From the Sidelines to the Center: Deconstructing HR

Working in HR typically requires a careful balancing act between meeting the needs of employees and meeting the needs of the business, which can often isolate HR professionals.

“Here’s the key to know if you're a silo in HR. If people say the phrase, 'I have to go to HR,' that tells you where you are in the organization,” said Steve Browne, SHRM-SCP, chief people officer for Larosa's, Inc., at SHRM26 in Orlando. “You're not part of the company, you're on the outside.”

Over his 40-year career, Browne has gained a devoted following with his lively and unconventional approaches to how he practices HR at Larosa's, a regional pizza chain where valuing people over titles reigns supreme. The company operates using a nonhierarchical organizational chart that Browne conceived as an alternative vision for a work model and shared with attendees.

Known for his bright paisley shirts, extensive collection of lava lamps, and fun toys, some of which travel with him, the former member of the SHRM board of directors offered steps to shift negative perceptions about HR and break down barriers to disrupt the status quo.

Toolkit: Building a Strong Organizational Culture

Value People Instead of Hire Employees

“If you value people, then you need to value people,” Browne said. All people are challenging, including the ones who work in HR, but if every day feels like a wrestling match, or the people you've hired — or inherited — have become an endless source of frustration, then something is out of balance. It's important that you figure out what that is and address it, because you are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you.

Recruiting offers another example. “Isn't it interesting how much we invest in talent acquisition, but once people are hired, they're just employees?” Browne asked. We literally hunt them down, but once they are part of the company, we don't see them again for a year when it is time for their review, he added.

People want us to value them for who they are and what they bring, he explained, a message that leadership expert Simon Sinek also reinforced as AI changes the nature of work.

Credential: People Manager Qualification (PMQ)

Change Your Approach

There are some easy ways HR can reinforce this by simply changing how they approach people on a day-to-day basis.

Start breaking down barriers by saying “hello” to everyone you meet, Browne encouraged. In addition, for the next 30 days, challenge yourself to also thank people for coming in to work. You might say something like, “We are happy you're here. Thanks for coming in to work.”

“You can’t expect people to understand appreciation until you start appreciating others first,” Browne explained. People have employers who don't tell them thank you, so why not start something different?

HR may be a thankless job, but “if you start thanking others, I'm telling you, people will thank you,” he said.

Using only titles or roles when referring to people, such as “the CEO” or “senior leadership,” also puts up barriers. “If you want to deconstruct HR, start treating your senior leaders like people, not senior leaders,” Browne said. Know and use everyone's names.

Shift Your Focus to What Matters

Three words — conform, obey, comply — often define how management sees HR. This tends to be the case when you are spending the majority of your time trying to keep people in line or referring people to the handbook instead of working with them to resolve the problem or having that difficult conversation.

If you are spending too much time on enforcing the rules, then your focus isn't on the people. When you interpret the rules instead, you can better address the situation at hand.

“Quit trying to make everybody fit and care for them instead,” said Browne. “You can have great processes, you should have systems inside that keep people safe, you should have ways for people to perform, but you have to quit thinking of what you're doing traditionally and figure out what works for you practically.”

Similarly, learn to do what you can with what you have where you are. Change has to start with you, not when senior management approves a bigger budget. 

Seminar: Employee Relations — Creating a Positive Work Environment

Follow These Five Tips

Browne offered five additional everyday tips for HR to consider adopting:

1. Own what you do. Even if you landed in HR by accident, let people know that you work in HR on purpose. Be excited about and love what you do, or it will affect how you treat others.
2. Make work magic. Instead of drudgery, make work fun, passionate, and cool. Whether it's magic wands, other toys, or silly celebrations, either have fun at work, or don't go.
3. Be curious. Don't get stuck on patterns. Be as curious as kids are!
4. Be unflappable. The steadier you are, the more you'll be seen as a resource. Don't treat everything like a mountain to be climbed; sometimes you just need to hang with it.
5. Don't go it alone. What we do is hard, so reach out to at least one peer to be your mentor or go-to person.

Lead with Courage

You can make an impact on people every day if you really want to deconstruct HR. But you have to do it differently with every person you see, from every walk of life, all the time. It takes courage, but imagine what life would be like if we never had the courage to attempt anything new.

“Organizations have never been about work. Organizations have been about people who do work,” said Browne. Ask yourselves, which one are you more focused on? “Be the reason someone feels welcomed, seen, heard, valued, and loved,” he emphasized.