How 'the other place' is faring...

I had the good fortune to attend a lunch at the House of Lords recently, held by Baroness Emerton to celebrate the OBE-ship of our Chief Executive. During the lunch, I was tickled by her reference to the House of Commons as 'The Other Place'.

Quite often this is how HR and Volunteer Management view themselves. Election to 'The Other Place', (oops, I mean the HR profession) tends to require qualifications, while volunteer managers tend to have this task bestowed on them!

I was interested to read the issues that 'The Other Place' is experiencing in relation to their role in the world of work. (People Management - 11 March 2010). The article stated:

'To date, HR has been locked in a destructive psychological battle about its relevance and raison d'être. As Martin Tiplady (Director of HR Metropolitan Police Service) says: "It's a confidence thing. In HR, we make a full-time job out of worrying about our position." He continues: "HR can be too precious about status. To survive, let alone develop, we must get out of this constant cathartic self-analysis. It is indulgent and destructive. It serves no purpose. Not for us or the next generation."

Sounds like a familiar story, although I not sure whether I am encouraged or discouraged by this?! The article continues:

'....For David Smith (former People Director of Asda), the mark of a good HR leader is "to be as un-HR-like as possible".'

Again, food for thought if applied to the Peers (oops I mean the Volunteer Management profession!)