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    Human Resources in Crisis
    Human Resources in Crisis
    Human Resources in Crisis
    Ebook62 pages47 minutes

    Human Resources in Crisis

    By Rudolf Hartong

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    About this ebook

    Human Resources in Crisis is a personal journey of Rudolf Hartong. It is a reflection of impressions, experiences, and interviews signalling developments in human resources spanning forty years, which made the author worried about the future of this profession. It is a very practical booklet that describes the bankruptcy of human resources as he sees it and puts forward a way to re-install trust, respect, service, support, and real help to all employees in the interest of the company. The writer mentions the hidden resources of loyalty in a company and their unique local culture, which can immensely contribute to the success of a company. This is especially needed in difficult (financial) times.
    The writer is worried about a too large centralization of the HR function, neglecting the local and unique culture in a company and country. He prefers a quilt, a patchwork, of different HR solutions based on local situations but part of an overall corporate HR policy. He prefers to go for local solutions. In his time as general manager and managing director it worked very successfully compared to fashionable trendsetters, which he calls acting like sheep.
    The author hopes that the reader will re-gain his or her own focus on HR with the aid of this very personal, sometimes emotional, journey a journey about Hartongs conviction that a better way is possible, as he has proven it during his many years in human resources and general management.
    Rudolf Hartongs new book will be published in 2013: GENERAL MANAGEMENT for operational managers: Practical guidelines and answers covering 1001 questions and situations.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse UK
    Release dateFeb 14, 2013
    ISBN9781481782838
    Human Resources in Crisis
    Author

    Rudolf Hartong

    Rudolf Hartong was born in 1947. His education is in human resources, and he worked for forty years in human resources and general management positions – twenty-two in the former and eighteen in the latter. He worked in the Netherlands as a human resources professional until 1988. After that, for the following twenty-four years, he and his wife and their five children lived in seven different countries, where they encountered and experienced various cultures, religions, and situations that changed their lives. Having retired in 2012, he has written this book based on his and his family’s own experiences in the hope that it can help new expatriate families in their decisions and preparations for working abroad. Existing expatriate families will probably recognise the situations that he describes and realise that they are not alone. Rudolf and his wife currently reside in Switzerland. For comments and remarks, you may contact Rudolf via email: rudolfhartong@yahoo.com You can follow Rudolf on his blog: www.rudolfhartong.com

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      Book preview

      Human Resources in Crisis - Rudolf Hartong

      © 2013 by Rudolf Hartong. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

      Published by AuthorHouse   01/25/2013

      ISBN: 978-1-4817-8260-9 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4817-8283-8 (e)

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      CONTENTS

      Section 1

      Identifying the problem: the crisis in human resources

      A. Human resources’ development

      Introduction

      1.   The 1960s and 1970s: the administrator

      2.   The 1970s and 1980s: the professional

      3.   The 1990s: the multitasker

      4.   The 21st century: the administrator

      B. ‘You get what you want to hear’

      C. Actual observations in human resources’ practice

      Section 2

      How HR can regain trust and respect and fulfil the right role in a company management team

      D. General management and human resources: lessons to be learned

      1.   The local unique company

      2.   Managing director/General manager

      3.   Human resources

      4.   HR has a public relations task

      E. Fun in and at work

      1.   Fun in work

      2.   Fun at work

      F. A revival and recognition of HR: regaining trust and respect

      Summary

      About the author

      IMG_2579----.jpg

      This booklet is based on my experiences and observations of forty years working in human resources and management positions.

      Rudolf Hartong

      For Johanna

      For her help, her support in writing this booklet,

      and for forty years of marriage

      PREFACE

      This small book about ‘human resources in crisis’ is based on my forty years of working experience in human resources (HR) and general management. It is neither a scientific book nor an academic study based on theories, but it is a book based on a very practical approach. I will focus on human resources because I see that it is in crisis. It has lost its professionalism as well as the respect and the trust of employees. In general it has lost its identity. In this book I will explain how I have experienced this and my worry about its lack of contribution to the success of a company in the form that HR now takes. I will give examples, but I will also provide suggestions to revive human resources.

      I am writing this book because of the above-described development in human resources, what I called ‘the crisis in HR’. I have reason to do that because HR can really make a difference as one of the main contributors to the success of a company and its employees, which I have proven and shown in my career. It is also based on my professional education in human resources (in HR at Sociale Akademie for four years and a Voortgezette Opleiding (continuing education) also in HR for two years in The Netherlands). The forty years of work have been a journey together with my family, living in seven countries (Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands, Russia and Indonesia), where we experienced different cultures, languages, challenges, and historical changes. During this time I worked for twenty-two years in human resources positions and for eighteen years in general management. Based on my experiences this book is intended for everyone in any country.

      The book is divided into two sections. Section 1 is concerned with describing and identifying the problem: the crisis. It starts with the historical evolution of HR during the last fifty years and goes on to look at developments that hurt the professionalism of HR as well as providing actual observations with examples. Section 2 is concerned with a possible solution to the crisis; it looks at an approach that would enable HR to regain trust and respect,

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