Playing the HR game

First, human resources was a profession. Then it lent its name to Human Resources, a dour 1999 French film in which a callow HR person sells his father down the river in a management-versus-labor confrontation.

Now, Human Resources is a reality-TV game show. And, God help us, it's a hit.

It began life in April in Argentina, a nation where the economy is in ruins and the official unemployment rate is around 22 percent. On the show, people vie for jobs in a format that's reminiscent of Queen for a Day, the weepy game show that ruled daytime TV in the 1950s. According to the Christian Science Monitor, Human Resources is drawing ratings twice as high as those of the soap opera that used to be in its time slot.

Human Resources doesn't have a lot in common with the real profession of HR and its interaction with job applicants. Yes, there are interviews and tests. Contestants also experience an unpaid trial day on the job, where they're subjected to real-life job stresses, such as having to deal with a customer who insists on paying with fake pesos, according to the Monitor.

But qualifications don't get contestants the job. It's inevitably the person with the most heartrending story who wins the audience's vote and the one-year job contract, which comes with full benefits. Sometimes, the company that has sponsored the winning job will also offer a position to the runner-up. It's good PR.

Not everyone thinks Human Resources is a good idea, of course. Just as with Queen for a Day, critics say the program exploits human misery for no other purposes than entertainment, ratings, and advertising income.

But misery, ratings, and money are the trifecta of TV Last month, Sony Pictures Television International acquired the format rights to Human Resources and headed off to find buyers for the concept at a TV trade show in Cannes.

"In addition to its truly feel-good outcome, Human Resources also imparts valuable insights and guidance for anyone who will ever be looking for work," says Steve Kent, Sony's executive VP of international productions. Right. The toughest tough-luck story gets you the job? I don't think so.

Considering that reality shows like Survivor and Big Brother began in other countries and migrated here, I think it's only a matter of time before the United States gets its own version of Human Resources.

There's Kathy Lee as hostess, warbling a rugged American work song to open the show. She wrings every teary detail from contestants during their interviews. There's a Vanna White look-alike, pointing out the health and retirement benefits the winner will take home. Must-see TV, indeed. What humiliations will laid-off Americans endure to win jobs--especially if they come with those benefits? Contestants bungee-jump from buildings and eat bull testicles on Fear Factor for $50,000. What would they do for a job?

I'm not suggesting that you rise up as a professional and protest the show (although it would be interesting to see how much clout HR has). But it's worth remembering how much power you hold. On some days, jobs are just your job. But every day, there's nothing more precious to people than work.

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