I just came across this article on 5 Things Not To Share With Your HR on SiliconIndia, which is one of the high traffic news sites here. Sadly, it sums up what a lot of people feel about their HR. It also brings out a lot of perceptions on how HR is just another arm of the management to keep people down and execute policies. The main thesis of the article is basically, transact as little as possible with your HR because they're not going to do anything nor do they really care about you.

I used to feel the same way, especially as an expat, and as a digital marketer. However, for the past year that I've been closely interacting with real HR professionals. Listening to thought leaders and the people who are in the real trenches facing HR challenges on a daily basis. I've found there are a ton of great HR pros out here in India. There's a lot of HR pros who are trying to put the human back in Human Resources. Unfortunately, these folks tend to be the ones who are working for MNCs, or are independent consultants. Enlightened managers and business leaders also know the real value of HR. So they gain that extra competitive edge by taking care of their people and giving a place at the management table for HR, not as a function that executes polices, but as a function that would hurl the organization forward.

I think HR in India overall suffers from a really bad image problem. Let's face it, we all know that the majority of MBA candidates tend to 'fall into' HR instead of really pursuing it. I've heard so many HR thought leaders admitting to how they accidentally found HR (thank the gods for that!), and fresh-out-of-school MBAs saying, "It's really something you get into if you can't get into other streams." I'm still shocked by such statements. When you turn to look at institutions, you can literally count in one hand all the B-schools in India which specialize in Human Resource Management. It's just not attractive enough as either a study subject or career option. Generalized articles such as this one, blog posts, and the massive amount of disgruntled employees out who blame HR for all their workplace woes are not helping either. It's time HR pros take a stand and let all professionals know HR is a much needed function, not just for transactions but for creating real value in the workplace.

If you're an HR professional and you know your colleagues do give a damn, please leave a comment here and discuss how we can switch this around for HR as a real valuable strategic arm for employees.

Photo by michelhrv.