Just for Fun: Music for an HR professional?

Brilliant!

As much as I love Dolly, I would love her more if she had sang 10 -3 :)

Thank you, Steve. As you can tell, meetings were not a big highlight of my working life - unless I was chairing them when, as my former would tell you if I paid them enough, they were stimulating and enjoyable!

"We Don't Know Where We're Going" is out, because however much business leaders like to use the language of war in their strategies, we should render to our Armed Forces what is theirs (and also because I can't find this song on Spotify - I had to track it down on YouTube).

"No More Heroes" is in. I was just discussing at work that we should have an "in memoriam" board for colleagues who left so when names come up in a file or old case, we know who's being talked about and when they left. This song reminds me of that. "What ever happened to...?" is a common refrain in HR.

"Dancing With Myself" is a depressing memory of last year's Christmas Party, but it's upbeat enough that I can pretend it's an anthem about being a sole HR operator (although "when there's nothing to lose, there's nothing to prove" is a risky approach to job retention). In.

"Won't Get Fooled Again" is out. Fighting in the streets is the kind of conduct that is likely to get you arrested, whoever you think fooled you into joining in.

"Get Back in Line" might not be best practice when it comes to issuing a disciplinary warning, but being "the chosen few" who "don't have room to spit" will probably feel familiar to many an HR team. In.

"Don't Stop Me Now" is one of my favourite songs of all time, but as I can't honestly say that I've ever "floated around in ecstasy" in even my most favourite HR role, I think this one is better reserved for the weekends. Out.

"You Can't Always Get What You Want" should probably be played during negotiations with the unions. The choir intro is perfect. Unfortunately, the rest of the song is a bit less relevant. I'll call this one a "maybe". The chorus is right on the money, because isn't most of our work trying to make sure that people, if they can't get what they want, at least get what they need?

"At the Edge" is out. I appreciate that Jake's personal circumstances aren't ideal (living on the edge) and I admire his commitment to his personal fitness (running on the edge), but that's nothing to do with why his suggestion box submissions aren't being taken forward.

"We are the Champions" is obviously in! No explanation required.

"Man in the Mirror" is out, but should be encouraged listening for all members of the C Suite who could do with taking a good look at themselves.

OK what about:

Let's work together - Canned Heat

or

I won't back down - Tom Petty (obviously referring to principles not an unwillingness to negotiate!)
or

Fitter happier - Radiohead (if you want to arrive in work depressed)

The Great Pretender (Platters, Sam Cooke, Freddie Mercury and probably dozens of others).

Apologies to Billy Joel...

HR didn't start the fire

Recruitment, performance goals, onboarding, payrolls
Appraisals, sabbaticals, tribunal claimants
PILON, cups of tea, offboarding, I&D
ERNI, Birchell, off-cycle payments

Contracts, retention, turnover, pension,
Temp to perm, hourly rate, now changing their start date
Sickness, annual leave, time sheets are make-believe
OH, working late, too much on HR’s plate…

HR didn’t start the fire,
It was always burning since the world was earning,
We didn’t start the fire,
No we didn’t hire ‘em, though we tried to fire ‘em...

What about songs HR Professionals wouldn't want on their daily playlist.  Where issues emerge as part and parcel of those inevitable ER matters. Such as....

One employee to another, in the midst of an altercation and says 'I dare you to 'Hit me'.... (with your rhythm stick)' - (Ian dury and the blockheads)' 

A manager calls out 'Hey Fatty Bum Bum' (Carl Malcolm) to one of his colleagues as a 'Joke'

Aggrieved employee writes on his social media profile about his manager 'Gordon is a Moron'  (Jilted John) and tags other work colleagues

The troublesome employee spreading salacious gossip who prefaces their sentences with 'I heard a rumour'....(Bananarama)

The employee who gets in late but logs of on the dot of 5.30 who is literally 'Counting every single minute' (Sonia)

That one employee who's attendance is poor gets addressed, stops for a while then repeats the pattern to the dismay of the manager who contacts HR saying 'Its happening all over again' (Lonnie Gordon)

Health and Safety Breaches - 'Accidents will Happen' Elvis Costello

Theft - 'Whodunit' - Tavares

Note - for this its only the title in most cases that relate to HR matters, not the overall song.  

We are the champions by queen of course

Too Much Monkey Business by Chuck Berry (the greatest lyricist of all time)