empty box moving course (aka Manual Handling...).

Really???

In every place I've ever worked some manager always sorted that stuff out as well as doing their proper job. When they left stuff to HR it didn't get done.

[Board Game Geek]

The world would be a better, happier and more profitable place without HR departments. Thoughts, congregation?

No.

No HR departments means a virtual guaranteed reliance on outsourced Rec Cons to provide personnel for companies.

Even worse, they'd model their busines to provide even more services to the host company, and dig their dirty little parasitic bloodsucking tentacles in further.

It's a case of better the devil you know, rather than the host of devils you don't.

[Cliphead]

Contractors don't need them at all.

I wish somebody would tell HR departments that. Last contract - entry and exit questionnaires, induction training was completed during the last week of a six month gig, the flexi time wall clock plugin thingie couldn't cope with the hours I worked so weekly sessions with HR sorting out what hours I was owed and so on...

I'm a contractor not a permie, your company and my company have a business to business relationship, what don't you understand about that?

[malvolio]

Human Remains, last refuge of the incompetent....

Permies need them, they do actually add some value given the maze of conflicting rules and regs that management have to navigate these days and they are usually quite good at keeping track of who has yet to do their working at heights awareness training (in my case, working at heights means "Rob - get up that ladder and bring down that spare tape drive please"...) and the empty box moving course (aka Manual Handling...).

Contractors don't need them at all.

[MrMark]

Sales, Accounts, IT. That's about all you need.

What about the workers!

There does seem to be a divide between those who have a tangible output - whether it be a new reporting screen or new customer, and those intangibles eg HR, comms folk, marketing, admin etc. But all companies end up employing folk in the 2nd group, so they must serve some purpose..

[threaded]

And it would be a more litigious place too. HR prevent expensive legal action from occuring. This is probably their main job.

From my experience I beg to differ. I know of several examples where HR departments, if they knew anything about Danish employment law, could have saved themselves an awful lot of money.

Most seem to be somewhere to park the bosses assorted wives and/or girlfriends.

[suityou01]

Sales, Accounts, IT. That's about all you need.

[minestrone]

I don't have a problem with HR departments, it is the jumped up secretaries that they mostly use for staff.

[swamp]

And it would be a more litigious place too. HR prevent expensive legal action from occuring. This is probably their main job.

[Sysman]

First against the wall come the revolution.

IMO

HTH

[Mich the Tester]

The world would be a better, happier and more profitable place without HR departments. Thoughts, congregation?