gemba-Walk[1]

So you are a junior HR person and you are looking to step up the ladder. But how, and where to start. Well after a number of years and a multitude of experiences I thought I would share a key insight.

HR is not a field for dummies. Although the admittance criteria for HR studies at universities are in large lower than other professional fields, if you are studying HR because it is an easy track, stop now. It almost never is like this. This is not a field for amateurs. The real knowledge needed to be effective in the field is immense. You are starting a life long journey of learning and as soon as you stop learning, you put the breaks on to your career.

Do you really know your way around the labour law. This is the base assumption which the non HR manager expects of you. I recently appointed a junior HR officer, only to my horror to realize that she had no idea where or which law to consult on, on basic aspects of the employment relationship. This is just simply not acceptable.

Early in your career you are likely to work in one of the varied field of HR practice. Irrespective of the field you are in, you need to be learning the core knowledge, trends and developments underpinning it.

If you are in Admin, you need to master the It systems, personal tax law and the wide range of regulations governing benefit funds. If you are in IR along with the basic law you need to be on top of the key developments in case law. law is not static but continuously evolving. You will need to be on top of bargaining structure, developments in unions, the social issues impacting on your work force etc. I assume you have the picture.

Importantly on top of your professional HR knowledge you also need to quickly get to understand your organization. If you cannot intelligently engage in discussions around organization drivers and key aspects of the buisness, line leaders are only going to look for input from you on a very narrow range of issues pertaining to HR. How dull.

Companies differ signicantly in terms of the value they see in HR. Most often low perceived value is a result of week HR. While we can seldom just choose who we work for, we can choose who we use as mentors. If you are new to this field, you need a pool of mentors. HR people and buisness people. This is up to you.

MOST IMPORTANTLY  – I have a standard ” legal” instruction for any HR person working for me, before you switch on your computer or answer any mails in the morning, walk the floor. If line leaders see you take a regular interest in an organization they will develop a relationship and a level of trust with you. I recently applied this to a plant HR person and after his first day I asked him how did it go ” the workers were surprised to see me”. The  next week he responded –  “”it seems to be getting better. they are even asking my advice on stuff.” Imagine how it will be in a month. In production they call it a Gamba walk, but for HR this has a different dimension. First it says I care, It also sais I am approachable, it also says I am interested. But most important it says I am in touch. Nothing builds HR credibility more.