To think that this is the best ever sign that the HR department has lost its way!

[OnlyTheDepthVaries]

DH works for a large company. Last week he had to email his HR department asking them to change some personal information. He received this as the automatic response:
"Thank you for contacting People Services. A Support Advisor will reach out to you shortly."

Reach out?? Reach out?? Are they completely mad?? What is wrong with "contact you "?
Should I expect The Four Tops to arrive singing on my doorstep?
Surely this is utter drivel at its best.
Incidentally, this was 4 days ago - they have yet to reach out to him. Good thing it wasn't that important

[MidnightVelvetthe5th]

I have a vision of an arm coming through his PC screen :)

[TendonQueen]

Awful.

[MuttonCadet]

Dreadful!

Do they also have those incredibly naff "motivational" posters?

[ImperialBlether]

And "People Services" isn't any better!

[squicketysquack]

He should send them this

[AnchorDownDeepBreath]

I really, really hate the term "reach out"...

But I was directed to a big study recently that found people respond better to "reach out" rather than "contact you" or the alternatives, so it looks like it's here to stay. I read it open-mouthed. I'd link but free access is through works' portal so I can't.

We're all doomed to reach out

[PiperChapstick]

Should I expect The Four Tops to arrive singing on my doorstep?



I think 'People Services' is equally as bad!

[Flumplet]

Even the term 'human resources' irks me to be honest.

[Nairsmellsbad]

Awful transatlantic drivel

[CraftyPenguin]

Admiral call their HR department "People Services" too. It's just weird!

[ShebaShimmyShake]

People Services doesn't sound any dafter than Human Resources to me. Great email though.

[AnthonyPandy]

People Services is not as bad as Haitch Arr.

[Giggorata]

Totally agree & I have sent that fab diagram out to some colleagues who have used it.... I think they are now mortally offended, but still..

And our HR dept is now calling itself "the HR people"
(aghast emoticon, but don't know how to do it)

[dodobookends]

All HR departments lost their way when they started calling themselves 'Human Resources' instead of 'Personnel' or 'Payroll'.

'People Services'... ugh. Whatever next?

'Internal Stakeholder Care and Support Team'?

[Homemadeapplepie]

squicketysquack you beat me to it with that diagram! "Reach out" is now common parlance at my work too, some of us are still fighting it though. Although HR are still called HR (although individually they have some fancy job titles) I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they rebrand

[PovertyPain]

They sound like the fellas that described themselves as 'vision technicians', on TV the other day. They were window cleaners.

My DH used to be a warehouse operative. I was so disappointed to find out he wasn't a spy in a warehouse, but stacked shelves.

[EmpressofBlandings]

Ours, I kid you not, is "Human Capital". Which is almost as though they tried to think of the most dehumanising thing they could call it.

[vienna1981]

It's yet another example of the corporate jargon bullshit that we humble employees are forced to tolerate. Goodness knows where it came from. I've seen the transition from Staff to Personnel to Human Resources. Laughable nonsense. At my company the HR Department is as useless as it is misnamed. And their staff are called 'Business Partners', whatever that means. I despair.

[ChameleonCircuit]

'Tis just a short hop from "People Services" to "Soylent Green", y'know.

[PiperChapstick]

YY our senior management are called business partners, despite the fact that it's a tax-payer funded organisation

[QueenArseClangers]

Ours, I kid you not, is "Human Capital". Which is almost as though they tried to think of the most dehumanising thing they could call it.


I misread that as "Human Catapilar", like the Human Centipede but with a happier ending

[PiperChapstick]

Human Capital reminds me of the hunger games

[HackerFucker22]

It's not a HR term it's an Americanism. I work for UK subsidiary of a a US company and this term is used daily. Makes me want to poke my eyes out!!

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

Reach out is awful.

I hate "stake holders" as well.

[BeaufortBelle]

You do realise the change of name to people services, reaching out, and support adviser will have involved four committees, eight sets of minutes, a focus group and half a dozen three to four page papers about the impact of the change on staff performance and perception in the context of the well being agenda? There will be some data about the reactions of demographic /ethnic groups too.

Fuckwittery. Halve the HR team, focus in getting shot of employees everyone else is carrying and give everyone else a bonus from the cost savings.