Human Resources - the lowest form of human life ?

Shiraz 4.99

Luckily I haven't worked for a multi-national in over 10 years but when I was there constantly at odds with whatever automaton worked in human resources.

Shirt not ironed, tie not straight, no tie or no shirt was their full contribution to the productivity of the company.
Being 5 minutes late caused a feeding frenzy amongst the HR pool who couldn't wait to admonish you in public, especially if you were on their naughty list.
Luckily I worked my way up in the design R & D part of the company to a point where we granted freedom over our hours, dress code & budgets so it cut our dealings with HR down to virtually zero.

I escaped that working environment but I see my wife currently having to suffer daily at their whims.
It's berating your staff over petty things which drives moral down where you wonder if the company would be better served without a HR dept.
In my wife's case she's just biding her time before jumping ship, a company she loved, a job she loved made completely redundant cause of one over officious department.

I realise someone has to do head office's bidding, I just wish their typical employee understood human emotion & had empathy for individual cases.
Now girls, pick up the slack cause Mary's out on stress leave, don't park in the spaces near the entrance cause they're for execs, didn't you wear that tired outfit yesterday, if I could see your shoes needed a shine under the partition then everyone could, where's the doctors cert for the half-day you took off, your mug shouldn't be kept at your desk now should it . . . .

Would anyone else be in favour of putting them all on an Island then nuking the thing from orbit or is it just me ?

anncoates

You got officially reprimanded for creating retarded hate threads during work hours.

Get over it.

Shiraz 4.99

anncoates wrote: »

You got officially reprimanded for creating retarded hate threads during work hours.

Get over it.

Oh . . . you're one of those . . . oh dear

Wabbit Ears

In the 20 years or so Ive been working in dozens of different places Ive never once heard or seen Human Resource people doing what you describe. Sure Ive seen bad supervisors and managers but Human resources? Nah, Theyre the guys that do the hiring and firing and policys and stuff, not the guys that directly interact with the day to day staff issues.

iDave

In my experience busy bodies that interfere in things that's none of their business.

tigger123

Never had a problem with a HR department, and really don't get why some people hate them so much?

Generally super polite people that give you a job.

Sugar Free

Wabbit Ears wrote: »

In the 20 years or so Ive been working in dozens of different places Ive never once heard or seen Human Resource people doing what you describe. Sure Ive seen bad supervisors and managers but Human resources? Nah, Theyre the guys that do the hiring and firing and policys and stuff, not the guys that directly interact with the day to day staff issues.

Have to agree.

OP it sounds like you both just worked for really sh*t companies. I hope your wife can find a place with a better atmosphere.

The Moldy Gowl

Maybe you were just acting the gowl?

That all sounds made up and if ye are told how to dress and have to be told to iron yer shirts ye must have been a disgrace. I'm not even 25 and I know that's how you need to act and dress accordingly and professionally.

In saying that, I wore a hoody that has a ketchup stain on it and there is a hole in my converse, casual Friday.

Sonics2k

tigger123 wrote: »

Never had a problem with a HR department, and really don't get why some people hate them so much?

Generally super polite people that give you a job.

And monitor the posts you make at work, right? :pac:

One eyed Jack

Worked for an MNC for ten years, HR people were absolutely fantastic, and anyone I've dealt with since who works in HR in the various companies I work with has been brilliant.

I've only ever heard arrogant people who thought they deserved special treatment complain about people who work in HR though.

MonkeyTennis

Ive never been in a company where HR got involved in the day to day

seamus

Never once experienced someone from HR getting involved in anything like your OP suggests.

HR leave all that petty stuff to the line management in my experience and only get involved where there's a disciplinary or performance problem.

Sounds like you've got some kind of axe to grind and you're making stuff up to satisfy it.

Timberrrrrrrr

anncoates wrote: »

You got officially reprimanded for creating retarded hate threads during work hours.

Get over it.

Not cool dude


Not cool

:mad:

The Moldy Gowl

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

Not cool dude


Not cool

:mad:

It's a word? Nothing wrong with it. Stop looking to be offended.

TheBeardedLady

I've never had to deal with HR personally but I teach in a lot of companies and they're always the most over-stressed staff. One of my lovely students has been off work since September as she had a nervous breakdown and she's only in her early 30s like me. She got into arguments daily with people on issues that were out of her hands and it finally got to her. 2 sides to every story; I doubt they're out to get you. Any job dealing with people, particularly employees, will always cause issues.

Timberrrrrrrr

Gowlasauras Rex wrote: »

It's a word? Nothing wrong with it. Stop looking to be offended.

