HR Departments; does the world need them?

[SueEllen]

Permies need them, they do actually add some value given the maze of conflicting rules and regs that management have to navigate these days and they are usually quite good at keeping track of who has yet to do their working at heights awareness training (in my case, working at heights means "Rob - get up that ladder and bring down that spare tape drive please"...) and the empty box moving course (aka Manual Handling...).

Really???

In every place I've ever worked some manager always sorted that stuff out as well as doing their proper job. When they left stuff to HR it didn't get done.

[Tarquin Farquhar]

I wish somebody would tell HR departments that. Last contract - entry and exit questionnaires, induction training was completed during the last week of a six month gig, the flexi time wall clock plugin thingie couldn't cope with the hours I worked so weekly sessions with HR sorting out what hours I was owed and so on...

I'm a contractor not a permie, your company and my company have a business to business relationship, what don't you understand about that?

They don't understand anything about that. To them, they are the employer, you are the employee, and it doesn't matter what ypu don't understand about that, you'll be doing it their way.

[SuperZ]

Unions and HR departments, no we don`t need them.

Had an experience with a HR department a while ago, quite an interesting story.<evil grin>

[Alf W]

The world would be a better, happier and more profitable place without HR departments. Thoughts, congregation?

Personnel. Admin function. Should look after no more than holiday lists, sickness records, payroll admin etc. Nothing more. As a rule, shouldn't employ men.