HR growth: what you need to know about the changes in HR?"I loved it," says Yvonne Jackson, senior vice president of human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. at Pfizer, referring to her first job in human resources. In 1970, fresh out of Atlanta's Spelman College Spelman College: see Atlanta Univ. Center. Spelman College Private, historically black, women's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Ga. Its history is traced to 1881, when two Boston women began teaching 11 black women, mostly ex-slaves, in an Atlanta , Jackson joined Sears, Boebuck & Co.'s Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. office as its first female African American African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. merchandising management trainee. Her first staff rotation assignment was in human resources. "In marketing and merchandising you were dealing with product," continues Jackson. "In human resources you were dealing with the human potential. I saw people grow and develop, and thought, 'This is great!' I still have the same feeling and the same focus today. Human potential: How do you capture, develop, and unleash it?" The essential focus of human resources has not changed, yet the scope, impact, and demands of a career in this field have evolved dramatically since the 1970s. While clerical employees in "personnel" could aspire to aspire to verb aim for, desire, pursue, hope for, long for, crave, seek out, wish for, dream about, yearn for, hunger for, hanker after, be eager for, set your heart on, set your sights on, be ambitious for lead the planning of company outings and payroll and benefits administration, today's top human resources professionals serve as equal partners in the executive suite and are expected to optimally leverage human capital through economic booms and busts. Jackson is now head of global human resources at Pfizer, the largest research-based pharmaceutical company in the world. She is responsible for more than 122,000 employees worldwide, reports to Chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Heron A. McKinnell, and is an integral part of the company's leadership team--the top nine Pfizer executives tasked with running the company. Pfizer, producer of the blockbuster block·bust·er n. 1. Something, such as a film or book, that sustains widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales. 2. A high-explosive bomb used for demolition purposes. 3. prescription drug prescription drug Prescription medication Pharmacology An FDA-approved drug which must, by federal law or regulation, be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription–eg, finished dose form and active ingredients subject to the provisos of the Federal Food, Drug, Viagra, achieved 2003 global sales of $45 billion, Jackson also guided Pfizer's April 2003 acquisition of Pharmacia Corp. JOB EXPECTATIONS In today's environment, human resources professionals are expected to come to the table with highly developed strategic, financial, analytical, and technical skills. They must produce metrics metrics Managed care A popular term for standards by which the quality of a product, service, or outcome of a particular form of Pt management is evaluated. See TQM. demonstrating the bottom-line impact of human resources initiatives and, increasingly, differentiate themselves by acquiring advanced degrees and certification demonstrating functional competency COMPETENCY, evidence. The legal fitness or ability of a witness to be heard on the trial of a cause. This term is also applied to written or other evidence which may be legally given on such trial, as, depositions, letters, account-books, and the like. 2. . Human resources encompasses a varied slate of disciplines: * Labor and employee relations--as a functional specialist or a full-fledged lawyer * Compensation and benefits * Organizational development * Training * Diversity * * Equal employment opportunity compliance * Occupational health * Safety or human resources information systems Many follow a generalist gen·er·al·ist n. A physician whose practice is not oriented in a specific medical specialty but instead covers a variety of medical problems. generalist track but have expertise in one area and work with specialists to deliver the full array of human resources functions Co segments of an organization. Rewards are keeping pace with increased expectations. EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Human resources hiring at all levels has been relatively resilient See resiliency. . "Human resources graduates are still in demand, although the economy is faltering," says Regina Duffey Moravek, director of career services at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations. The school is the only one in the world dedicated solely to the study of labor relations and human resources on the undergraduate level. Many employers consider it the premier source for entry-level hires in this field. "As organizations grapple with rapid change and globalization globalization Process by which the experience of everyday life, marked by the diffusion of commodities and ideas, is becoming standardized around the world. Factors that have contributed to globalization include increasingly sophisticated communications and transportation ," continues Dully Moravek, "they are facing challenges that cause them to continue to hire in human resources. Business and engineering schools are really taking a hit. Organizations seem to be deciding, 'We don't need 10 more M.B.A.s, but we need [human resources help].' We graduate up to 50 students from our master's program, in 2003, 98% found employment before or shortly after graduation." The school's bachelor's program graduates about 190 students annually. Greg Hessel runs the human resources practices unit of Korn/Ferry International from its Dallas office. Korn/Ferry places human resources executives at the highest levels and fills middle management positions through its Futurestep subsidiary. "We consider our human resources practice as the second-highest priority, second to our CEO and board of directors practice. We have 20 people worldwide dedicated to the human resources practice, with the United Kingdom, Mexico, Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. , and the U.S. [as] the most active markets. "Overall activity has remained steady through the economic downturn," continues Hessel, who notes that his company did not see a reduction in requests, as did industries like technology, certain industrials, or retail. He did see the approach to human resources change. "The [human resources] jobs became more difficult, and individuals who were not able to be that 'business partner executive' were revealed. A lot of what we were doing was replacing talent that failed. As senior leadership teams have shrunk shrunk v. A past tense and a past participle of shrink. shrunk Verb a past tense and past participle of shrink shrunk, shrunken shrink , it has put more responsibility on [human resources] to deliver in helping companies run in more efficient, effective ways." Life science, including pharmaceuticals, major hospitals, and university systems, have been the most active. There has also been more human resources demand in financial services The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. . Hessel says, with opportunities primarily in organizational management and development functions. "I've