I am not a resource... [Caution: Rant ahead]

When did the term Human Resource come into use? I remember Personnel department was used before that. While I have not tracked down the origin yet, I believe that it came into being somewhere around the 80's.

It's certainly not a new concept, in fact it's somewhat refreshing to see management acknowledge how the actually feel about employees. I'm sure if we could have went back in time to the building of the pyramids, there would have been staff meetings discussing which techniques caused productivity to increase while decreasing the short term investments involved in maintaining the viability of their human resources. Then the minutes would have recorded the conclusion of a new and modified productivity paradigm of increasing floggings and beatings while decreasing the amount of food distributed to their workers. Then after the pyramids came in on time and under budget, the managers were all given Leadership posters to mount on their walls, so they could feel good about the fine job that they have done. The stockholders slapped the lead foreman on the back, thanking him for his insightful management skills and reward him further by giving him a brand new chariot. He is interviewed for "Taskmaster Monthly" and brags that by the application of these sensible strategies, the building industry in Egypt will be the best in the world, as long as they can continue to replace the depleted human resources with new and stronger slaves. A mile from the pyramids, in a large pit, the remains of these resources are left to dry in the sun and be picked over as carrion by the birds.

Yeah, that's outrageous, but how does that compare to increasing the copayment on medical insurance for families, cutting hours and wages to hourly workers while still making capital investments all around? Cruelty is the same, whether it uses a cat-o-nine tails, or a parker pen. Why do we judge people as worthwhile for making money, while they don't make the world any better except for themselves and their own investors? Why is it incredibly easy to justify anything in the name of the "bottom line"? Why is the bottom line so low-down?


  ¶ 1:23 AM