The human resources department plays an essential role in shaping and maintaining the culture of a company. HR officers are the first point of contact between employees and upper management, which means they possess some degree of control over how interactions in the workplace proceed.
The role of HR in the workplace has grown over the decades. HR were initially used for completing administrative tasks, but their duties have expanded to include roles in the implementation of corporate strategy.
Most businesses should care about the way they are perceived by others. A business that is known to have a positive work culture is likely to attract more job seekers. HR plays a key role in making sure the company culture remains professional and friendly.
HR’s role in the hiring process
Human resources officers are the first employees that prospective job seekers meet with in interviews. HR uses these interview meetings to educate potential hirees about their company’s culture.
HR also has the duty of sifting through job applicants and selecting the ones whose values appear to align with the company culture’s values. In a way, HR selects who is let into the company, and ultimately adds to the company’s culture.
If HR isn’t doing its job correctly, it may end up hiring employees whose behaviour is at odds with the existing company culture. In such situations HR should attempt to explain the company culture better, and ultimately encourage the new employee to adapt to the existing culture.
The behaviour of such employees can be detrimental to the existing company culture if it is ignored, and HR should know when to replace such employees with better suited ones.
HR’s role in shaping company culture
HR chooses the manner in which employees communicate with one another, as well as how open and friendly the workplace should be.
Employees who overstep boundaries or behave in a manner that goes against company culture can be disciplined by HR. This ensures that employees have a firm understanding of how they are expected to behave at the company.
HR can also identify different areas of company culture and attempt to work on the ones that need improvement. HR are best suited for identifying these due to their frequent interactions with both employees and managers in the company.
HR leading by example
The best way for HR to demonstrate company culture is to lead by example. Employees will often look to HR officers to learn what the company culture entails. So it is important to ensure that HR is doing their best to embody the characteristics of your company’s vision, mission, values, and core principals.
If you’re seeing a misalignment between the official company culture and the actual company culture, your HR department may need to be held responsible.
However, you should remember that company culture can only be improved when each employee puts in effort. HR may play a significant role in shaping and maintaining company culture, but they too have limitations over what they can do.
