While standing in line to pick up my badge for Globoforce’s Workhuman 2018, I turned to the women behind me to introduce myself.
The conversation started casually enough. I asked where they had traveled from, and it turns out they were local like me. I asked if this was their first time attending, to which they said yes. As the conversation continued (the line was really long) I had an opportunity to explain my philosophy on HR:
I believe HR is in a unique position because the decisions it makes directly affect everyone at the company. Additionally, HR has touchpoints with employees throughout their tenure — from when they first consider applying to the day they leave. No one else in an organization has that level of access or opportunity to connect with employees on such a large scale. These two beliefs are the foundation of why I feel HR is the heart of any organization.
After I delivered my 60-second spiel on why I choose to work with HR and its importance to companies, one of the two women responded, “But HR works for the company.”
She may as well have punched me in the stomach.
Her response is exactly why 2,500 (mostly HR) people attended a conference on what it means to “work human.”
Her response is the reason employees hate Human Resource departments. It’s the reason my father-in-law has an unfavorable opinion of HR and doesn’t really understand why I choose to work with HR teams.
And I get it. I spend my days making HR more relatable. More human. More engaging. More thoughtful about the employee experience. That’s because most HR teams are great at evaluating policies. They can do succession or comp planning with the best of them. They are skilled at identifying learning and development programs to support employees’ careers or evaluating health insurance plans to make sure they’re offering sustainable, relevant solutions for both the business and its employees.
In many cases, HR is fantastic at checking the boxes.
What it’s not fantastic at is thinking about the employee experience.
Any business is only as good as its people. And its people are more than their outputs. They’re more than their performance reviews. They’re more than their job titles. Their work lives inevitably bleed into their home lives, and vice versa. Compartmentalization is limited.
HR needs a workhuman conference because it needs to remember there are people on the other end of the decisions they make. That’s what working human is about. It’s about respecting this truth. It’s not just about instituting a recognition program for the sake of saying, “We have a recognition program,” but also taking the time and effort to consider why the company is implementing the program, what its goals are for the program, and how people learn about and experience the recognition program.
I like to use this analogy:
I decide I want to host a party so I pick a date and time and then send out invitations. Technically, I could be done after that step. Assuming people show up, I am in fact hosting a party. I checked that box. But if my efforts end after sending invitations, it’s going to be a terrible party. In order to have a good party I need to follow through and consider my guests. I need to think about what food will be served because some of my guests are vegetarians and only serving crudité is weak. While I drink beer, many people don’t so what beverages will I offer? Then there’s the party playlist. And lighting. And I also need to make sure there’s enough toilet paper in the bathroom so my guests feel comfortable in my home.
It’s not enough to say, “I’m hosting a party.” If I want the party to be successful, I need to think about the guest (end-user) experience from the moment they learn about the party to the moment they leave.
There’s a need for a workhuman conference because too many HR teams stop after sending the invitation.
The best employers — the best HR teams —don’t just check the boxes. They recognize the need to support the whole employee. They are also highly aware that there are people on the receiving end of the decisions they make and the programs and policies they implement. They take the time to think about the user (employee) experience. And finally, they look for ways to set both the company and its employees up for success.