KnowHR Blog - Latest Comments in HR Models Don’t Work

Re: HR Models Don’t Work

Frank Roche — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:15:05 -0000

Eva and Chad, you two are cracking me up.

Re: HR Models Don’t Work

Chad Bordeaux — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:15:11 -0000

Yes, Eva! Better yet, let's print out copies for each and every employee in the company for them to keep in their drawers. Plus - lets make sure we print out and distribute a copy of the 500 page manual to each and every new hire.

Re: HR Models Don’t Work

Eva Proctor-Laguerre — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:10:12 -0000

I am a HUGE fan of killing trees.... lets write these 500 page plans an put them in nice binders and leave them in the drawer.

Help me!!

Re: HR Models Don’t Work

Frank Roche — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:43:57 -0000

Chad, excellent way to look at it...actions are what matter.

Re: HR Models Don’t Work

Chad Bordeaux — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:48:55 -0000

I agree. Ones true beliefs and desires are revealed by their actions - not their words. People "say" things all the time because it is what they are supposed to "say". It doesn't make it true.

Larry Winget (author of several personal finance books) writes (not his exact words as I do not have a book handy) that if you want to see what a person truly cares about - look where they spend their money. Many people say they care about saving for retirement or for their children's education, but they are just "saying" that. If you want to see what they truly care about, look at where they spend their money. It does not lie.

I see this as being much the same with HR Policies. Actions speak WAY louder than words.

Re: HR Models Don’t Work

Mo — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:51:45 -0000

Rick pretty much summed up what I was going to write. Kudos.

Re: HR Models Don’t Work

Frank Roche — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:46:21 -0000

No offense meant to present company. We've all created Hr geometry. We've even laminated. But in my old and crotchety days, I'm thinking that models don't work -- unless they're on Project Runway.

Laurie, your jacks on the floor comment cracked me up.

Here's my take: Have a big idea and create a system to support it. All the rest is silliness.

Re: HR Models Don’t Work

Laurie Ruettimann — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:59:38 -0000

I really enjoy working in the scattered, jacks-hit-the-marble-floor HR model. No harmonization but lots of buzz words. That's my fave.

Re: HR Models Don’t Work

John Hoderny — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:40:55 -0000

In Bill's defense, his four-color geometric shaped picture ultimatley inspired HumanMarkets.

If you can communicate a great idea on one page using pictures (geometric or otherwise) I'm thinking that's not such a bad thing. But somebody that's impacted actually has to value your great idea to produce any real value. That requires doing.

Re: HR Models Don’t Work

Bill Strahan — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:00:45 -0000

As the creator of some of those four-color geometric shaped picures myself, I cringed a bit reading the post today.

Can't disagree though. It's always about doing.

Thanks for a great post Frank.

Re: HR Models Don’t Work

rick — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:59:57 -0000

I agree. It is the action or inaction that shouts out a company's culture to employees. Platitudes never work. I have learned to hate the word engagement--unless it refers to an intention to be wed-- as much as all the other useless phrases that preceeded it.

Focus on the action words, otherwise known as verbs. Do things to engage people rather think about engagement. Pay your best people much better and help the others so they can become one of the best. Develop a strategy but don't promote it. Execute it.

I have a great fondness for verbs.