HR’s job is becoming more monotonous and indifferent than ever before.

The irony is that their primary goal is to deal and properly regulate human behavior. And effectively sorting out disruptive human emotions requires separating robotic monotonous paperwork with empathy.

This is true for most HR groups in modern corporate structures and has become somewhat of a cliché, often used as plot device in popular movies and TV shows for comedic effect. The cubicle after all, wasn’t invented to make the employee’s life easier, it was made to fit in as many people in one crammed up place while giving them the illusion of more freedom. That’s the role of HR for you…

When HR personnel are motivated primarily by company policy instead of the actual problems concerning employees, not much gets done.

Putting the ‘Human’ back in Human Resources

The best way to sort out key HR issues is to solve company problems without sacrificing the immediate concerns of employees. It is true that part of the job description requires firing someone, but it’s how these things are carried out that decides whether employees harbor negative feelings toward HR or not.

Empathy is the key to interacting with employees, here’s how to go about achieving this.

Lending an Ear

HR personnel who know their craft well are aware of the most important skill in their arsenal, which is to listen closely. Listening to employees is key to communicating with them empathetically, but it can become difficult when you’re tasked with dictating the company’s policies to them.

How to Listen Better?

Imagine you’re inching ever closer to solving an employee’s dilemma and just when you’re about to crack the issue, a cell phone rings, disrupting both your and the employee’s attention. This no doubt, takes away from immersive communication requiring you both to start over. This time however, you might not be able to get this close to finding a solution.

The best way to increase the short window of opportunity is to terminate all forms of distractions one by one. Turn off your cell phone (or put it on silent) and ask your team mate to do the same. Close the laptop lid, making sure you make eye contact with them as you do so, to drive the message home that you’re all ears.

Affirming their Concerns

Now that you’ve listened to what the disgruntled employee has to say, it is important you don’t switch sides just yet. Sometimes it is best to just acknowledge that the employee has gone through a bad experience through no fault of their own, and if this demands an apology, then so be it.

Solving the Problem

If you don’t device a strategy to solve the employee’s problem, then you both will go out of it without having made any progress. Make sure you take notes and design a suitable solution.

It doesn’t always have to be a difficult solution; sometimes all you have to do is share the employee’s problems with the manager. Reschedule the meeting with the employee with promise of a solution; this gives both you and the employee time to solve the issue at hand.

This doesn’t mean you should remove yourself from the situation until the meeting is reconvened, it is important to make yourself accessible to the employee. If a good solution doesn’t turn up, make sure you don’t sugarcoat the bad news, lay it out as it is. Always keep yourself available for conversation; this feedback loop is important to keep employees happy.