What's your experience of your firm's HR department? Photograph: Garry Weaser
Is the HR department an unnecessary financial burden on a company or does it have a valuable role to play in the future success of industry?
A report by the Chartered Management Institute suggested that by 2018 many more of us will be working from home. Furthermore, many of the traditional duties of the HR department are now being outsourced, suggesting the industry will need to do some comprehensive PR if it is to survive.
Having never had to seek them out myself, thankfully, on any employment law issues, my perception of human resources is based entirely on the job-seeking process. And it's not a good one. I have seen the department as the gatekeeper between me and the person I want to see my CV - an unknown force which I had to try to circumvent.
One suggestion is that, in the face of all the predicted problems of retention and recruitment of talent, HR departments are going to become a destination for employees to visit and discuss their career options.
I like this idea of going to an HR department to discuss my career - how I'm developing in my role and what opportunities could be open to me. I think people would feel much more likely to stay within a company if they felt their career was being actively managed.
I'd like to know if you have a relationship with your HR department. Is part of their remit to identify high performers, to talk to employees about career paths, to offer advice and suggest strategies for individuals to get the most out of their jobs and their relationship with your employer?
