Great HR Departments are a support for the manager, not a group that dictates things to the manager or does things in place of the manager. In other words, use their advice and expertise, but do as much as possible yourself.
For example, when it comes to hiring, work with HR to follow the process, but you should be doing the interviews and all the decision making. Review all resumes, not just the ones they send you. You know what you are looking for better than they do. You can ask them to do the screening calls (giving them guidance on what you are looking for), but you should do all the interviewing.
Where HR can help you is in attracting applicants, putting out the job ad, helping you formulate effective and legal interview questions, etc.
Too many managers "delegate" this task to the HR team and that sets up the HR department, the team, and the potential new employee for failure.
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