Human Resources have a responsibility that has long been considered an enigma and a mystery for most organizations. The reason for that depends on what culture the organization specifically has. HR will have to act as the buffer, intermediary and the middleman in some of the roughest and nastiest confrontations within the workplace. HR is designated as the body responsible to ensure that any confrontations of this nature do not occur again. This is just one example of the many tasks that are simply piled on top of HR’s desk. The department is left to tackle the situations which lead to one problem after another.

The evolving roles:

HR professionals and their relevant job descriptions have consistently undergone changes throughout time. Apart from this, there’s also been a flurry of changes to the roles that they are expected to perform. Traditionally, HR has been tasked with being a coach, a counselor, an employee advocate, a business strategist, all the while effectively acting as the bridge that connects the top management and leadership with the rest of the employees. The HR department remains constantly active in order to perform this role as diligently as possible. However, the biggest obstacle they face with regards to effectively performing their role is the plethora of problematic symptoms, such as office politics; that affects each workplace.

While it has been well-established that office politics not only affect employees negatively, it can also prove to be completely poisonous for the entire company. It interferes with each aspect of the organization and is a massive thorn in the way of attaining harmony throughout the organization. It can lead to steep productivity declines, decreased employee satisfaction, increased employee turnover and above all, a toxic workplace environment.

Internal dramas:

Interestingly however, it is next to impossible to get a clear academic definition of the term, “office politics”. It is one of those things that do not raise their ugly heads until they’ve become too strong to resist, prevent or eradicate. While employees may have a hard time explaining in professional terms what office politics really are, they will know it when they see it.

In its most basic form, it might come in the shape of someone getting a better job opportunity, a better shift or a better increment, better benefits, better assignments or a transfer they had requested or even a better office space. These are the run-of the mill problems that arise in probably each workplace, but they soon mutate into an ugly office politics fiasco if not dealt with properly. HR’s major misery in this case, is that even after understanding, evaluating and analyzing the entire situation, it cannot do anything more than submit a list of potential solutions to the upper management.

Best way forward:

They might be acutely aware of what it would take to root out all the symptoms of office politics, and yet the limitations imposed upon them prevent any stern action from their side.

It is frustrating and tenacious but HR will be expected to come up with a solution in spite of all these odds being stacked against them. The best approach in that case would be to try and understand the roots of the entire conflict and approach it diplomatically. It won’t help if one of the aggrieved parties feels you’re in cahoots with the other. It is better to have the entire issue and your proposed solutions in writing, and send them to the proper authorities to take relevant action.

If your HR department is struggling with their day to day tasks, click here to get a consultation session with experts from JS Benefits Group!