HR generalists are idiots.

yeah, i agree

OP and R1 are obviously unemployed.

OP 'works' in Marketing

HR Generalists are pains in the asses. They worst type are the HR folks who do the pointless pre-interview. It's like being interviewed by a Stepford Wife.

They are most usually people who have no real marketable skills and are lazy beyond belief. They take these HR jobs because there really no mentally or physically taxing responsibilities involved with the job. Plus, they're always the company spies and you can't tell them anything that doesn't get right back to upper management.

[quote]They worst type

[quote]because there really no mentally or physically taxing responsibilities

Did an HR Generalist point out your poor typing skills and/or grammar? She was only trying to help you.

They're also very rude. If they cared they would inform candidates who didn't get the job instead of making people wait by the phone to hear.

Hey Becki, do you have an Oxycontin handy? My little toe hurts?

It sucks not to know whether you got a job or not, but if you have interviewed no higher than the HR level, you are no doubt one of many and there is no time to call everyone back.

I had the chance to move into HR at one time, but I didn't. If for no other reason than I don't want to be the last person to have to deal with a fired employee.

i don't think anyone expects a response after every phone screen, R9.

But this is different. I've interviewed in person at companies and not been called back, told to hold a date for an interview and never heard anything again, or stood up for phone interviews where people don't call.

One person even contacted me again about a different position in the same company, and played dumb when I said "so I gather I didn't get the other job?"

I was unemployed during the first dot-com bubble, but never have I EVER met ruder or more inept hr people than during this last job hunt. I'm sure the amount of applications and people applying has an effect, but really, if I'm expected to waste my time, you should waste a little of yours too.

Worse than idiots. They're in charge of piles of what should be private information, and if they're gossipy assholes, your secrets -- illness, family/partner stuff -- is not private.

Im going into HR, because I'm inherently nosy. Somebody talk me off the cliff...

I've worked in high tech manufacturing for well over 30 years including some top level management positions. Dealing with HR is like trying to deal with bitchy third graders. Most of them are morons who couldn't find a real job or for that matter, "Pour piss out of a boot with the instructions printed on the heel." The biggest moron I've had to deal with was the former HR Director of Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector (Now Freescale Semiconductors) in Austin...Hector Ruiz. He was a perfect example of incompetance promoted. Back in the early 80's I was a Production Supervisor at Moto and had to have an audience with that fat queen and explain to him in detail why I fired this Twink for attendance violations. I think he was his secret boytoy because I've seen the twink out at the bars. The stupid fuck reinstated this boytoy and got ME transfered to a different area on a different shift. I was following policy and doing my job! He somehow managed to get employed by AMD as their CEO and he damned near bankrupted AMD before they canned his wothless ass. Whew...I feel better now!

More HR horror stories, please!

I agree with everyone. They think they are better than everyone and don't focus on the real issues. I can't stand any of the ugly old hags in my company.

These HR generalists are definitely worthless and stupid. Last month I applied for a job and had to do a 40 minute PRE-interview over the phone! I've had quick 5 minute interviews on the phone, but not a damn 40 minute one. You would've swore I was applying for an executive position or something when it was just an entry level job. And of course, I never got an in person interview, so it was a waste of time.

I think the actual hiring managers should always go through the resumes and do all the interviewing instead of these idiots.

This appears to be yet ANOTHER caustic invention in the workplace since I got out thank you Lawd. Used to be "personnel," and if there was more than one person there, she was "Director of." And almost no power, thankfully.

Those of us in HR who actually have degrees in the subject are not idiots. Sorry you had a bad experience OP, but maybe you should look into employment law and strategic planning before you blame an HR Generalist for your employment issues.

Oooh -- R18 has a degree! So of course the employee experience has never been better!

***---***

They give out HR degrees now?

It's Human CAPITAL.

R19, a HR is there at the behest of the company, not the employees. We are supposed to help the company reach its goals while adhering to employment law - not make your employment experience fun.

Get back to your cube before I fire your ass.

R23 is right. Many people think HR is there to protect employees. They're wrong. HR is there to protect the company.

HR is not your friend...not necessarily your enemy, but definitely not your friend.

OP - Aren't you the guy who was fired for having body odor? You cannot blame HR for your hygiene issues.

Ironically, for the longest time, HR was one department in corporate America that often employed gay men, sometimes in the majority.

I know that there are some people in HR with degrees and yes, brains. But you must realize that almost no one respects or appreciates you, right?

HR is like a university ombudsperson. NEVER tell them anything because they are paid to protect the "company."

Generally true, OP.

HR spend months outsourcing their work then trumpeting some bold new innovation that allows staff to visit umpteen external websites, each with its own registration process, user name, and password, to review the most basic information (salary, benefits, bonuses and rewards, time records & leave scheduling, etc..)

