By the way, this is not just for HR people but also for non-HR managers who understand that human resource management is a line function.

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HR discipline is a closed niche, at least from my perspective. This has both a positive and negative impact. Let’s try to discuss some of the points.

The Good Side

Being highly-specialized, HR is an indispensable factor in every organization. In fact, when companies implement labor-saving device like retrenchments and lay-offs, the last one to go will always be HR people. Most often, they don’t go at all.

The nitty-gritty, or what is sometimes called the “dirty job," will always be HR’s – nobody wants to handle them, definitely not manufacturing or sales. Even to the point of disciplining their own men, departments oftentimes rely on HR to do this for them – which I believe is a practice that belongs to the old school of thought. And the ultimate horror of management function – terminating employees, is always the butter on HR’s bread. No wonder, we’re always the last to go!

These are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, on the importance of the HR function in an organization. What a big tip!

The Bad Side

However, being highly-specialized also brings with it a great disadvantage. In terms of promotions and organizational movements, seldom is HR considered if at all. That’s why we almost always see somebody who joins an organization in the HR department, and retires in the same department 40 years after. Not too bad! I mean, at least one keeps his job over the long haul.

Another point is, we are most often considered as idea-implementers and not idea-generators. We may have spearheaded a company-wide “Employee Suggestion System," without even participating. Why can’t we? Of course – it seems awkward if we give rewards to ourselves (just in case our suggestion gets implemented). Well, some mature organizations have a way out of this trap.

O-I-C

So how do you get out of this cycle (please note I didn’t say “vicious;" if you think it’s a vicious cycle, please read again The Good Side).

By putting yourself into the company’s profit stream. Mind you, it’s not easy. You need to develop some new skills, something that contributes directly to your company’s bottomline. It means investing in yourself – time and effort. Again, it’s not easy. It takes 1,000 hours to learn a new skill; 5,000 hours to master that skill.

Oh my, I’d rather stay in HR (did I hear you say that?). For those who dare to venture, come with me! Let’s get down to specifics.

One very good skill you can learn is making a website. Please don’t shout at me – “IT BELONGS TO IT DEPARTMENT." In todays hi-tech everything, you can’t leave your fate to anybody's hands. You must learn how to do it if you want to survive.

But what are the benefits of learning this skill? Good question. And this is especially true to companies who maximize the use of modern technology. As HR, we have lots of programs – recognition, simple celebrations, current updates, name it you have it all. Wouldn’t it be nice to have at your fingertips the skills to document and show these activities right after the event? Yes, you have IT – who is also very busy with their priorities. You may have your request done, but . . . you know what I mean.

Knowing how to create a website, creating an HR website, and being current and up-to-date in bringing your activities to your constituents is such a great feeling - and an excellent morale booster. Besides, it makes you a valuable player in your organization, too. Believe you me, it’s not easy – but it’s not that difficult either. If you only have enough “why’s," you will suddenly have more than enough “how’s."

"But it's not in my JD." Yes, that's why it's called extra mile.

To get yourself started, I’m giving you access to a user-friendly resource where you will learn the basics – from the perspective of a newbie:

http://leadersladder.org/newbieclub/tund.html

Oh, I forgot to tell you. It’s not just about website building. It’s everything about your pc and the internet. Enjoy!

- Let me know when you've created a new website, I might have a tip or two to improve it!

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Please feel free to email me your comments, reactions, or suggestions so that others may also benefit. It is one way where we can help our fellow HR practitioners grow and improve in this super-complicated field of people-management.

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"Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself."

- William Faulkner

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