Yes, I am a baby boomer who has spent all of my career in HR.
I started in HR in 1978 after graduating with an MBA. I joined a major oil company and quickly understood the rules for career advancement. You were expected to relocate at the beginning of your career every 2-2.5 years to broaden your perspective. If you did not relocate, it was tacitly understood that advancement would be slower and your name would certainly not appear on that mysterious “high potential list”. Work life balance was acknowledged with “Happy Fridays” though flex-time, work share or telecommuting were not acceptable.
HR seemed to be simpler and less complicated when I started. Work life balance issues were simpler. Career planning and developing high potential employees seemed to be less of a jigsaw puzzle. We did not have the internet or emails or smart phones but we could communicate using phones, voicemail, fax, and walking over to somebody’s desk.
Job vacancies were posted in newspapers and every week I would sign letters thanking candidates for their applications and would send all candidates at end of the process a letter stating “We thank you but we selected a candidate with a better mix of skills and abilities”. There were less job applications per vacancy but there seemed to be as large a pool of suitable candidates to consider .
Overall HR was an interesting discipline, but we had to work harder to be at the table; it was less automatic than it is today. But the challenges in HR were more black and white there were less grey’s and HR processes were more linear.
Today HR is so much different. It has evolved because of technology and our workforce demographics are more varied and diverse. It is now possible to post an ad on multiple sites with the push of a button. Applicant Tracking Systems have allowed us to manage hundreds of resumes and parameters allow us to screen out unsuitable resumes without even seeing them. Applicants now have to not only consider their qualifications for a position, but they also need to know about resume optimization so that the ATS will select their resume for review by a real life recruiter. Candidates no longer expect a response to their application unless selected for an interview. The pendulum though has switched so that employees rather than the organization are in the driver’s seat.
Career planning and developing the talent pipelines of leaders is more complicated than the 80’s. HR has to recognize less employees are open to relocation. Developing breadth of experience for future leaders is not as simple or clearcut as it was before.HR and organizations have to be more creative in developing leaders and work life balance is now an accepted part of career planning. Employees no longer accept that career planning will be done for them, it has to be as a minimum- a joint process.
Company loyalty is no longer automatic like it was when I first started working. Loyalty has to be earned. Career paths, learning and development and identifying with an organization’s value now trump (sorry) compensation.
Is HR more complex and challenging today? From my perspective the answer is yes. HR solutions are no longer linear. There is more complexity requiring greater creativity and thinking outside of the box. Though it can be frustrating at times, I do have to admit I love being involved in HR today.
In my search practice, it is often more challenging than ever to find a short list of candidates especially if relocation is required. Travel is no longer considered a plus for many candidates. Developing the value proposition for prospective candidates requires a great deal more thought. Candidates research the employer brand before a decision is made to apply for a position. As a recruiter, I have to be a lot more knowledgeable on my client and a well known company brand does not automatically guarantee that a candidate will be interested.
So if you are a millennial HR and you walk by a Baby Boomer HR colleague (who you know hates their cubicle and longs for the days of an office) be sympathetic to our grey hairs and wrinkles; adjusting can be difficult. We have had to cope with a lot of change and the lack of structure maybe driving us crazy. Though, I am sure some wish for the old days when HR was less complicated, many of us are finding the new reality challenging and exciting.