ABSTRACT
Of all of the great staff relationships I’ve enjoyed over the years, few were as special as the ones I’ve had with my human resources (HR) managers. They have always been my confidant and partner on all of the sticky issues that rear their heads when you have hundreds of people in the mix. The HR leader understands that each plant tends to be a microcosm of the community in which it operates, and he must be prepared to deal with any and all issues that may arise. The best I’ve worked with have had a calm and patient demeanor, were great listeners, and had a reputation for consistency and fairness. They also were good evaluators of talent and understood that all supervisory jobs are people jobs and require good soft skills. Individual contributors who don’t understand that need not apply. While I’ve often worked with great corporate HR folks over the years, this chapter focuses on the role from a plant manager’s perspective.
