How to Build a Strong Relationship with HR: Career Tools Chapter 1

The Importance of Relationships with HR

• 🤝 The core message is that developing a relationship with HR is crucial for effective collaboration, similar to relationships with direct reports or other internal support providers.
• 💡 Great HR is valued, but bad HR exists, much like bad IT or marketing. The need for HR often arises because managers haven't fulfilled their roles, leading HR to become risk-averse, sometimes co-opted by legal departments.
• 🚀 Building a relationship with HR is presented as the first step in ensuring better HR support, rather than viewing HR as an external, unknown entity.

Practical Steps to Building an HR Relationship

• 📍 Know where your HR representative sits and their name. This is a basic indicator of whether a relationship exists; if you don't know where they sit, you likely don't have a relationship.
• 🧠 Understand their background, such as their education or previous roles, to build a more personal connection.
• 📞 While phone and email are tools, they are insufficient alone. A physical presence or knowing their location is key to establishing a genuine connection.

HR in Times of Crisis vs. Wellness

• ⚠️ HR is often involved during crises or drama, particularly concerning people. This heightened situation makes a pre-existing relationship vital.
• 🩺 Similar to a doctor, a relationship built during times of wellness (i.e., when things are normal) allows HR to provide better support during crises.
• 🩹 Managers who fail to do their