By Neil McEachern, CHRP Candidate

One can safely state that in recent years there has been a large expansion of practitioners joining the field of human resources.  Why is this the case?  Why has our chosen field so greatly attracted this generation into joining the ranks of HR professionals?

To determine this, we must first explore the origins of human resources and investigate the changes that have occurred since its beginnings in the early 20th century.  We will then progress to its current state and examine how this relates with the ideals of the millennium generation that has ultimately caused the number of new HR practitioners to swell.

The origins of human resources can be tentatively traced back to one of the most critical times of civilization, the industrial revolution.  Without the mechanization of the textile industry in Europe in the early 19th century, it would be difficult for one to posit that what we know as Human Resources would exist in its current form. Why? Because the introduction of mechanization, aided by the invention of steam power, was what catalyzed the shift from our primarily agrarian roots to an industrial society; the backbone of this new society was the factory.

The working conditions found in factories along with public policy (mainly in response to employer action against workers attempting to unionize in the early 20th century), gave birth to the predecessor of our field (consequently still a part of it), industrial and labour relations.  As union membership began its retreat in the later part of the 20th century, we saw a decline in the effectiveness of industrial and labour relations with more and more employers being non-unionized.

However, employees were still a valuable resource that need to be managed effectively, and thus personnel administration was born.  Unlike today, where employers are known to value the true potential of their employees and thus see our profession as a key piece to tapping said potential, the employers of the mid to late 20th century had yet to fully realize this.

The onset of the 21st century led to many changes in our field: primarily the realization by employers that employees were more than just cogs in the system and that there was value in attempting to effectively motivate and manage the workforce to help reach an organization’s full potential.  This evolution was aided by thought leaders in our field who began to challenge the status quo of personnel administration and ultimately lead to the creation of the term “human resources management”.

One of these thought leaders was Dave Ulrich, who is credited with defining what have become four key parts of our industry:

• the alignment of business and human resources strategy (the HR business partner);
• administration and operational reform (HR administration);
• employee engagement and relations; and
• and operational transformation (HR change agents).

Ulrich’s thinking, along with other academics paired with business leaders such as former GE chairman, Jack Welsh (a noted fan of our industry), have helped to further advocate the value of our field to not only current business leaders but also the new entrants to our profession.

As stated at the outset, there are two parts to the recent swell of HR professionals; the second part we must explore is what is driving the millennial generation to embrace this profession?
The running commentary on the millennial generation is that they are made up of ambitiously entitled narcissists who show utter disregard for traditional social conventions; how this parleys into a boon of new HR practitioners is anyone’s guess.  The accuracy of this generalization has fortunately been disparaged by the emergent reality of a workplace in the throes of ongoing change.

Our field has changed significantly since its origins as industrial labour relations in the early 20th century and this, as well as having finally moved into the C-suite, has shown that our field is one full of potential.  That potential is being realized across the full generational range of the workplace, but it is important to note that it is Gen Y and the millenials who are most comfortable with changing tools and demands of our profession.

There has also been a shift in recent times in the field that has required us to show HR’s bottom line value, thus leading to the creation of a more strategic field of thinking that requires less empathy than was previously required (i.e. “I went into HR because I love people”).  In short, HR is serious business and this has transformed our profession into a similarly serious career opportunity.

These changes ultimately have helped to attract individuals who are ambitious and motivated to make an impact in the workplace, which is something that human resources management can and does offer to its practitioners. Whether acting as business partners, in administration, engaging employees, or as change agents, HR invariably matters on multiple levels.

As the commentary on the millennial generation continues to evolve and our profession changes, one can expect to see an ever increasing number of people attracted to the endless potential found in the evolving field of Human Resources management.

(PeopleTalk: Spring 2012)