Diversity in HR – Is it really helping?

In my short span of being an HR, I have been lucky to work with some outstanding organizations including a few Fortune 500 companies (not bragging). One thing I have noticed in HR is the diversity we have which is not enriching the function. I have noticed members from different walks of education, experience, industry etc. in the function. It’s not that I am against any of that but it is the reason behind it which I think is not fair. The diversity is not because it is required, it is because HR is not taken that seriously. I mean let’s face it, as a function we have a long way to cover to get the same importance as a marketing team or sales team. On top of that, having team members who are not equipped with the right knowledge is not contributing much.

To back my point, let’s see few responsibilities of the HR department. Responsibilities include recruitments, employee engagements, compensation & benefits, appraisals, performance management to mention a few. These sound like pretty important responsibilities which demands specific knowledge, experience, skills etc.

Now let’s look at the diversity we allow, are we really doing justice to our own department ? I am sure there will be a percentage of employees who with time will be an asset when they grow but the rest might not be. This percentage of employees when they grow in their roles, will they really be able to take the right decisions? The consequences can be more dire if we do this mistake at senior levels. A team lead without relevant background will not only be demotivating for the team but will be damaging for the decision making process.

Having said that it’s not that we should limit our hiring but I would suggest a more through process of hiring. If the person comes without specific knowledge or skills, we should focus on the right mindset. This makes the hiring focus more on qualitative aspects but so are our job responsibilities, so why not. Rather than having one on one conversations, let’s make it more of case studies. Gauge their decision making skills, their mind set, their thinking etc. Are these qualities inclined towards what our function stands for or are we hiring a mentality which is so business oriented that it will dilute the essence of the HR function? This gives the function a diversity which is not hampering the growth of the function but helping it grow.

These are small steps which help us take our function further ahead. Like every passionate HR I would want my function to be as respected as any other function and not just be considered a back up option of one’s career.

Smriti Pathania