Musings on the Human Resources Profession

Tuesday June 24, 2008

My Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) membership is years old and I have always been vaguely disappointed in the value that it adds to my work life. I know, I know, if I were more involved in the association, I would benefit more. Perhaps. But, on the whole, I still find our profession backwards, administrative, policing in our approach, and non-strategic. This is not to say that wonderful things are not happening on some fronts and in some organizations, because wonderful things are happening. But, so are the same old non-wonderfuls.

Two of our Human Resources staff are attending the SHRM annual conference in Chicago this week. I can't wait to hear what they have to report upon their return. Last year they had mixed emotions and both predict their attendance won't be annual going forward.

They found SHRM to be a mix of how to do the non-forward thinking, old-fashioned HR functions better combined with some forward thinking ideas. Lots of give-aways of company swag drew crowds with, apparently, many people willing to burden themselves and fill their office with trinkets. I was sorely tempted to attend this year, but a family wedding calls me to Colorado, and that took precedence.

In SHRM news, Susan Meisinger bid farewell to the organization as she ends her six years as president and CEO to retire to spend time with family members in failing health. According to John Hollon, Workforce Management editor, Meisinger, who has often let him down in the past, said:

"'Please stop asking for a seat at the table,' she told the 14,000 SHRM members and conference attendees. 'Everyone wants a seat at the table, and everyone wants the CEO’s time and attention. … The point is to add value and become essential … so that seat at the table has your name engraved on it.' When you do that, she added, 'you’ll have a seat at every table.'"

Hollon went on to say, and I wholeheartedly support his position:

"Maybe Sue Meisinger’s speech reflects a change in priorities for SHRM, a change in focus that reflects the very real fact that neither SHRM nor any other organization can be all things to all people all the time. And maybe the speech is a little dose of pragmatism, an acknowledgement that the post-Meisinger SHRM will be less focused on building its war chest and more on addressing the very real concerns of the HR profession."

More About Success in Human Resources

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