Make the most of Blue Monday

Yesterday's Sunday Times noted that today, Blue Monday, is officially the most depressing day of the year - the day when, statistically, our commitment to our present job falls to an all-time low - and is therefore a good time to plan a career break or change.

There must be a few HR practioners thinking this too. Every year, there are more articles on the theme of 'Why we hate HR', and according to last year's Deloitte survey, only 16% of HR executives believe they are highly valued by their business colleagues.

Planning for a career change in these circumstances would be supported by Jeffrey Immelt at GE who emphasises that “HR people need to work for companies where people are valued”, and if they are not, they should leave.

But there is another way. HR can seize the initiative, use evidence from their engagement surveys and whatever metrics the have at their disposal to argue the case for change within their own organisations:

• Putting human capital first:

http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2008/01/more-about-talent-problem.html

http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/12/organisational-capabilty.html

http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/11/mobilising-minds.html

http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/10/more-on-integration-in-hcm.html

http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/07/building-leadership-brand.html

• Developing a best fit strategy to develop this capital:

http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/10/strangely-winning-ways-of-weird-and.html

http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/09/spiky-leaders-and-spiky-companies.html

• Giving HR accountability to delivering the right type and level of human capital:

http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2008/01/hrs-role-in-talent-management.html

http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/09/return-on-human-capital.html

http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/09/can-should-hr-take-on-more_08.html

http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/09/can-should-hr-take-on-more.html

http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/09/jose-mourinho-hr-business-partner.html

• Encouraging use of the language of people to support the management of human capital:

http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2008/01/using-language-of-people.html
http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/12/value-of-human-capital-solutions.html
http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/12/kenny-moore-and-hr-capability.html
http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/10/management-innovation-can-dogs-do-tango.html
http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/09/world-class-hr.html
http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/09/putting-positive-psychology-to-work.html
http://strategic-hcm.blogspot.com/2007/07/managements-human-touch-13-july.html



This could be a Golden Monday if you choose to make it one.