HR staff tout empty or mostly worthless "great new resources" in lieu of real benefits, or even a frank discussion of why benefits have been frozen or trimmed and passed along at additional cost. "Personal health evaluations" that allow for collection of personal medical information in the guise of "giving back" to and "empowering" staff are offered (at a maximum of personal effort and a minimum of discounted "incentives") that have the potential to serve as the basis for cutting real medical benefits for classes of employees who might actually need them -- usually "replaced" with some bogus substitute of "well baby" webinars or other low-cost, low-benefit social work programs conducted by phone or a web site. Of course companies face hard decisions with regard to providing and maintaining benefits, but a 1-800 number to speak to a loosely defined social worker about weight loss or healthy food choices is a disingenuous substitute for withdrawing real medical services.

R23 and R24 are on the mark.

Employees expect HR to be this guidance counselor and are disappointed when they turn out to be the principal.

HR Professionals have a body of knowledge that they use to protect the company and help the C-level executive structure the Human Capital for success. (Yes, people are educated and certified to have this knowledge, PHR, SPHR.)

Legally they do have to play by the rules, but most of the time employees do not have any idea of what those rule are.

It is not an HR Professional's problem if you do not understand employment law. We do not have to read you your Miranda Rights.

At a medium to large company, HR will give you an employee handbook and a clear statement of what is expected of you.

If you fuck up, then you will be written up or fired. It's not Jr High people.

And for the record, the worst thing I ever had to do when I was an HR Generalist was tell someone that they had BO.

Wrong.

The worst gossips in a company. I don't ever tell HR about anything. I've know two people who reported bad behavior from managers and then gotten fired. A friend's company just had an "anonymous" questionnaire, via email, sent out and everyone lied on it saying they had no problems and everything was hunky dory, when it actually sucks, because they're too afraid it's not really anonymous.

Can anyone in HR tell us if it's really anonymous?

R31, It probably was anonymous. HR isn't Kafka.

"Human Capital"

How "Blade Runner" of you. You are "human capital" as well, HR drone.

People with real talent drive business and/or generate revenue for a company. HR are mostly babysitters. If you get a good HR person take care of them - they are few and far between. Bitchy 3rd graders - I like that. Our HR funtions are now all online. If you have a question good luck finding someone to ask. They will tell you to "follow the local processes" of which there are none - or at least none that anyone knows about.

It's like talking to the Vatican. You never really know who you are talking to, what they tell you is "a mystery" and their asses are all infallible.

R34 - Poor you. R33, you are just exposing your ignorance of modern business. Why don't you go occupy Wall Street.

Most HR people are nothing more than glorified secretaries.

As the old adage goes:

Those who can do; those who can't, go into HR.

They all seem to be on a petty little power trip hell bent on wasting workers' time.

Gay men and their best friends, The Moral Mommies.

I worked for a Fortune 100 company in the 80's when they had a nasty round of layoff's in mid-November. At Thanksgiving the HR Exec. VP, a lawyer (from top schools, R18) and her VP paraded around HR's offices with their new mink coats, bought with their bonuses. A co-worker applied for a job in the new Budapest office -- the HR guy she stupidly discussed it with went ahead and applied for it himself -- and got it. Classy.

..and when asked by a black attorney from the company's legal department why so few black applicants were cleared through HR, this same Exec. VP brightly said "Why set them up for failure?"

As mentioned upthread, HR is present to support the company and not the employees. It is almost always best to consult with your boss or supervisor instead of HR when it comes to almost any issue. You are pretty much cutting off your nose to spite your face whenever you involve HR with anything. For applicants and interviewees, steer clear of them as much as possible. If you are on their radar, they will contact you. Contacting them will not change their "No" to a "Yes" so your time is better spent elsewhere.

Women in HR have to dye their hair blonde.

I didn't want to look dumb by admitting not to know what the heck this is, I mean, after attending university, earning degrees, working in corporate from lowly union nobody clear to the 3rd floor, I should know, even if has been awhile, right? No idea at all. So I looked it up.

It's basically a "general" PR person. As opposed to a "specific" PR person. Offered as a field of study at, like, University of Phoenix Online, DeVry University, Virginia College Online, Post University Online.

Uh-oh.

Let me revise that definition: basically a "general" PR person who discovered the career opportunity watching channel 13 late at night.

R43 is doped up on downers.