So is Ni**er, C**n, C**t and spa**tic but you wouldn't use any of those in a conversation would you?

MayoAreMagic

Your shoes need shining?

No way did someone tell you this!



Go get your shine box...

anncoates

Shiraz 4.99 wrote: »

Oh . . . you're one of those . . . oh dear

Nope.

Maybe it's just the places I've worked but the HR people have always been decent and helpful and that's from start-up type companies to a very large one.

These frequent, general diatribes against them just raise the suspicion that the complainers have fallen afoul of HR in some way - and looking at the tone of the threads would seem to suggest why.

anncoates

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

So is Ni**er, C**n, C**t and spa**tic but you wouldn't use any of those in a conversation would you?

Depends on the conversation.

YFlyer

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

So is Ni**er, C**n, C**t and spa**tic but you wouldn't use any of those in a conversation would you?

You would use the word handicap.

Timberrrrrrrr

YFlyer wrote: »

You would use the word handicap.

No i wouldn't i would use the word disabled.

darced

This post has been deleted.

valoren

It seems like when the HR department actually need to do their jobs, such as when someone reports bullying behaviour or report sensitive personal issues outside of work that they are appallingly lacking in the ability to do their actual job.

You've just had an experience with a jobsworth OP, everyone experiences it at some point.

The Moldy Gowl

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

So is Ni**er, C**n, C**t and spa**tic but you wouldn't use any of those in a conversation would you?

Context. Why do you care?

Timberrrrrrrr

Gowlasauras Rex wrote: »

Context. Why do you care?

Because it as offensive term that should be binned along with the other examples i gave.

The Moldy Gowl

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

Because it as offensive term that should be binned along with the other examples i gave.

Why is it offensive? What's the c**n one?

Should we ban gowl as well? That's an offensive word?

These are just words people use to describe things becuase they lack the vocab to express it more eloquently. I find no offense in it

I was briefly reminded of one or two episodes which I was about to share here of jobs I used to work in where the HR department didn't exactly act in the best interests of the company employees. On re-reading the opening post however I don't think I could possibly "improve" on those examples.

Christ almighty OP, reprimanded publicly for not straightening your tie? Seriously? Are you sure you're not posting from Nazi Germany? I'd give Joe Duffy a bell if I were you, or even the Daily Mail. Tell 'em it's EU regulations or something, they'd love that sort of thing. Otherwise try and find a job with a non North Korean business.

YFlyer

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

No i wouldn't i would use the word disabled.

Even for a staggered race?


Race as in sporting event.

Timberrrrrrrr

Gowlasauras Rex wrote: »

Why is it offensive? What's the c**n one?

Should we ban gowl as well? That's an offensive word?

These are just words people use to describe things becuase they lack the vocab to express it more eloquently. I find no offense in it

When"gowl" is used to describe a subset of society who suffer from mental and physical disabilities then yes i would ask for that to be binned too. Are you honestly claiming that the word retard used in the context is was used is ok in this day and age.

o1s1n

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

Because it as offensive term that should be binned along with the other examples i gave.

I guess we better stop saying 'fire retardant' too.

You do realize the word has another uses, yes? You can 'retard something'. As in, to slow, delay or impede. It's not always linked to the disabled.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/retard

Don't let me get in the way of your righteous indignation though.

Penny Tration

In the job I started 2 weeks ago, we have no HR dept. Just the owner, and myself and some other staff. The owner loves us, so we're just left to do whatever we want really.

RoboRat

I used to work in where the HR department didn't exactly act in the best interests of the company employees

They act in the best interests of the company, sometimes that may be with the employees and sometimes against.

I have never had any major issues with HR, generally they are there to mediate issues and not enforce, that is left to the management. I have dealt with such issues as you have stated OP but it was management who were dictating that I shave my smig and close my top button and HR were the ones who said that was unreasonable.

anncoates

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

Because it as offensive term that should be binned along with the other examples i gave.

I certainly won't be stopping my use of the phrase until it's expressly prohibited by the charter(s) so perhaps we should just get back to the topic at hand.

Timberrrrrrrr

anncoates wrote: »

I certainly won't be stopping my use of the phrase until it's expressly prohibited by the charter(s) so perhaps we should just get back to the topic at hand.

*slow clap*


Good for you :rolleyes:

DoomZ

The most important advice regarding HR;
"HR are there to protect the company from you"

Everything else is just to fill in the gaps in their work day.

jimgoose

So you had a job that had a certain dress-code and involved presenting a tidy, professional experience, possibly directly to customers, you thought you were way too cool for that shiz-nit and found yourself at odds with the people who are there to ensure policies like this are adhered to. Chalk it up and move on.