also seen a bounce in compensation as executives seek to retain strong [human resources] professionals." EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the 2002 Bureau of Labor Statistics Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) A research agency of the U.S. Department of Labor; it compiles statistics on hours of work, average hourly earnings, employment and unemployment, consumer prices and many other variables. : Of 677,000 human resources, training, and labor relations managers and specialists, 31% were in the training and development functions; 30% were human resources managers; 25% were employment, recruitment, and placement specialists; and 13% worked in compensation, benefits, and job analysis functions. U.S. Census predictions indicate that human resources employment will grow 21% to 35% through 2012. African Americans comprised 12% of specialists employed in human resources training and labor relations, and women comprised 67%. INDUSTRY TRENDS Human resources services organizations are now proliferating Proliferating is the multiplication of a certain thing. Often it is used as a biological term to describe the increase of cells due to cell division. Look under proliferate or proliferation for more details. as companies outsource certain functions. "Outsourcing (1) Contracting with outside consultants, software houses or service bureaus to perform systems analysis, programming and datacenter operations. Contrast with insourcing. See netsourcing, ASP, SSP and facilities management. benefits, training, organizational development, clerical staffing, payroll processing, and human resources information systems is a hot trend today and will accelerate as companies continue to cut costs," explains Joanne Bobinson, president of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (www.naaahr.org). Founded in 1998, its members total about 1,000 across 25 chapters. Robinson, who has 25 years of human resources experience, runs R&R Associates, a part-time consulting firm Noun 1. consulting firm - a firm of experts providing professional advice to an organization for a fee consulting company business firm, firm, house - the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments; "he worked for a . She is one of approximately 4,000 independent consultants. Another trend to watch is how the diversity function is managed and staffed. According to Diversity Best Practices, www.diversitybestpractices.com, a service firm that researches and publishes data on how top companies are managing diversity, 19% of Fortune 1000 companies have separated the diversity function from the human resources function, with a chief diversity officer reporting to the CEO and managing a department of diversity specialists focused on supplier and vendor diversity, employee recruitment and retention, and even customer marketing diversity. Even when the function reports to the top human resources executive, it commands more staff and increased attention. Some see a conflict in this and predict a pendulum swing in the other direction. "I think we've always made the mistake of confusing con·fuse v. con·fused, con·fus·ing, con·fus·es v.tr. 1. a. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off. b. the issues of diversity and litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. avoidance," says Johnny C. Taylor Jr., executive vice president as well as general counsel and secretary for Compass Group The British company Compass Group LSE: CPG is one of the largest food service businesses in the world. It provides catering services to many types of institutions, for example schools, hospitals, companies and nursing homes. North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. , a subsidiary of London-based Compass Group USA Inc., the largest food-service company in the world with 2003 revenues of $13 billion. Taylor, who works in Charlotte, North Carolina “Charlotte” redirects here. For other uses, see Charlotte (disambiguation). Charlotte is the largest city in the state of North Carolina and the 20th largest city in the United States. , is responsible for all equal employment opportunity compliance and employee situations that become legal issues, a separate human resources executive handles all pre-litigation employee relations matters. Compass Group USA Inc. employs over 400,000 people in 90 countries--120,000 of them are in North America. Taylor sits on the board of directors for the Society for Human Resource Management--the largest human resources professional group in the world with 175,000 members. In January 2005, Taylor will step in as the elected chairperson chairperson Chairman The head of an academic department. See 'Chair.', Cf Chief. of the society for a two-year term. "Let's be clear," continues Taylor. "Some things we do because we do not want to find ourselves having to defend ourselves in the court of law or the court of public opinion. Employment litigation is changing the way we do things [in the field of human resources]. It's tantamount tan·ta·mount adj. Equivalent in effect or value: a request tantamount to a demand. [From obsolete tantamount, an equivalent, from Anglo-Norman to what happened in the medical profession. Malpractice malpractice, failure to provide professional services with the skill usually exhibited by responsible and careful members of the profession, resulting in injury, loss, or damage to the party contracting those services. suits changed the way medical professionals handled patients. We will see a new focus on compliance and litigation avoidance; any human resources person who does not see this has their head in the sand. The convergence of sophisticated and litigious litigious adj. referring to a person who constantly brings or prolongs legal actions, particularly when the legal maneuvers are unnecessary or unfounded. Such persons often enjoy legal battles, controversy, the courtroom, the spotlight, use the courts to punish plaintiffs and a [challenging] economy has created a need for well-trained human resources professionals." Pfizer's Jackson echoes Taylor's sentiment about inevitable shifts in the human resources role. "We're engaged in what we call [human resources] transformation. Pfizer has a few hundred human resources people in the U.S., and they spend 40% of their time on administrative stuff. As our systems platforms are enhanced they will need to transition to more organizational development and change management." GLOBAL OUTLOOK Korn/Ferry's Hessel sees increasing placement activity in all markets except Asia. Last year, Jackson spent time in Italy, Sweden, Spain, and Germany, and plans trips to Japan, India, Thailand, and Latin America as she ensures her vision for human resources at Pfizer also takes root overseas. For African American human resources professionals who are excelling at the pinnacle pinnacle (pĭn`ĭkəl), minor architectural motif of vertical tapering shape, usually crowning a pier, buttress, or gable. Although sometimes it appears in Renaissance design, as in the Certosa di Pavia, it is almost exclusively a medieval of an ever more critical and complex function, the payoff is a deep sense of satisfaction that they are engaged in work that makes a difference. "I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. of any other resource that a company can focus on that will have more direct impact on its overall success or failure," concludes Taylor.
