Editor's Note: In today's Classic post, we take another look at some v-e-r-y interesting research that that HR Bartender Sharlyn Lauby served up and shared on what HR professionals enjoy most (and least) in their daily work. (And if you aren't already reading what Sharlyn writes - check her blog out here. We at the Cafe are big fans!)
Sharlyn Lauby, author of HR Bartender - one of my favorite HR blogs - conducted a couple of surveys asking her HR colleagues what they currently do and also what they want to do in their jobs.
The results of the surveys, discussed by Sharlyn in in this post, are presented side by side below (click for a pop-up window showing the charts):
Interesting, is it not?
What's going on here? A number of things, it would seem. Currently HR pros are spending the lion's share of their time on employee relations. This may not be surprising, as Sharlyn notes, given the level of employee frustration and disengagement today. Far less time is currently being spent on compensation and benefits, staffing and recruitment, and training and development - the former, for many, probably continued investment in figuring how how to do more with less.
What would HR like to be working on? Clearly, training and development. And very, very clearly - not compensation and benefits. I was struck by the contrast between the "does" and "wants to do" green bars. I mean, few of my own generalist colleagues and clients love compensation and benefits work, but I wasn't prepared for it to make this poor a showing.
Sharlyn's take, in an exchange we had about the results: it isn't that pros dislike rewards, but they would rather just spend time on the essence of it. This makes sense to me. Most of the HR people I know will get engaged in a discussion about reward philosophy and the question of linking pay to performance. For many, though, their eyes glaze over when conversation turns to the details of the pricing, modeling and analytical work that underlies the design and management of most reward programs.
What's your take on these findings? What do they reveal about HR pros and their attitude about employee rewards? Is there an issue here that should concern us - or not? And, if there is, what do we do about it?
Thanks, Sharlyn, for stirring the pot!
Ann Bares is the Founder and Editor of Compensation Café, Author of Compensation Force and Managing Partner of Altura Consulting Group LLC, where she provides compensation consulting and survey administration services to a wide range of client organizations. She earned her M.B.A. at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School and enjoys reading in her spare time. Follow her on Twitter at @annbares.
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