In my opinion, the mark of a true geek is signified by a deep interest in something that most people find less than totally enthralling. For instance, my husband can expound for hours upon the history of the Marvel universe and the interconnected characters in it, which I mainly find useful as a late-night cure for insomnia. Fortunately, we have the kind of relationship that allows him to think it's funny when I start to drool on his chest mid-conversation.
By that definition, I am a true HR geek. I find reading about employee engagement best practices as interesting as I do browsing Facebook, and find that a lot of my morning routine involves reading HR-related links on my twitter feed with my morning coffee. I'm sure my hubby finds my comments on these articles every bit as exciting as I find hearing about the connections between Dr. Strange and Peter Parker. Or something. I stopped paying attention.
But when I found myself wanting to write a blog post about the implications of privacy legislation and cameras in the workplace, I did start to wonder how to keep that accessible. I know it would interest me to read it, but I do generally try and keep this blog at least moderately interesting for those whose interest in HR is, shall we say, a little more limited than my own.
I really am passionate about what I do, and I don't apologize for that. Human Resources is one of the most overlooked administrative functions in any business. HR can make or break you, and for many business, it is almost an afterthought. And that particular refrain is almost worn out, you hear it so much in the world of HR, but that doesn't make it any less true- so what can we HR geeks do about that? Well, I doubt I can make some of the things that I find interesting to be that much more interesting for everyone else- but I can practice my craft in a way that puts the focus on strategic HR. I can show senior management why changing our orientation program makes a difference, and I can show them what our turnover rate costs. I can run the numbers that affect the bottom line, and in my experience, that's all it takes to have people sit up and pay attention.
That's what HR professionals need to focus on- generate the buy in by showing the bottom line. I know it isn't always easy to figure out the numbers, but if HR wants to be taken seriously, and doesn't want to be what my CFO referred to as the "soft and fuzzy" side, that's what it takes. You want a seat at the strategy table, you better be able to show you have what it takes to belong there- and that's the way to show it. Be a champion for your cause, paint a big sign on your chest. Be an HR superhero.