JACKSON'S POWER MOVES
Sears, Roebuck Jackson joins Sears as a merchandising intern in
& Co. 1970. She rotates into a human resources job and then
(9 years) back to merchandising Jackson requests a human
resources assignment but leaves when Sears insists
that she remain in a merchandising/marketing track.
Avon Jackson takes a lesser title for a human resources
(14 years) job at Avon, where she begins inexecutive recruiting.
She is given increasing responsibilities in employee
relations and then in generalist roles. Jackson is
sent to Harvard Business School for 26 weeks where
she earns a management development certificate. She
is promoted to vice president of international human
resources. Jackson takes 26 trips to Japan in four
years as she handles a large IPO. She also travels to
Brazil, the U.K., and Mexico while she receives
extensive development in the areas of international
human resources, succession planning, and
compensation. Jackson is promoted to the No. 1 person
in Avon's domestic human resources division.
Burger King Jackson leaves Avon for the No. 1 human resources
Corp. (6 years) job: senior vice president of worldwide human
resources. She partners with the CEO and senior team
to successfully re-engineer the business and execute
a turnaround in one year. Jackson learns the power of
focus and managing major change.
Compaq Computer Jackson serves as the head of worldwide human
Corp. resources. She is responsible for changing the
(3 years) culture, enhancing communication, and upgrading
manager skills. Jackson leaves when Compaq is
purchased by Hewlett-Packard.
Pfizer Jackson is the senior vice president of worldwide
(2 years in human resources. She says that her biggest challenge
current role) has been integrating Pharmacia after its April 2003
acquisition.
HUMAN RESOURCE
SALARY RANGES
(2003)
Human Resources Assistant $26,000-$37,000
Human Resources Generalist $35,000-$80,000
Human Resources Manager $50,000-$80,000
Benefits Administrator $38,000-$50,000
Benefits Analyst $30,000-$90,000
Compensation Analyst $40,000-$90,000
EEO Specialist $45,000-$65,000
Recruiter $40,000-$75,000
Training Manager $50,000-$90,000
HRIS Manager $50,000-$105,000
Labor Relations Manager $60,000-$110,000
Human Resources Director $60,000-$110,000
VP of Human Resources $90,000-$225,000
SOURCE: WETFEET INC. [c] 2003, BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.
INDUSTRIES WITH THE GREATEST
PROJECTED HUMAN RESOURCES
GROWTH THROUGH 2010
Human Resources
Rank Industry Growth (%)
1 Computer and
data processing services 66.0
2 Residential care 55.8
3 Home healthcare services 51.2
4 Personnel supply services 51.2
5 Miscellaneous business services 47.8
6 Public warehousing and storage 46.0
7 Veterinary services 45.3
8 Heath and allied services 44.8
9 Offices of physicians 43.4
10 Water supply and sanitary services 42.4
SOURCE: WETFEET INC. [c] 2003, BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.
TOOLS FOR CAREERS IN HUMAN RESOURCES The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the Occupational Outlook Handbook annually. See its "Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Managers and Specialists" entry for detailed, up-to-date information about human resources careers, outlook, and required qualifications (www.bls.gov/oco/ocos021.htm). The Society for Human Resource Management  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . provides an impressive wealth of resources and state-of-the-art research and support tools (www.shrm.org). The Human Resources Certification Institute, an affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management, oversees and administers programs and examinations leading to certification as a professional in human resources Professional in Human Resources (PHR) is an industry certification for people working in the human resources profession. The certification, awarded by the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), signifies that individuals possess the theoretical knowledge and practical , a global professional in human resources, or a senior professional in human resources (www.hrci.org). The National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (www.naaahr.org) and the Black Human Resources Network (www.bhrn.org) provide networking; mentoring, and professional development custom-tailored to the needs of black human resources professionals. WetFeet is an industry and career research resource that publishes insider guides about a host of careers, industries, and specific companies. Its "Insider Guide to Careers in Human Resources" provides a wealth of statistics, commentary, and advice about breaking into and succeeding in the field (www.wetfeet.com). |
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