The one thing that HR professionals encounter, whether in California or not, is the need to justify their positions even when it comes to an issue that will help (rather than harm) the organization. Trying to overcome this is an uphill battle. Every HR person knows that there will be decisions that management will make that will need to be nixed for legal reasons for example. This doesn’t help to win popularity contests but this is what we are hired for. Our expertise in the matters of employee relations, benefits, compliance, ad nauseum is crucial to the operations of an organization. Saying this is not being self-congratulatory or vain, it is the reality of the situation. And while this is true, it does not change the fact that HR is often seen as a burden rather than a benefit (after all, unless you’re working for a PEO, HR doesn’t directly generate income).

Liz Ryan explains this very well in her Business Week “Hiring Line” Column very aptly named “Why HR Gets No Respect”. She is right on when she says:

Here’s the thing: You can’t say that people make your organization what it is and then discount the human-resources function.

I couldn’t agree more. Thank you for saying that Liz.