To adapt that key question concerning the Romans posed by Reg, the not very heroic leader of the People's Front of Judea in Monty Python's Life of Brian : "What has HR ever done for us?"

We know the usual answer. It is delivered with a sneer and a derisive snort. HR managers are the "abominable 'No' men" (and women, too, of course). They get together to form "business prevention units". This relentless carping has undermined their self-confidence and surveys confirm that HR people worry that colleagues do not take them seriously. They struggle to influence the corporate agenda.