Clergy became Human Resources: those who mean well
The clergy were the religious leaders of the medieval world. They provided support and legitimacy to the ruling class, conducted religious services for the masses, and of course, created their own hierarchy. The upper echelons of the clergy were filled with younger brothers of the nobility, as only the oldest son could inherit his father’s lands and titles. Some people entered the lower ranks of the priesthood out of a sincere devotion to their faith and a desire to serve their fellow man. Others joined for the opportunities it provided for education, advanced social status, or better living and eating. The clergy had a special status, making them exempt from secular laws and many taxes.
Pope
The papacy is the oldest continuously functioning institution in the world. Starting out as the Bishop of Rome, just one bishop among many, a series of popes asserted their authority over the whole church over the centuries, evolving a hierarchy with the pope at the top. Very generally, over the medieval period, the papacy was relatively weak early on, then became increasingly strong in the middle after ~1000, then declined in authority after 1300 or so. The church had significant landholdings, not just in Rome, but included vast estates and territories throughout Europe. Also, the papal monarchy had its own armies, which were used to defend the church's territories and interests. The pope not only ran his own hierarchy, he claimed overlordship over kings and queens, thus influencing the secular hierarchy as well.
The pope has no real equivalent in the corporate world. At its peak, the medieval papacy was just too powerful to have a parallel role. The best way to think of the role of the pope is the power of modern government. If the CEO is a crook, the feds can throw him in jail. The pope could excommunicate a king, which broke his divine right to rule, so neither his vassal nobles nor his peasants owed him loyalty. In the same way, the government sets the rules for the corporate world, and has the power to punish both organizations and individuals when they step out of line.
Bishop
A bishop is a powerful regional leader in the church hierarchy. He governs a diocese (a large territory) from his seat, the cathedra, the origin of the word cathedral, which translates to “a church building so big and fancy that tourists will visit it centuries later.” During the medieval period, a bishop might also rule his region in secular matters, collecting taxes and dispensing justice. Bishops were the top of the religious hierarchy for their region, which granted them huge amounts of status and wealth. These church leaders were often related to the secular leaders - brothers, sons, and nephews of the kings and dukes and princes of the kingdom.
The leader of the Human Resources department at a company serves the function of a bishop. He or she is in continual contact with the CEO and is a member of the executive leadership team. They lead the HR team and are the boss of everyone in HR. Because of this, the CHRO or VP of HR has a huge influence on the culture of the organization: who gets hired, who gets promoted, who can wear jeans on Friday. Yea, verily, young one; wearing jeans on Friday was a big deal in the days of olde. It was a privilege most favored by the smallfolk!
Priest
The priest was the position in the clerical hierarchy most responsible for the local community, the parish. He cared for the people, both in this world and the next. The priest was a fixture for all stages in life: christening babies, marrying couples, saying prayers for the departed. After 1215, the church required all good Christians to confess their sins at least once a year to the parish priest. The priest led services in the church each week and was the primary connection to the wider world of kings and bishops for the average peasant.
Most HR professionals serve the functions of the medieval priest in organizations today. They are the unsung heroes of the corporate world. Whether it’s Alex who helps you with questions about your dental benefits or Avery who explains that you don’t have to say you’re hungover when you call in sick for a mental health day, these HR heroes are there for you. The HRBP (Human Resources Business Partner) helps managers get their best people promoted and raises beyond cost of living increases in the annual review cycle. You may cuss less when an HR person joins your table during an office happy hour, but when you find yourself crying in their office one day, you’ll be so grateful that they’re here to hold your hand in troubled times.
Monks & Nuns
The earliest monks lived solitary lives in harsh conditions to demonstrate their devotion to God. Eventually, these holy brothers and holy sisters gathered to live in religious communities centered in a monastery or abbey. Here they secluded themselves in the cloister and the convent to escape the outside world, focusing as much as possible on the divine. These centers of learning were where knowledge was shared and manuscripts were copied.
There are many functions within the HR organization that focus their time looking inward to the policies of the company rather than interacting with the unwashed masses. The Compensation and Benefits team studies what other companies pay their people to know how loudly to say “NO!” when you ask for a raise. The Training and Development team will happily find you an upskilling course that is less relevant but cheaper than the one you want to take. Right now, someone in HR is working on a wellness program that will tempt you to tie a fitness tracker to your dog’s tail so you can rocket to the top of the leaderboard. The bigger the organization, the higher this ivory tower will stand.
Mendicants
As monasteries grew richer and more powerful, some priests within the clergy wanted to reform to a simpler lifestyle to serve God and the people. The mendicant, or “wandering,” orders came into existence in the early 1200s. Franciscans gave up wealth and status to serve in poverty. The Dominican order was known for its fiery preaching style. These free agents were popular among the peasantry because of their continual outreach to the common people. They provided pastoral care and spiritual guidance to even the most remote communities. They were known to care for the sick, the poor, and the marginalized. These wandering preachers were beloved for showing compassion to all while living lives of simplicity and poverty.
Recruiters are the link between a company and those on the outside. An outreach email from a recruiter can make your day. If you speak with them and they display enthusiasm for the company, you’re inclined to take an interest. A good recruiter can make even a lackluster opportunity seem interesting. Bad recruiters, the ones that ask a series of banal questions that clearly are just checking off a list, the ones that don’t email you back for six weeks, the ones who reach out for jobs that are not at all in your wheelhouse, those recruiters make the whole company look like a clown car during amateur hour.
