When I tell people that I want to enter the field of human resources, I am always
asked why. To answer that, we need to take a step back in time.
Approx. 3 years ago, I was working in Sales. I had been doing a really
good job at it and had worked my way up to becoming a Regional Manager, overseeing my own chain of retail stores. While that is my most recent achievement,
I have spent several years in the retail/sales industry and worked for numerous
organizations. During each of my positions there was a commonalty that was
present with each organization,with the exception of one. Each company did a terrible job at
managing their employees. They would treat them like pons on a chess board, not
really caring much about their true abilities, but to sacrifice them once they were no longer useful. Founder of Robert Half Consulting, Bob Half said it so eloquently, “There is something that is
much more scarce, something rarer than ability. It is the ability to recognize
ability”.
In the sales industry, it is very cutthroat and if you are not
meeting expectations, the organizations are more like to cut you, rather than help
you do better. (Don't get me wrong though, there are some great sales organizations doing it right). In their eye’s they don’t have a desire to help develop their
staff, just change them out when they are not performing. Granted, there are
times where a change in staff is needed. The management doesn't do a very good job
listening to those below them; almost with the mindset them there is no possible
way that their lower employees could produce ideas that could create major or
minor positive impact. As a result of this lack of care, the turn over rates
for many companies are really high as employees are leaving for a better environment.
After seeing this behavior for years and witnessing the bad treatment of staff I realized I wanted to make a change. In February of 2017, I was give
the news that I would be laid off from my then position, as Regional Manager,
due to cut backs. It was devastating news as I really enjoyed the company I was
working for and they were doing better then many other companies at taking care
of their staff. But, changes needed to be made and I was a part of a few that
were affected.
I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but after spending some time thinking
about it, I realized this was the perfect opportunity to change my career. I
decided that I would return to school and finish up the degree that I had put
on hold. I also decided that I wanted to make an impact with organizations
that would make sure that both employees and employers could be positively
impacted; and I knew that HR would be a great spot for me to create the
necessary impact. Douglas Conant, former
President and CEO of Campbells Soup, said it so well “To win in the marketplace
you must first win the workplace”. More focus needs to be on the development of
the employees before an organization can succeed and I hope to make such an
impact.
During this blog, I hope to detail my experience entering the world
of human resources. I hope to share my experience and gain insight from others
that share the thoughts and ideas in return. So I welcome in you and thank you for
following along and sharing your thoughts in return.
