HR Mixtape 2019

This is a REM themed HR mixtape which I have put together as part of Mark Hendy’s challenge. You have to pick 5 songs which relate to HR in some way.  Why REM? Well they are (were?) my favourite band.

Daysleeper

We spend a lot of our time on auto-pilot, sleep walking through the day, not having the energy or capacity to be curious about the work we are doing or how we are doing it.

In HR we have the responsibility and opportunity to stop people from being daysleepers, to make people feel alive and excited about the work they do.

 

Stand

HR professionals need to be able to stand by our (sometimes not altogether popular) decisions. We must stand by our own beliefs and principles too. And we must encourage and enable others to stand by the values and the organisations we work for.

Catapult

HR needs to be a function that catapults people forward. People should do fantastic work because of, and not despite of, HR.

It’s the end of the world as I know it (and I feel fine)

It might not always be the end of the world, but it sometimes feels like it. And somehow we need to function well and feel fine in these circumstances.

HR professionals need to be buoyant. We need the ability to move with but not get swept away by the challenges and opportunities that we face each day in our exciting but often difficult work. 

Nightswimming

According to Michael Stipe, nightswimming has a sense of recklessness. And a fear of getting caught.

Whilst not reckless, at times HR needs to be bold and push boundaries. Rather than always ask for permission or wait for organisational wide commitment, we need to test  and experiment with new and different ways of working. Rather than fear getting caught, we should be excited about the opportunity for learning and exploration.