By Steven Crane T he human resources manager, as every CFO knows, is a petty bureaucrat, with no more flexibility than a cat watching a mouse-hole. His job is solely to ensure the rules are followed and the forms are filled out in triplicate - and pity the poor saps that neglect to fill in some insignificant detail for the rubber stamp. Alternately, and just as bad, is the HR manager who acts as a moral uplifter, swallowing every new HR fad and fiction. Indeed, if God is omnipresent, then so are his detractors. If it doesn't, then get rid of it.
Some companies do just that, outsourcing the HR function from payroll to recruitment.
But most believe that HR needs to stay in-house. HR may consume a frightening amount of money but bad HR departments can consume more. But to make that investment work, it must be managed as tightly as any other outlay. It has to be a strategic partner with a stake in the future success of the business. In other words, it has to build credibility.