Is it Time to Reinvent Human Resources?

Did you catch this article in the last issue of Reader's Digest, about the supposed dirty little secrets of the HR profession?

If not, you should read it. As you'll see, the article created a firestorm of comment postings on the Reader's Digest online edition. And in my mind, it brought back to the surface the very mixed feelings I have had over the years toward the human resources function in organizations.

Here is a brief rundown of the points of conflict:

1. On the one hand, I have felt that a good human resources department in a large organization, in which ownership and/or top management is several levels removed from day-to-day operations, provides employees with valuable protections against the kinds of abuses that owner-managers of smaller enterprises can often get away with if they want to.

2. On the other hand, when I have needed to hire people, I have sometimes felt that a human resources operation often simply "gets in the way" of the effort to find a well qualified candidate, and sometimes introduces unnecessary delays with excessive "process."

3. On the one hand, I have experienced the ability of smart human resources professionals to leverage the size and purchasing power of a large organization to negotiate outstanding healthcare benefits packages.

4. On the other hand, I have often wondered how much productive capital could be freed up if a more streamlined, standardized, and sensible healthcare system rendered the incredibly redundant function of "Corporate Benefits Administrator" unnecessary. As someone who has always had serious issues with the basic premise of an employer-based health insurance system, I ask, how can one possibly think that it's efficient to essentially require each employer to structure and administer its own specific healthcare plan? But for now it's a moot point. We had a window of opportunity to work toward finally divorcing the unholy relationship between our employment and our access to healthcare services. And we blew it. Or the Administration and Congress that we elected in 2008 blew it.

Just a few of many issues on a topic that, as anyone who reads the Reader's Digest piece will surely agree, is truly a Pandora's box. We can all take some comfort in the likelihood that the author, for the sake of enticing readers, likely exaggerates a great deal in this dismal presentation of the state of HR by presenting only the most extreme and provocative of comments from her sources.

Nevertheless, if the article motivates senior managers and executives to take a fresh look at the role of HR in their organizations, it will have served a very valuable purpose. Sphere: Related Content

Immigration Think Tank Comments on Rising Entrepreneurship Rate Among Immigrants

The Partnership for a New American Economy, an organization focused on U.S. immigration policies and issues, has released a statement on new Kauffman Study findings that the representation of immigrants among new entrepreneurs has more than doubled since 1996.

“For generations, immigrants have founded businesses that are both the cornerstones of our national economy and the corner stores of our local neighborhoods," said New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, co-chair of the Parternship for a New American Economy. "This study is one more reminder that when you move past the political rhetoric, the facts are clear - immigrants are a tremendous source of innovation and enterprise. If we are serious about fixing our economy and creating jobs, then we must fix our broken immigration system.” Sphere: Related Content

Congressional Commission Releases Report on Economic Security Implications of China's Increasing Influence

The U.S.-China Economic Security Review Commission, created by Congress to report on the national security implications of the bilateral trade and economic relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China, has released a new report on the implications of China's growing influence on such international organizations as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, APEC, the United Nations, and the Group of 20.

Trends explored in the report include China’s growing role as a source of aid to the developing world, its increased clout within international organizations, and growing effectiveness in directing agendas toward China's national interests. Sphere: Related Content

Illinois Congressman's Bill Would Create Tax Brackets Up to 49 Percent for the Very Wealthy

The Fairness in Taxation Act, introduced March 17 by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), would create new tax brackets ranging from 45 to 49 percent on personal incomes ranging from $1 million to $1 billion and over.

Schakowsky, a member of President Obama's 18-member National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, is co-sponsor of the legislation along with Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), as well as Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD), Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA), Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), and Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR).

According to a statement from United for a Fair Economy, a think tank focused on "the concentration of wealth and power" in the U.S. and a growing gap between the richest and poorest Americans, the legislation enjoys the support of the Campaign for America's Future, another progressive think tank.

"Any sensible program for deficit reduction must begin with changing the massive tax cuts for the very wealthy," said Roger Hickey, co-director of the Campaign for Americas Future. "Those tax giveaways were a major cause of our current deficit. In an era of excessive inequality we should end Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. We need progressive revenues not just to bring down deficits, but also to finance investments in jobs and sustainable growth. The introduction of the Fairness in Taxation Act is an important step that will be popular with the American people."

Sources: Press Release from United for a Fair America Sphere: Related Content