March 19, 2004
President's Letter
HR Professional, Counsel Thyself!
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| Bill Ayers |
| President & CEO |
| Tel: 212.889.7788 | bill.ayers@ayers.com
My letter in the spring 2003 issue of the Ayers Report commented on the deep levels of uncertainty, anxiety, and demoralization we were seeing among human resources executives. The best way to stave off a serious illness is to deal with symptoms as they arise, and knowing that HR takes care of everyone but no one takes care of HR, we challenged you—our colleagues in HR—to start taking care of yourselves.
A year has passed and it’s clear to us that the symptoms not only persist, they have, in many cases, gotten worse. This concerns us deeply. This is not a time for you to be neglecting your needs. Although job growth remains slow, recent surveys indicate CEOs are ready to start hiring again.
After a long, traumatic period of downsizing and running thin, you’ll be engaged in upsizing and dealing with retention and replacement issues as employees bolt for greener pastures. And you’ll be coping in general with organizational change. HR most likely will not be the first function to staff up, so you’ll continue to do the work of multiple people. You may yourself be tempted to jump the fence but take a good look before you do: the grass is just as parched on the other side.
We at The Ayers Group are here to support you. The 28 years of success we’ve enjoyed are the result of being attentive to your needs and the issues and challenges you face every day and adapting our practices as they change. Over the next quarter, you’re going to be hearing from us, one on one. Our goal will be to discover:
§ What is causing you anxiety, stress, pain
§ What your plans, goals, and aspirations are
§ What you’re doing for yourself
§ What you need from us
While we certainly can help you, you need to help yourself as well. Here’s a basic prescription that can serve as a starting point.
§ Don’t neglect your physical health. Exercise, maintain a reasonable diet, and get enough sleep.
§ When worries build up, don’t hold them in. Talk to someone.
§ Find a program of stress-management strategies that works for you.
§ Participate in HR networking groups/professional associations.
§ Stay current on new HR competencies and programs.
§ Reevaluate your career direction based on the future focus of the HR function.
§ Meet with your Ayers Business Development contact, who can share what other HR professionals are doing, introduce you to new networking contacts, and in some cases reconnect you with former colleagues.
§ Network within your own organization to keep your finger on the organization’s pulse, remain visible, and scope out possible advancement opportunities.
§ Evaluate how you and your communications style are changing as the environment changes. We’ve got tools that can give you feedback along those lines.
Remember, you don’t have to wait for us to get in touch with you. You can always reach me at bill.ayers@ayers.com.
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