Why You Should Stop Using The Term “Human Resources”
Are we human, or are we cogs in a machine?
History of The Term
In 1893, John R. Commons coined the term “human resource” in his book The Distribution of Wealth, which gained stridency during the 1910’s and 1920’s, ultimately becoming a common phrase after its use in a 1958 report by economist E. Wight Bakke.
Problems With It
So why do we continue using a term that originated from the 19th century? Out of pure habit, and a lack of awareness. As we’ve moved past the Industrial Age and Taylorism, and wandered into the ethical quandaries of neoliberalism, organizations now find themselves on the cusp of a movement towards mindfulness — towards recognizing that humans are not spare parts for labors but multidimensional beings motivated by more than just money.
By recognizing that these literary transgressions exist in our workplace and do in fact undermine the culture in subtle ways, we can begin to notice, and ideate on more intentional language. Ryan Hoover wrote a piece about how the word “employee” makes him cringe, and listed the following three suggestions:
- “Employees” → “Teammates”
- “Work for me” → “Work with me”
- “My team” → “Our team”
If you’re still feeling skeptical, ask yourself the following question:
If you are an employee at a company, are you more motivated when called a “resource” or by your name?
Speaking from experience, I know the subtle dehumanization felt when others and myself are described as “resources” needing to be allocated to different projects, rather than people feeling motivated towards a greater purpose.
Benefit of Moving Away From People-as-Resources Terminology
The biggest benefit to moving away from this kind of language is that it celebrates our humanness and all it has to offer:
- Motivations transcending financial compensation
- Aspirations transcending the workplace
- Strengths transcending the job description
Suggestions
If I could rename Human Resources to another term, here are a few ideas, some wackier than others.
- Team Builders
- Wellbeing Trustees
- Happiness Champions
- Ubuntu Coaches
- Potential Catalysts
- Tribe Caretakers
- Employee Success (Salesforce)
- People Operations (Google)
What other ways can organizations become more mindful and intentional with language? Leave a response below!
