Friday I was at an HR case competition downtown. I didn't win for a number of reasons, but I did get to watch the winning presentations, and I had some thoughts to share.
Here's the thing with HR, most people see us as the people you go to to get hired, get paid, and get fired. Periodically we'll plan a social like a BBQ or some company outing. I try to dispel that whenever I can, but obviously there are also the HR professionals who think this is all we do.
Anyway, Context: the case was about Google and insuring that they maintain the level of innovation even with a growing number of employees (i.e. they fear bureaucracy and anonymity within the organization).
Both winning groups suggested some type of physical activity. One suggested an idea of a Google Cup (an international sports league where offices from different parts of the world compete) and the other suggested a survival weekend type thing. So ok, going beyond the insanity of planning the logistics of an athletic event involving 20,000 people, and beyond the fact that a league could not possibly include all the employees in an office, making it a completely ineffective solution... Let's talk a little about discrimination.
White water rafting? Camping? Soccer? Again, let's ignore the fact that as techies, most are probably not athletes. However, as a stationary position that requires only a highly skilled employee, this type of work is something that people with disabilities enter into as a non-physical job. So basically, the only way we can get people to bond with each other is to exclude people with a disability or limited in a way that will mean that while everyone else is out white water rafting and camping and playing soccer, they'll be sitting on the sidelines, or getting done the work everyone else left behind?
Bitch, please.
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