HR Stereotypes - Post-It Notes, Shopping and Dreams of Strangling Employees?

Here's a hard hitting piece of HR news - HR pros like to use post it notes, dig shopping above all else and dream of strangling employees. 

Guess the provider of that piece of hard hitting, yet stereotypical news?  A local newspaper trying to take a dig at stereotypes of HR pros?  Perhaps a hard-hitting business magazine like Fortune or BusinessWeek having some fun at HR's expense?

Um, no...the source was SHRM, the biggest HR organization under the sun.  Nice! 

Find the "behind the wall" rundown of the 2007 survey of HR "pros" at SHRM here (you'll need your SHRM member number, which is fodder for another post), based on a Halogen Software sponsored survey of 750 HR people. In any event, here are a couple of the hard hitting tidbits:

"And while it lacks the flash of technology, one HR professional lists Post-it notes as a workplace favorite, observing “I go through almost a pad every two weeks.”

Football remains HR’s favorite sport, but the Dallas Cowboys replaced the Cincinnati Bengals in their hearts this year as the favored team.

Among baseball fans, the Boston Red Sox continue to rank as HR’s favorite team, although one HR professional pointed out that “shopping is the only recognized sport in my world". As for New Year’s resolutions, one HR professional will strive “to not strangle our employees.”

Here's the thing from my perspective.  I get that the survey is supposed to be fun, and I really don't care about the results, because I get that I'm probably different from the norm.  What's hard to fathom is the fact that SHRM would pick the survey up and rather than sticking purely with what the overall quantitative favorites of HR pros are (cars, TV shows, etc.), they pull non-scientific, single examples of what one person likes, and those examples make the profession look like dinosaurs, shopaholics and non-professionals who talk about employees behind their backs (we want to help you, until we want to strangle you..)

They could have gone for the HR pro who can't live without Firefox, the marathon runner and the person with the resolution to start a career ministry at their local church. Of course, you don't see sales organizations yucking it up by pulling single quotes from industry studies citing a need to strangle customers, the challenge of passing on the fourth martini at lunch and a weakness for harassing receptionists everywhere.  Wait, you're right, they've learned not to stereotype their members... 

It's pretty weak.  The poll was conducted by Halogen Software, and we've had Sean Conrad from Halogen guest post here at FOT.  I'll let Sean or the Halogen team hit us in the comments whether they pulled these individuals out of the more scientific results, or if that was SHRM's call.

For now, gotta go.  The mall opens at 10am, and I've got to work through my stack of post-it-notes before I can fulfill my shopaholic needs.  Plllllease...

Comments

[jessica lee]

class act, class act. us HR pros are nothing but class... meet you at the food court?

[Michael Haberman, SPHR]

All I can do is let out a big GROAN!

[JBD]

I have to believe SHRM released this article tongue-in-cheek... for the sake of my own self-worth as an HR professional! And no- you don't need to be a SHRM member to read the article.

[Jason Pankow]

Can I cast multiple votes just to get the stupid Red Sox off the top of that list?

[Jason Pankow]

Can I cast multiple votes just to get the stupid Red Sox off the top of that list?

[Donna Ronayne]

Hi Kris,

As you suggest, Halogen's annual HR Holiday survey is meant 100% for entertainment purposes only! We have conducted the survey for 4 years now and provide SHRM with a summary or our findings. (You have, in fact, commented on the 2007 survey.) Even though SHRM decides what 'fun and interesting' tidbits to publish from our summary we truly believe the folks at SHRM also view this as entertainment and nothing more. The respondents to the survey can be quite funny! I am sure the intention was to share their wit. You should also know a portion of the survey summary not included in the SHRM wrap up covers what respondents resolve to do in the New Year on the HR front. The answers we receive to the New Year’s resolutions questions are strategic, insightful and honest, demonstrating HR pros are professional, intelligent, and committed to the success of their organizations.

[Free Printable Coupons]

Save on all your online purchases by using discount coupons.

[Kelly Dingee]

Sorry SHRM, you need to draw a line in the sand - are you trying to be a respected industry hub or do you want to enter the land of snarky bloggers? Cool if you go with snarky but you need to catch up - probably not the right time to participate in this particular venture. You have to choose but you lose cred and do a dis-service to your serious stat oriented, legislation dissection side when you participate in this stuff.....

[Free Printable Coupons]

ClickMyCoupons.com provides you with the best free coupons on the internet. We have hundreds of discounts, deals, coupons, codes and free shipping deals from your favorite merchants!

[HR Software]

I think SHRM is overrated. It seems like some of their major information available on their site you have to pay for. With so many resources on the internet, why should you have to signup to view recent HR News?