Welcome to Oz! We’re so glad you joined our company! We like to think of ourselves as one big family – learning, growing and journeying together. Sometimes we even sing!
-- What HR might say in the Emerald City
Careers in HR are as diverse as the beloved characters of The Wizard of Oz.
Dorothy: HR has a tendency to follow the path of the business, although we should be at the forefront of shaping it. We often pick up wanderers and those who feel lost. We build teams and spur on the courage and hope of others. We recognize “we’re not in Kansas anymore” on a regular basis and wish that everything could be solved with a simple click of our heels. In the pursuit of all that is good, we also have a tendency to dig in our heels and refuse to take them off.
Scarecrow: HR has so much up in our brains can you blame us if we temporarily misplace some of our stuffing. Oh, look, it’s over there…. With ever changing laws, trends and best practices, we hunger for knowledge and are humble in what we do know. Sometimes we are stationary overlooking the broader operations, serving as a steady beacon and warding off ill-will, whether the crows are internal or external.
Tin Man: HR has a heart; sometimes it is buried deep in what feels like a cold, hallow shell. If we become too sentimental, our view can become clouded. If we become too metallic, we lose the humanity we are bound to protect for others. When we get run down, we can get rusty. We require the oil of good friends and community to reawaken us. If we suddenly become silent, our lips are not shut of our own free will.
Cowardly Lion: HR prefers not to roar, but we will when needed. We’re a kind lion, until you mess with our pride – those we protect. Don’t challenge us to “put ‘em up,” because we will fight to the death. When those we love are down, we will cry with them, for true strength comes through vulnerability.
Glinda: HR provides a warm welcome until it is appropriate to hand off orientation to voices of the business. We appear at a moment’s notice when we are most needed. We guide and coach rather than solve issues for you. We send you along an exciting yellow brick road to your own career adventure.
The Wizard: HR often operates as the man behind the curtain. We monitor, orchestrate and field questions on a tight schedule. While our goal is not to be mysterious or distant, we prefer to let others take center stage, while we work hard to make the show go off without a hitch. A strong company is known for its leaders, not its HR team. People lead people; people build relationships – no matter how well worded a “culture” email is from a CHRO. When most needed, we do pull back the curtain and show that we, too, are human. We see people as individuals, lifting them up one at a time.
Who HR Isn’t
In case you were wondering, dropping a house on HR won’t stop us nor will sleeping poppies. Calling us flying monkeys doing someone else’s bidding is incorrect and will likely get you written up. Take comfort that we are not a militia led by a false, narrowminded leader. We won’t consent to quietly riding in a basket. We’re the Toto that jumps out with a mind of our own.
To the Point
All employees are looking for something, and so are we. We want a home, a heart, a brain and the nerve. We want to skip arm-in-arm with you along the yellow brick road.
Image sources:
GIFs courtesy of Wix
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