Working as an HR professional often means having difficult conversations with other employees and even bosses. Various conversations can be unpleasant and awkward, from firing employees to listening to their grievances, reporting ghosting from a new hire, and pointing out unnecessary expenditures.
If you are an HR professional and detest having these conversations, know that you aren’t alone. We have compiled a list of useful tips to make these difficult conversations at work easier. So let’s take a look at these tips:
Find a Positive Aspect
Every story has a positive side. Finding a positive angle to the conversation can help you despise it less and help you prepare to carry it out more efficiently. Even if there is no positive angle, utilize your resources to compensate for the other party.
For example, if you have to inform an employee about their leaves getting denied, it might help if you inform them of a time when they can utilize their leaves. You can also give them an extra paid day off to compensate for the decline. While you may feel like you cannot find a positive angle to firing someone, severance pay and a well-written experience letter can help lighten the bad news. As an HR professional, you can tap into your network and find the fired employee leads for job opportunities.
Prepare Answers in Advance
As an HR professional, you may often need to provide proof and documentation for difficult conversations at work. Hence, preparing answers in advance can save you considerable time and energy and help you despise the conversation a little less.
Begin by brainstorming the possible questions. You can gather any documentation you need and label them for easy access. You can also prepare answers in the form of bullet points to keep yourself focused. Relying on data can help you provide satisfactory answers. It is best to avoid writing answers in detail as you might need to tailor the answers depending on the conversation. It might also look unprofessional to answer from a prepared script. However, preparing in advance for such conversations can make them easier.
Create a Comfortable Environment
A comfortable environment can significantly help ease difficult conversations at work. The right setting can help you and the other party speak more openly and confidently.
You can hold HR meetings in the conference room if you don’t have a private office. You can also send a direct message or email to the employee you need to speak with to avoid getting attention from others. Make sure the temperature of the room and the available seating are comfortable. Grab a glass of water or a cup of coffee for yourself. Ask the person if they would like water or coffee before you begin to ease the tension in the air.
Finally, shutting off your emotions for the duration of the conversation can also help you communicate the essential information more clearly. It will also help you to not take anything personally and stay focused as a professional.
