Those of us who have had the opportunity to work in this area know that there is behind the scenes.
Hardly when you are exercising this position in any company, regardless of its size and you know for sure what is the Philosophy that this type of administration contains and you feel that on the one hand there is theory and on the other the practice, it is possible that you have reached the extreme: disappoint you. And then you have two paths left: to continue linked to the company while you see a new opportunity in the market (quite scarce) to go to a new company where they allow the administration of human talent to be applied in its essence, or simply, you remain there, because your personal and / or family needs demand it.
To those of us who have worked in this activity out of conviction and not out of opportunity, we know the gulf between what should be and what is.
With the management of human talent we try to achieve the best organizational climate and therefore the best results in relation to productivity and the economic-family well-being of all the members of the company.
A real rapprochement is attempted between management, bosses and subordinates. Real links are established in the achievement of the achievements or objectives of the organization, which achieved as a team will leave the best results for everyone.
I'm not going to generalize, because generalizations don't happen. There are always differences.
I know of companies that “have not wanted to understand” the true mission of the activities that the person in charge of managing human talent must carry out.
They pride themselves on hiring professionals, either in administration or psychology and are demanding in the requirements of experience and studies, because they must have a minimum specialization, when they do not refer to having advanced a master's degree.
Those who already have a career, whatever it may be, are oriented by a specialization and even to advance a master's degree, related to the management of human talent, I am sure, that in addition to looking for better opportunities in the labor market, What he is demonstrating is that he is in love with the activity he performs and what he most wants is to be able to apply that baggage of knowledge for the benefit of the parties: company-workers.
Policies related to the management of human talent when they are well defined and properly established are known at all levels of the organization, because their application or implementation will not be in charge of a single person, it will be in the hands of each and every one of the members of the company.
The management of human talent occurs at all levels. Proper coordination and monitoring that the policies and norms established by the company adhere to what the company wants is a direct problem for whoever is in charge of the Human Talent Administration.
Making reference to policies, norms and other administrative aspects with which the institutions are “governed” could be that for some, they are speaking in a foreign, unknown language.
It is not uncommon for a situation like the one just mentioned to occur with some frequency in small and even medium-sized companies, and it would be strange for the neophyte if such a situation occurs in large companies.
“Everything is given, in the vineyard of the Lord,” one of my grandparents used to comment frequently.
There are other companies, where the administration of human talent does not exist as an instituted situation. If something needs to be done in this area, it will always be what is aimed at the application of a disciplinary sanction or the untimely cancellation of an employment contract.
Whoever settles the payroll could be the ideal person to take care of the “things” related to the personnel, it is thought. It is not important that you know something about the idiosyncrasies of the people, the important thing is to apply the “thinking” of the owner of the company in relation to the results of the people in the fulfillment of their duties and obligations towards the company, the rest is not it will be important.
I remember that in my beginnings in the area, a long time ago, and when I was still advancing my university studies, every day I fell more in love with my work, and I began to read and investigate what neighboring companies did in this matter of personnel administration, which by then was known as Industrial Relations. What was new at that time was to carry out sports activities within the company and I started there. We held a “rag ball” championship intersections; and it was so novel that the local press dedicated a space to it on its pages, exactly on the day the tournament started. We continue, giving greater and better use of the internal billboards, with notices not only referring to labor issues (schedules, regulations, etc.), but also to issues related to national and international sports,cultural issues, etc.
Little by little, I was being allowed to introduce new things in the company and the results in the work environment, reflected in discipline, the decrease in absenteeism and even a drop in accident rates, were indirectly supporting what was worth. it is worth continuing to strive for changes.
Confident that things were going well, one day I spoke to the owner of the business about the importance of establishing an incentive program for workers, ranging from motivational to financial. The first thing was to explain what it consisted of, how it would be implemented and what the expected results would be. It took me longer to outline the aspects related to the idea than he told me outright NO.
The reason: “I pay them a salary and they have to give me what I expect. I am not obliged to give you anything else ”. The response received clearly established that the relationship was only Work / Salary = Results for the company, without any other consideration.
There are still differences between employers and workers. Between what the former expect from the latter and what the workers are willing to give. And the relationship, with the willingness to give, points directly to the amount of their salary (just in relation to effort and contribution), environmental conditions in which they work, interrelation with Supervisors or immediate bosses, schedules and workload, etc..
From the above, the "typical Personnel Administrator" that the employers invented was born. As there is conflict and the workers do not give what we expect, then we must have a weapon permanently pointed at them. Let us hire a lawyer to manage the staff, that if at least in the human thing he does not do it well, surely in the workplace he will know what rules to apply so that the workers comply and stop bothering.
Over time, professionals in Psychology appeared, who, knowledgeable about human behavior, turn out to be suitable for personnel administration. And a little further on, sex was assigned to the activity. Ideal to be a woman, since it would not only be knowledge of behavior, but also the application of a little sweetness to the relationship.
When I worked as a professor of administration and we touched on the subject, Management and its activity, I always insisted that to carry out this work there are ideal professions, but that none is prohibited from exercising it. I still think the same, but I also keep insisting that the problem is not in the profession as such, but in the specific basic knowledge related to the activity that is going to be carried out.
The same happens with the management of human talent. The profession does not matter, although the ideal will always be those that have more affinity with the humanities, but the orientation and basic knowledge to exercise the position.
Those who hold office are not guilty. I just found them innocent. The guilty of inadequate labor relations and poor human talent management will continue to be the people who with "higher authority" guide human talent management in the wrong direction, because they have not given workers at all levels the value that corresponds to them and they deserve.
