Woolcott:
Have a look on the QF intranet - there is a management tree showing 27 (yes 27!) HR managers in engineering alone - surely they would have to be a target - what exactly do they do anyway?
I thought it was obvious: Each HR Manager makes work for the other 26 managers.
Guess how many HR Managers there were in Ansett Engineering back in the 1970's?
Zero.
Your "real" Manager, who was always a respected bloke who had Thirty+ years of experience on the floor was your HR Manager.
He organised your training, signed your leave requests (subsequently handled by a couple of ladies who also organised pay), provided counselling (marriage guidance, financial, child rearing, etc.) and the occasional bollocking. They did it quickly, effectively, cheaply, and automatically because they knew bull**** when they heard it. I remember one chap who had is career put on hold until he broke up an affair with one of the office girls and went back to his missus.
I've never used an HR manager in one of my businesses, the most I've ever done is employ an HR consultant to train and advise line managers in their HR responsibilities. My motto is "Their your ****ing staff, you are your own HR manager!"