Nothing has ever hurt HR operations and the reputation of HR personnel as the Great Resignation. On the one hand, the Great Resignation made employers realize that the presence of an HR department is essential to any organization. But on the other hand, it made employees and potential candidates see HR personnel as an obstacle to achieving their due rights as workers.
If you are an HR personnel who is struggling to form or maintain relationships with employees during the Great Resignation, here are some tips that you may find useful:
Listen to Employees and Candidates
While HR personnel may not be able to make decisions regarding the candidates and employees, they can still make a difference in how they feel by behaving politely and respectfully. As an HR personnel, you can form a bond with employees and candidates by listening to their issues and their expectations from the organizations.
Your willingness to listen to the employees and understand their issues can greatly change their perception regarding HR. Being an employee yourself, you can also confirm the issues that employees in your organization face. Acknowledgment of issues and problems in the organization by HR personnel can also greatly help the employees trust HR personnel.
HR personnel can also become the voice of employees. While HR departments sometimes work on strict budgets, there is no reason for HR personnel not to put candidates’ or employees’ demands in front of the employer.
Communicate Facts
Employees don’t want to listen to employers, HR personnel, or administration anymore. Instead, employees want to see real actions taken to improve their lives.
As an HR personnel, you can gain the trust of employees and potential candidates during recruitment by telling them facts about the employee benefits rather than promising them a good time at the organization. Research and gather proof of employee benefits to appear trustworthy in your communication.
Communicating the promised benefits through email can also be a move that helps build trust between employees and the organization. Employers find verbal promises hard to believe, but emails are proof of agreement on which employees can hold employers accountable if needed.
Strategize on Improving Workplace
HR personnel are responsible for managing all workplace needs of employees. As an HR personnel during challenging times of the Great Resignation, you can become a voice of reason between the employees and employers.
HR personnel can develop strategies and plans to improve workplace culture that both parties can agree on. For example, HR personnel can negotiate pay with employees while informing them of employee benefits such as paid time off, holidays, medical insurance, travel allowance, etc.
HR personnel can also measure employee performance metrics and communicate them strategically to employers. For example, they can create and display financial graphs to employers that depict how hiring and training new employees can be more costly than retaining existing employees.
Respect is the key
The business rule, “treat employees as first customers,” can greatly help HR personnel redefine their role and perception of employees and candidates. Treating employees and candidates with respect, even if the organization cannot comply with their demands, can also greatly improve the perception of HR personnel.
