One of the best parts of this job is talking openly to people about the challenges of their role. I have had several conversations recently with people in 'HR' whose roles are preposterously wide ranging. A few thrive on the workload and seem to have endless capacity. The majority are badly stretched and in some cases unable to cope. One senior HR professional has left a role in an established financial services firm after only a month, her pleas for extra support and resource falling on deaf ears.
One 'Head of HR' describes her responsibilities/job titles as including: Benefits and payroll lead, head of talent devlopment, head of recruitment, the (bi-annual) internship program, work experience, heading up the DEI policies and program, and has just been asked to be 'in charge of employee engagement'. This person also sits on several steering groups and management committees, and is expected to have a 'presence' in 4 different geographies.
Another 'Head of People' has succeeded in growing the size of the team recently, which must be a relief as this person is still the senior person in charge of: Internal comms, development and running (including content) of the corporate intranet, Culture & Values, Employee engagement and experience, the annual '360', the firm-wide mentoring program, the Charities & Community engagement initiatives, and writes the executives' monthly newsletter.
I have seen other blogs and posts recently about ludicrously long, multi-role job descriptions that are circulating. Prospective employees want to know their roles will be varied, but not that they might only have the skills, training, or qualifications for 50% of the role. This is not about not working hard; this is about some employers expecting too much from one hire.
It is the nature of small and growing businesses to have team members wearing multiple hats. However, to scale effectively, thoughtfully investing in the right parts of the business is a must. Too often CEOs/COOs/CFOs neglect to invest in HR, and lump anything 'people-ish' on to already over-stretched personnel.
