A big company was feeling it was time for a shake-up so they hired a new head of human resources. Well, the new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers.

On a tour of the facilities, this HR supremo noticed a guy leaning against a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business; so he asked the guy, “How much money do you make a week?”

A little surprised, the young man looked at him and said, “I make $500 a week. Why?”

The Human Resources boss said, “Wait right here.” He walked back to his office, came back in two minutes, and handed the guy $2,000 in cash and said, “Here’s four weeks’ pay. Now GET OUT and don’t come back.”Feeling pretty good about himself, the new boss looked around the room and asked, “Does anyone want to tell me what that slacker did here?”From across the room a voice said, “Pizza delivery guy!”(www.guy-sports.com/humor/jokes/jokes_human_resources.htm)

The Human Resources boss said, “Wait right here.” He walked back to his office, came back in two minutes, and handed the guy $2,000 in cash and said, “Here’s four weeks’ pay. Now GET OUT and don’t come back.”

Feeling pretty good about himself, the new boss looked around the room and asked, “Does anyone want to tell me what that slacker did here?”

From across the room a voice said, “Pizza delivery guy!”

(www.guy-sports.com/humor/jokes/jokes_human_resources.htm)

Do you know what I find to be really funny? Companies always harping on the cliché that “our employees are our most valuable assets.” I can easily call the names of many such companies in our country. Then at the slightest economic shift, or the barest jiggle in the profits, the first knee-jerk reaction is to let go staff!

On a personal basis, if you start encountering some financial turbulence and you need to sell some of your personal assets to tide you through the temporary storm, would you start by getting rid of your most valuable assets? Food for thought!

According to Gary Dessler in his HR Management textbook, this function in an organisation is necessary for all the HR-related activities from hiring a new employee to separation from the organisation. Some of the broad responsibilities of the HR function include recruitment, training, performance appraisal, compensation, and separation.

The larger an organisation becomes, the more complex the HR function becomes. For example, bigger organisations have to manage issues relating to industrial relations, organisation structure optimisation, and managing processes that cut across disparate departments.

Recruiting

Hiring a new staff member can be a hazardous affair! Face it — you are undertaking to take on an individual who you will be stuck with for most of your waking hours for at least five days per week. This person may have anger management issues, social adjustment issues; ethical issues, mental issues, competence issues or various combinations of all of the above. This person could be a thief, a pervert or a liar.

No wonder many organisations are now requesting police reports in addition to the standard two references from job applicants. The problem with that is that someone could be a potential murderer but just hasn’t killed anyone yet.

The new hire may not be an axe murderer, but could be the wrong fit for the position — ending up being a square peg in a round hole. If that sounds like it is not too bad, then maybe that is why you also just cannot understand why productivity is stagnant, why there are constant process problems, and why the managers are always running around putting out fires.

The concept of “fit” has now so captivated HR with its importance that more and more organisations are routinely using psychometric analyses to determine candidates’ suitability for particular positions. These tests are not foolproof, but help to indicate where the person’s talent and inclinations lie.

Recruiting for talent

A radical approach has been taken by Buckingham and Coffman in their book –

First, Break All the Rules. Here are some of the things they outline in their book: i) People don’t change that much; ii) Don’t waste time trying to put in what was left out; iii) Try to draw out what was left in; iv) That is hard enough!

Basically what they have proposed is that managers along with the HR Department should recruit based on talent, and they define talent as “a recurring pattern of thought, feeling or behaviour.”

Here is another statement from Buckingham and Coffman that will stop you in your tracks if you are involved in recruiting. “Talent is far more important than experience, brainpower or willpower!” I have always been convinced that experience is important, and that experience is not important! I did not just get tied up. You see, some people learn, grow and become more adept from their experience while others shrivel and become more inept. Some people are in a position for 15 years and only have one year’s experience!

Let us talk a little more about talent — probably some HR managers or other managers are reading this. John and Peter are two doctors who had the same potential, the same IQ and they benefited from the same lecturers and got the same grades in med school. A few years after, when you visit John’s waiting room at his practice it is usually empty except for the occasional “first-timers.” Peter has another practice in the same vicinity — and people are quite willing to wait two hours to see Dr Peter rather than going down the road to see Dr John. Why? Talent!

If I see an accountant who is not excited about small details, whose handwriting is not legible and neat, and who doesn’t feel a thrill of victory when the books are balanced, that may not be a talented accountant.

Finally, let me close with another quotation from Messrs. Buckingham and Coffman: “If you want to be an exceptional manager, you must select for talent. To do so, you must know what talent is necessary for the job. The best way to identify relevant talents is to study your best.”

Dr Kenroy Wedderburn is an MBA part-time lecturer. Send your e-mails to drkwedderburn@gmail.com.