Setting Expectations: Recruiters, Occupy the Table

There was a time when the common lament heard in the human resources community was that they wanted a “seat at the table.” Mention that in any gathering of HR people today and the audible groans will roll over the room like thunder. Like any other phrase that becomes cliché because it is overworked, misunderstood, and misused, this concept is in reality both right and wrong at the same time. It will always be true that the forward thinking companies will recognize the contribution of those hired to manage the workforce as a company resource. CEOs will not only invite them to the table but bet on them for advice and counsel. This doesn’t happen all the time for a number of reasons. Heads of start-ups that are making money may not see the need for a human resources “expert” to get in the way of doing whatever they want to do. It only becomes necessary when the administrative burden gets so complex that they hire a paper pusher to do the job and call it human resources. Even in a mature business that seat is often vacant simply because nobody has ever earned the right to sit there.

• Recruiters – It is debatable whether or not you should really want a seat at the table. Hopefully, there is a culture of distributed leadership that emphasizes trust in those specialists given the responsibility to bring talent into the company. The recruiting function is not merely an operational unit executing the business of staffing, but also serves to educate management on best practices and steer strategic planning for growth by keeping them informed. Sitting at the table doesn’t guarantee recognition of these talents. Recruiters need access. They need an open door. Recruiters need buy-in from the top that cuts through bureaucracy and makes things happen. Recruiters don’t need to sit at someone else’s table when it is more important for them to open a seat at theirs for the CEO. Leaders with an open mind and open door are more important than where anyone sits even in the metaphorical sense. When communications shut down and the demand for hiring continues, recruiters have a legitimate complaint to be let inside. Occupy the table!
• CEOs – Andrea Jung, former top box on the org chart of Avon Products, Inc. was quoted as saying “Talent is the No. 1 priority for a CEO. You think it’s about vision and strategy, but you have to get the right people first.” Listen to another notable CEO, Jack Welch who said “My main job was developing talent. I was a gardener providing water and other nourishment to our top 750 people.” Successful leaders surround themselves with people that have the knowledge, insight, and courage to make things happen for the company. Listen to them. Talent acquisition professionals are a separate breed of expert because they must have knowledge of the business, the economic environment, the marketplace, and most of all people. Open the door, push their seat up to your table, and be amazed at how empowerment can enhance productivity and profit. Wasting this talent is like using the tires on your limo as a source of compressed air to blow up party balloons at the company picnic. Give your recruiting staff the whole damn table!

So is this demand for the lowly recruiter to be given such a prominent status over the top? Perhaps it is, just a little. When the powerful disregard the source of their power it is begging for an upheaval in demands. The truth is that top boxers can become so isolated that they don’t even hear about the trials and tribulations of an honest and loyal contributor trying to get just one little signature to cut out a step in bureaucracy and make a fantastic hire. A good recruiter won’t work there long under those conditions. You will hear the protest to “Occupy the Table” or maybe just “I quit!”

Acknowledgement: The concept of Occupy the Table is the love child of a talented group of professionals. My thanks go to colleagues in this brain trust Janine Truitt, Steve Levy and Joey Price, bloggers all. Don’t be surprised if you hear more from us on OTT in the near future.

 
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