Good Things Come In Threes-for HR

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Jul 1, 2006 - HRMagazine

It's said that bad things come in threes. But sometimes, good things come in threes, too. And this particular set of threes is all about advancing the HR profession.

First, I'm pleased to report that in April we completed the 10th and final taping of the 2006 season of "CEO Exchange," a program sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) to help promote the critical importance of human capital management. The show, featuring CEOs talking with each other and with moderator Jeff Greenfield, offers a great opportunity to hear how CEOs approach business and human capital strategies.

The series has started airing in 21 of the top 25 U.S. markets on PBS stations. Check your TV listings or contact your local PBS affiliate to determine when the program airs in your area.

In another positive development, a recent SHRM survey confirms that HR leaders are fulfilling highly important roles as advisers to compensation committees in many organizations.

According to the 2006 HR Practices in Executive-Level Compensation Survey Report, HR professionals are providing compensation committees with information on their organization's overall compensation structure, analyzing industry best practices, and, in many cases, developing pay philosophies and designing executive compensation plans.

Increasingly, HR professionals are called on to integrate the different layers of executive-level compensation-legal compliance, consistency in pay philosophies, benefits and perks-to ensure that they meet the organizations performance objectives and ethical standards. The controversy over excessive executive compensation and the requirement for greater financial transparency have led organizations to rely on their UR leaders for this critical function.

And to complete the triple play, a recent Money magazine and Salary.com survey of top jobs in America ranks "human resource manager" as the fourth-best job in America. CNN, Money magazine and others reported the results.

According to the survey, HR rates high in flexibility, overall compensation, opportunity for growth and job satisfaction. Furthermore, the survey highlights HR's strategic role: "directors and VPs are considered strategic planners. Even lower-level managers are expected to design employee programs that benefit the bottom line."

These developments-an acknowledgment of the importance of human resource management on a top-level business program, the emphasis on HR's critical responsibility for establishing sound compensation policies, and the recognition by leading business media of HR's strategic importance-clearly illustrate that our profession functions at the highest level in many settings.

Yes, good things can indeed come in threes. But for HR, it has nothing to do with luck or superstition. It's about preparation and dogged determination to fulfill a mission: to ensure that HR is valued as a critical component in the success of any organization in the world.

Online Resources

See the online version of this column at http://www.shrm.org/nrmagazine/ 06July for links to:

* The "CEO Exchange" web site.

* SHRM's 2006 HR Practices in Executive-Level Compensation Survey Report.

* The Money magazine and Salary.com survey of top jobs in America.

Copyright Society for Human Resource Management Jul 2006