It is true that the primary goal of the HR department is to protect the company, even if it comes at the expense of a few bad apples. HR managers have to strike a healthy balance between helping employees and ensuring that the company remains on an upward trajectory.
Despite their end goal, HR will have to remain committed to the people instead of focusing exclusively on the wellbeing of the corporate hierarchy. HR staff gets a lot of flak because of the notion that they submit to the powers-that-be. Their haters come in all shapes and sizes, including those at the top of the hierarchy and those who grind themselves day in and day out. Some even complain that it is better to get rid of the HR department entirely, while outsourcing core HR functions.
The “Us vs. Them” mentality
People have a frame of mind that HR is essentially their enemy, and not trustworthy. Employees are unable to trust HR managers and hesitate to voice their complaints and problems. They feel that taking their concern to HR managers could seriously backfire because they would simply report to their boss. This prevents employees from sharing their problems and keeping it to themselves. They continue to remain bitter towards the company, their coworkers and HR staff, preferring to simply keep their problems to themselves. This could result in retention problems in long run.
We don’t need to explain why this frame of mind is toxic to the growth of the company. There is a global shortage of talent, and companies that want to thrive in this cut-throat market will have to make it a top-level priority to recruit, retain and develop their employees.
Getting rid of this frame of mind
The main problem could be that most organizations are guilty of assigning dual roles to their HR staff, juggling between being an empathetic supervisor and a tough enforcer of company policy. The former requires you to have profound empathy for employees while the latter requires you to have a monotonous, lethargic attitude towards people in order to effectively enforce the rules.
On the one hand they are supposed to instill happiness within the culture, while on the other, they are devoid of emotions while enforcing policies, morals and ethics of the workplace. The two just don’t go hand in hand. Some of their toughest responsibilities include legal compliance, training, onboarding, recruitment and conducting exit interviews.
Assigning certain tasks to HR personnel
The core skill for a well-rounded professional, include the ability to speak their mind with others, without offending them. This includes being decisive, communicative, humorous and understanding the psychology of the human mind.
Being able to sense when someone is not feeling well, reading their body language and understanding subtle cues is key towards changing the prevalent “Us vs. Them” mindset. Although some of these skills can be taught, others have to come from within. The ability to relate to other people, understand their problems and being empathetic, requires an innate passion for the job.
Going about finding this hero of the HR world is an entirely different story – but it is important. People will stop hating HR once the misconception is cleared that they’re not creating an environment of bosses against employees.
If your HR department is still in the throes, it is better to let seasoned professionals from JS Benefits Group groom them. Click here to schedule an appointment!
