I can say without reservation that most HR folks I know are really nice people who do a respectable job.
I can also say without reservation that most HR folks I know are not wild party animals live life on the edge and who routinely break company policy.
But does the term “respectable” go hand in hand with, shall I say, “boring”?
A few years ago, my firm did a “What HR Likes” survey, and to my great surprise, the respondents’ favourite TV show was Two and a Half Men.
I liked Two and a Half Men, a lot, but up until seeing those results, I really thought I was the only one, and kept my love of it a secret. I watched it by myself, low volume, lights out. It was not something I admitted publicly.
Why? Because Two and a Half Men at its core was and is still offensive to some people. It is full of outlandish situations that the HR profession cannot condone at work. Sex, sexism, adultery, fraternization, debauchery, harassment, alcoholism, double entendre—you name it, the show had it. I laughed loudly when Alan needed Charlie to cover as the Receptionist at his clinic, and within hours Charlie had turned the office into a seedy massage parlour. As
an HR Professional, how can I be expected to hold high standards if secretly I think certain escapades like this are funny (actually hilarious)? After all, we’ve all had a “Charlie” in our workplace we’ve had to deal with before, right?
There used to be “rules” about what could be said in mixed company. In some people’s lives, these rules no longer apply and anything goes. The challenge is in some cases, for some people, these rules very much still do apply, and at work, there is still a need for a decorum that respects higher standards of behaviour.
I guess I’m trying to say that if you’re in HR, it is hard to have overly liberal views. Basically, there is no way of winning, which is probably why our profession is full of closet Two and a Half Men fans.
Photo credit: iStockphoto
About the author: Bonni Titgemeyer is the Managing Director of The Employers’ Choice Inc. She has been in human resources for 20+ years and works in the international HR arena. She is the recipient of the 2012 Toronto Star HR Professional of the Year Award. You can connect with Bonni on Twitter as @BonniToronto, often at the hashtag #TEPHR.
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3 Comments
Excellent post Bonni! I have to admit that I’m one of the first ones to refer to many HR pros as being duds. In fact, if it wasn’t for Twitter, I was going to leave the profession entirely because of that reason. Meeting really cool HR folks on Twitter showed me that there was a whole new world of great HR conversationalists out there.
To Jennifer’s point, we ARE human and why should we have to defend that? Since when does being an HR professional mean you have to behave like Mother Teresa?
Have you ever been in a meeting and hear a colleague say, “Well, I really can’t talk about it now since HR is here.” I’ve always simply said, “Last time I checked, I’m a human, not a label.”
If we use common sense and remember what our mothers taught us — there’s a time and a place for everything. We shouldn’t be the ones dancing on the pool table at company events (save that for the weekend, lol!) but if we’re not human and show it, how will others be able to relate to us? Why should they want to hear our coaching or recommendations?
Oh and I love Two and a Half Men — watch the reruns every night too! 🙂
Great post Bonni. Though I know plenty of not-so-uptight HR types, there certainly still are plenty of the other kind.
My personal view is there is nothing wrong with being just like anyone else in any other profession, as long as you know the right time, place, and company in which it’s appropriate. And as long as you can still go into work and do your job effectively, what does it matter what you like and like to do outside of work (as long as it’s legal)?
But you are correct, there are still those that feel that HR pros need to somehow “rise above” the behaviors of others and live by some higher standard both inside and outside of work. And whether we agree or disagree, the challenge is to recognize when you’re in the presence of those folks. What you choose to do when you are in their presence is entirely up to you.
I’d probably acknowledge them, then turn around and go hang out with the folks that are okay with having a sense of humor and letting our hair down…in other words acting like humans 🙂
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