Role of HR / Personnel / Industrial Relation man: tt tAs an Administrator ( Employee admin/ policy/ system maker) tAs a clerk/ accountant (Retirement plan, Salary, ESIC, EPF, Gratuity, Bonus, full & final etc) tAs Liaison man ( Liaison with Labour office, Factory office, ESIC, EPF , govt dept etc) tAs a Trainer (Induction, Arranging Training programmee) tAs a Labour economist (management to workers, Wage & salary, cost control) tAs an Advisor/ Counselor ( Motivational factors) tAs Compliance Officer ( Statutory legal provision as per labour laws) tAs an Industrial Psychologist ( Study the psychology of employees) tAs Labour advocate ( Handle Labour Court cases/ settlement of disputes) tAs Welfare officer ( Welfare of employees) tAs Recruiter ( To recruit the employees) tAs an Engineer (Deal with Safety management) tAs Journalist (Deal with Communication & News Publication work)

When I told HR about sexist comments my boss (middle eastern, from Pakistan) was making their response was that "well, you need to be understanding of cultural differences" and every time I had a benefits question or problem I was directed to call the benefits hotline. I saw them quite often putting up decorations around the office for holidays, or incentives, or performance goal reminders, but never saw or heard of them doing much else. At to this the insult that these people were getting 3 times my salary for hanging up decorations? Yeah. HR people are about the most worthless people I've ever met.

HR is another one of those Fraus and Fags type jobs.

This is going into your file OP.

BTW, your "file" is merely to collect evidence to be used against you "if" they decide they want you fired anyway.

Am I the only one who thinks it's sad that a HR person for a university emailed me about a job, and didn't even care about capitalization or grammar?

It blows me away how these idiots get jobs.

HR serves only to usher you into the company when you're hired & facilitate your exit when you leave. Thread closed

Your HR team, here to serve you (a pink slip).

The people I know who don't rely on HR staff or consistently negative about HR's function in the company are fuck-ups.

At my company (a large one), management basically eliminated 90% of HR and outsourced the rest of it to foreign countries. An employee now literally cannot contact HR by phone. There is a general HR Mailbox that we can use via e-mail. No one knows where or to whom that e-mail will go (or in what country). Not a bad idea. No one complained when HR was basically eliminated. We didn't see the value-added proposition by keeping HR.

Fired for searching Manhunt and Rentboy at work, weren't you OP?

Question: At work, there is someone in HR who is engaged to another employee at the company. Are HR people allowed to date company employees? Because I would think this would be a conflict of interest or something.

As a former HR staff(worker`s comp) for over 30 years I can. tell you that HR is not your friend. They are the biggest gossips and your secrets are never safe. Did`t used to be that way. Too bad about that. Don`t go to them for help. Nothing is confidential. NOTHING.

As someone who works in HR please do not come in for an interview reeking of cheap cologne. There is no need to constantly look at your wristwatch, if you are bored, just state your not interested in the position. Tattoos, earrings, and poor posture will not gain you any points. We do, on occasion, receive thank you notes from the applicant.

I work in HR for a large engineering firm. Engineers think the earth rotates about their personages. They have all the figures calculated how they were "screwed" out of five cents. The one engineer with a PHD wants the engineers in the Planning Dept. to rise when he enters as a sign of respect. One was upset because he could not get his girlfriend listed as one of his dependents (he was married). When I first started in HR, the Director informed me "gossip of any sort will not be tolerated and may be grounds for dismissal." We were cordial to the employees' but my lips were always sealed and I have seen and heard plenty. Wait a minute, when I retire that will be my memoirs "I Heard It All."

Well over a month ago I went to HR because my boss retaliated against me because I "humiliated" him during a meeting by asking questions he didn't want to answer in front of his boss(I was tired of getting the runaround with none of my questions ever being answered through email). He took me off the schedule after I finished out my week after telling another employee that he was "going to get back at me". I went to HR, have been off the schedule for several weeks and every time I ask HR for an answer they tell me it is still "under investigation". USELESS.

HR is such an overpaid field and HR departments usually have way more people than they even need.

Just wanted to let you know that there actually was a time when it was called "Personnel," and some nice gals worked there. They would help you out with things relating to your job.

They had no fucking power whatsoever.

We have this thing at work called "Star Employees of the Month" where co-workers can recognize a fellow employee who helped them out and "went the extra mile". You would think HR people would not be eligible for this, right? Well, they actually have the nerve to nominate each other and every month that the list of "Star Employees" is released, there are always people from HR on the list!

They are such a joke.

Basically they are all morons. They can't think past a key word or phrase in a little tiny box. To think most of these circus clowns actually are the first line in the hiring process is absolutely frightening, absolutely. I got an email the other day from a job website which gave their "10 biggest resume mistakes". I read it for shits & giggles, OMG... I couldn't believe it, it wasn't even HR 101, it was the worst advice I ever read & this was a job site my friends ...scary doesn't even describe it. Do NOT leave your fate in the hands of these imbeciles, you will go nowhere. Put on your "sales" hat, find out who Mgr of Hiring dept is & talk to them. Then you can have the idiots do the only thing they're good for...filing your tax form, initiating your direct deposit. Corporations are really hiring some doozies that wind up hiring same, incredible.

The labor participation rate fell when HR became empowered.

