The mere mention of HR is often met with dread. But at the annual conference of the Society for Human Resource Management, it’s a different story.
Ribbons adorning attendees’ badges read “I heart HR.” Conference souvenirs included similarly branded T-shirts, pashminas, tie clips and blocks of Post-it notes. Despite 100 degree heat, roughly 20,000 people attended the event in Las Vegas last month.
Companies are trying to rebrand HR into something fun and approachable. These days you’ll encounter titles like chief experience officer, chief happiness officer and, more recently, chief heart officer.