HR A Good Place to Be

Today we have post from John Hudson.  John has agreed to be a  regular contributor here on the Illinois SHRM Blog Site. We are pleased to have him with us.  

John Hudson is currently an HR Manager with Discovery Communications and Harpo Studios in Chicago and has over 15 years of experience in the Human Resources field.  He provides consultation and expertise in the areas of performance management, employee development, employee relations, compensation and recruiting.   John has also worked in the insurance and consumer products environments supporting various departments including IT, Finance and Operations.  John has a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Indiana University and the SPHR certification. Follow him @johnphudson on Twitter

There have been some days when I want to leave the Human Resources field. Dealing with an extremely administrative process or working through a string of sticky employee relations issues can drive one to question this. But there have been many days that reinforce the reasons I stay.

I had a conversation with an HR friend recently about some of the projects I was working on. There may have been a hint of venting or complaining as we spoke. At the end of my explanation, he said, “Yes, but you enjoy what you do and you are good at it.” At first, I chuckled in my typical sarcastic way, but then I thought about it. I really do enjoy what I do.

It's that intern I hired that blossoms into that next great leader. The stretch promotion that turns out to be the right move. The little bit of advice that brings a smile to the employees face or the mentorship that guides a new HR professional along the way.

Another colleague shared an email with me the other day.  It was from a recent hire thanking her for the warm welcome and great onboarding experience she received. What may seem like a mundane, every day part of your job can have a lasting impression on an employee and set the tone for their experience with the organization.

For some of the bad parts of the job, there is still a sense of fulfillment knowing the employee was treated with respect. Decisions are made daily, negatively impacting a person, department or organization and HR must make sure these are treated with care and compassion and common sense.

There are going to be aspects of the job that suck. There are parts of every profession that do. Go ask any department head in your organization and they will probably tell you more than you really want to know. I see things every day, though that reminds me why I enjoy what I do. Now, back to planning the monthly birthday celebrations.