Shiraz 4.99

Is there anything to be said to nuking them from orbit anyway.

jimgoose

DoomZ wrote: »

The mist important advice regarding HR;
"HR are there to protect the company from you"

Everything else is just to fill in the gaps in their work day.

The last experience I had of HR interfering directly with day-to-day operations was some years ago during a big project (I'm an engineer BTW, I manage my own time and dress smart-casual but could wear a bin-liner if it be playsin' me) with a looming deadline, big pissed-off customer with huge chequebook, etc. etc. and a couple of us and a manager had decided to put in some hours over a weekend to get things nicely sorted. Within a half-hour HR had heard about this and the manager in question was rugby-tackled by an eight-stone girl who was prepared to snap his neck Delta Force-style if anyone wound up working more hours than permitted in a week without adequate and agreed recompense! :pac:

pragmatic1

Absolute scumbags OP. In the event of a revolution, they should be executed first.

shruikan2553

What you describe sounds more like Dunnes management. I had to deal with HR for the first day, then again when I was leaving. Everything else was management or office staff.

zl1whqvjs75cdy

Good hr departments do great things for the employees. Unfortunately the vast majority are populated by bottom feeding ego maniacs who cream themselves at the thought of berating people for the smallest infractions. So yeah wouldn't be a fan in general.

Venus In Furs

Like others on this thread, my experience of HR has always been just being in the background and nothing like the terrible scum they're depicted as here.

Mixing up personal experience of one person in HR with "HR" anywhere, or simply being resentful of not getting that job/promotion methinks.

FTA69

Timberrrrrrrr wrote: »

So is Ni**er, C**n, C**t and spa**tic but you wouldn't use any of those in a conversation would you?

Spastic and c*nt get used on a daily basis to be honest.

Aongus Von Bismarck

HR don't get down to the nitty gritty like you suggest, but they do write the policies.

I was having a particular problem with the slovenly dress and appearance of the IT guys. Most of them when they visited our floor would be wearing hoodies, metal T-shirts, were unshaven and would have long greasy unkempt hair.

I successfully had the HR department implement a policy whereby they have to have at least slacks, shirt, and have their hair neat and tidy when visiting my floor to do their IT stuff. I wanted it to apply company-wide, but you can't win them all. At least I don't have to see them dressed like they are going to a grunge concert when they emerge from the murky depths below any more though.

Canis Lupus

FTA69 wrote: »

Spastic and c*nt get used on a daily basis to be honest.

I prefer the term spaz if you don't mind.

jimgoose

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

HR don't get down to the nitty gritty like you suggest, but they do write the policies.

I was having a particular problem with the slovenly dress and appearance of the IT guys. Most of them when they visited our floor would be wearing hoodies, metal T-shirts, were unshaven and would have long greasy unkempt hair.

I successfully had the HR department implement a policy whereby they have to have at least slacks, shirt, and have their hair neat and tidy when visiting my floor to do their IT stuff. I wanted it to apply company-wide, but you can't win them all. At least I don't have to see them dressed like they are going to a grunge concert when they emerge from the murky depths below any more though.

Yes, Metallica T-shirts usually, also they're all called Juergen

desertcircus

Have never had HR on my back about day-to-day stuff. Not once. Day-to-day management of staff isn't a part of their job.

And for the love of God, if your workplace has a dress code, then follow it.

Ave Sodalis

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

HR don't get down to the nitty gritty like you suggest, but they do write the policies.

I was having a particular problem with the slovenly dress and appearance of the IT guys. Most of them when they visited our floor would be wearing hoodies, metal T-shirts, were unshaven and would have long greasy unkempt hair.

I successfully had the HR department implement a policy whereby they have to have at least slacks, shirt, and have their hair neat and tidy when visiting my floor to do their IT stuff. I wanted it to apply company-wide, but you can't win them all. At least I don't have to see them dressed like they are going to a grunge concert when they emerge from the murky depths below any more though.

Never worked in an office but why were you interfering? I don't get why it was any of your business what they wore...

seventeen sheep

sup_dude wrote: »

Never worked in an office but why were you interfering? I don't get why it was any of your business what they wore...

Most offices you'd have external people visiting from time to time for meetings etc, sometimes with short notice, I can understand why you wouldn't want people dressed like that to be wandering around. It looks very unprofessional.

myshirt

Op, you forgot one.

Trim those sideburns!

Timberrrrrrrr

FTA69 wrote: »

Spastic and c*nt get used on a daily basis to be honest.

I've not heard the word spastic used in many years.