Very, very limited knowledge about stuff employees actually need, sometimes. I worked at one company where the HR staff was very helpful and knew everything I asked about. The next company I went to, the HR person had no knowledge about our benefits, plans, anything that employees had common questions about. If I went to her office and asked anything about it, I was answered with "You can call the Employee Services Line and....." and received a post-it with the 1-800 number.

On the other hand, they do cast a more favorable light upon chiropractors and life coaches.

The HR staff at our company are great. They are very knowledgeable and helpful.

r68 = HR

...........

A pre-interview for an entry level job is absurd. Don't even get me started on panel interviews.

Those of you hating the interview process don't necessarily hate "HR Generalists." You hate Recruiters. Many companies separate these responsibilities. Recruiters generally review a resume for the basic requirements, education, experience, qualifications. They then are tasked with narrowing down the number of resumes submitted to the hiring manager who checks for job-specific knowledge. Just because you worked at JPMC doesn't mean you will get the job at Joe Schmo, Inc. One thing to consider is whether or not the employee is over-qualified or will be bored based on the new job responsibilities.

Do some HR people gossip? I'm sure they do. I happen to work for a business services company who supplies clients with HR support. We may gossip but it's with ourselves not someone at the client company.

My job requires me to know the laws of several states, cities and counties, i.e., new paid sick leave laws. Those laws protect the employees and I am charged with making clients understand them. It isn't easy. In the last 2 months alone, I have protected the rights of six employees. One client wanted to fire an employee for not signing a company document!

You bitch and moan about woman taking family leave/taking days off for childrens' activities. As an HR person, my job is have the conversation with the manager if complaints are brought to my attention. Make them use PTO/sick/vacation time for that. If they exhaust their time and there is no law requiring the company to allow it, I tell the manager it's a performance issue and the employee should be counseled about the issue.

Am I perfect? No, but I work hard and earn my salary.

R72 Thank you for providing such an unbiased perspective. (eye roll)

I really feel for the new kids coming out of school. The hoops they're made to jump through for even a shitty entry level with zero benefits.

[R13], you got my attention with that. OY!

I worked at University of Washington Medical Center 2006 - 2012. There is a lady in HR who is despised and feared. When I was brought to HR by my supervisor on trumped up bogus bullshit the HR lady and I seemed to have an open line of communication. She's formidable, certainly. But if it hadn't been for her help before I had to walk out of my job, the experience would have put me into a padded cell. She really did help. She was and is compassionate without being fake. A true anomaly, I reckon.

I'm going to broaden the scope a bit and say that everyone who works for a corporation is a fucking idiot.

ALL HR staff members the world over have one main job responsibility. To spy on the employees and report all information gathered to their supervisors.

R73, you're welcome (eye roll).

Do you think the other posts on here are unbiased?

.........

R64 The stupid cunts don't even read resumes anymore for the most part but you're right... Recruiters are the worst. Half don't even seem to understand what the positions they're filling entail.

R72 wants to be patted on the back for basically doing her job. Typical HR drone.

And, yeah, can you believe someone occasionally taking time off of work for their family? /s

HR is an easy target. And that's one of the reasons they exist: to take the fall for management's mistakes.

HR has absolutely no power or influence within any company. Management puts them there to make the company appear to be serious about caring about the people they employ and to be following labor laws. Hah. The reality is, as anybody who's worked HR will tell you, HR can tell management what the law says they're supposed to be doing and if management doesn't want to comply, they won't.

Same goes for hiring and firing. HR posts the job, starts collecting resumes and scheduling interviews, and then a manager tells them he's already offered the job to Joe Blow. HR tells him he can't do that, there's a process, laws, etc. - and the manager rolls right over them. "I told you already: he's hired. Can the interviews and get his paperwork taken care of." And as for firing: if someone in management wants you gone, even if firing you is a blatant legal violation and HR tells him so, management wins and HR/the employee loses. Every time.

The problem isn't HR. HR is the concealer over the festering pustule that is the face of corporate America: its management.

R82 is absolutely right. I'm one of those managers in corporate america that's done all the things he mentioned and more. I only use HR as an excuse when an employee i don't like asked for a raise or special treatment. I'll say "HR won't let me do that, it's against policy". Meanwhile as a manager, I know I can do pretty much whatever I want and just use the excuse that it made perfect business sense or we had to stay competitive. It sucks I know but that's the way it is. I work for a really big company and have been there for 23 years.

Much like R54, my company outsourced HR. We have email addresses for questions. The last time I hired someone, the process went like this- get resumes from recruiters. Interview people. Pick a person. Ask CFO and CEO for approval to hire. Hire person and have them fill out forms to send to the HR black box. My company has 6,000 employees.

I've always gotten along well with the HR folks. Look common decency goes a long way. Besides when you get chummy with them you find out all the dirt in the company.

Now headhunters - they annoy the shit out of me but I understand they're just an added on layer trying to make a buck.