HR Management Blog

With YouTube and especially Instagram, a new profession has emerged that is suitable for all children from the age of six. It’s an influencer, but even so, it’s nothing new. Every proper HR Manager has been a bit of an influencer for years. And it started long before anyone had the idea to make an iPhone and stick an Instagram to it for those pretty pictures. Influencing those around us is one of the core roles of an HR manager. Among other jobs, of course.

We all know it, a project is underway that is vital to the company and the future of the entire organization depends on it (or maybe not, but we don’t know yet). Everyone who has a say in the company is there. And Human Resources? That’s missing from the table. Eventually, the project gets to the point where it’s done and needs to be implemented and suddenly it’s discovered that it won’t come that easily. But why was Human Resources missing from the table when it was all brewing? Because it doesn’t have a say or trust or both. And what to do about it?

Angela Merkel and Helmut Kohl are known not only for having led Germany for many years as chancellors. They are also known for the fact that they are often able to sit a problem out and come to solve it when it is already obvious how it should be done and what has to be decided. In contrast, our current Prime Minister often makes quick to rash decisions, often wrong ones, and then masters the art of not taking responsibility and passing the buck. Just how do you do that in business? What makes that leader the role model that everyone follows?

It is now common practice in all companies to compare where we stand in terms of remuneration by age, gender and comparable professions. We consider it standard to have a fair playing field, and saying that we reward men and women equally is already part of good manners. But that doesn’t say that we treat men and women fairly at all. It’s just saying that, at any given time, that’s how our reward system is set up. We’re not saying anything about opportunity and historical development. So how do we find out how we are doing so that we can say that we are treating everyone equally?

Gamification rules the world. That’s one way of looking at the concept of Happiness Managers, people who are supposed to focus on making people happy at work. The other view says that work productivity will increase and turnover will decrease when employees are happy. And the third viewpoint says that engagement is important, and satisfaction and happiness have almost nothing to do with it. If I’m not happy, I’d rather not be engaged. And just being happy isn’t enough to be engaged in the life of the company either. I can take those moments of happiness and give nothing to the company in return. So how is that? Is it worth it for the company to employ that happiness coach?