“Put human back into human resources” Colonel Rob Campbell, It’s Personal Not Personnel, Leadership Lessons for the Battlefield and the Boardroom
Fractional, part-time, or interim Human Resources (HR) generally means getting the benefits of human resources for your organization without having to hire a full-time HR professional. Indeed, as a small business I cannot afford a full-time HR professional. I’m forced to outsource or perform those functions myself. I have concerns with term and concept of fractional HR.
My concerns center on my view of HR and what it should do (and not do) for a company. In the Army, I had an HR professional in the ranks. I kept that person close to me as my ambassador for investing in people. You can read more about this in my first book. HR should absolutely conduct classic HR functions, including administering programs designed to care for and grow employees. They should monitor the pulse of employee fulfillment and report findings to leadership. HR is not a replacement for leadership where leaders divorce themselves from investing in people activities. HR enhances leadership, not replaces it.
In my small company, while I outsource HR functions, I’m the one who presents them to my people and who receives feedback on their efficacy. I may outsource the creation of an employee handbook but it is written under my intent of nurturing my people and creating a welcoming and inspiring work environment, not as a document which protects the company at the cost of employee wellbeing.
Again, I see HR and its functions as an essential part of investing in people. I see HR professionals as an integral part of a company leadership team with a seat at the table, not as a person tucked away in a side office conducting HR tasks and drawing a paycheck. As I grow my small company, I eagerly look toward the day I can bring an HR teammate or better said, an Investing in People Ambassador onto the team.
Outsource if you must but never forget your duty to lead and invest in your people. That solemn duty is not fractional.
Make it Personal, not Personnel!
Rob
For more blogs by Rob Campbell: https://www.robcampbellleadership.com/blogs
