Establishing a Productive Relationship with HR
It seems all too frequently that employees have a combative relationship with their firm’s human resources department – adopting an ‘us against them’ mentality when, in fact, the reality is quite the opposite. HR is trying its best to recruit, hire and retain the people the company needs to meet objectives and thrive. HR professionals are there to help make the company grow by acquiring and keeping talented people – ensuring they are engaged and satisfied with the opportunities presented by the organization. Both HR and employees have the responsibility to work towards open lines of communication to create the most positive atmosphere possible and avoid ongoing conflict and morale issues.
While engaging in a constructive dialog is important – so is listening! HR professionals, managers and employees need to really listen and grasp not only what is being said – but why. Understanding where the other party is coming from in terms of both theirs and the company’s motivations will establish a new relationship, or help mend a broken one. Or as quoted by Brendan on his site ‘Human Resources Explained,’ “Often in HR we’re so quick to see how we can fix something that we don’t take the time to understand what’s going on underneath the surface.”
According to an Infinite Resource Solutions blog, a resource by definition is a source or supply from which benefit is produced. These resources vary from materials, money, services, and of course people – assets that are leveraged to get the job done. Lumping people into this category can make them seem like commodities as the other assets are on the list – which of course they are not. Both HR managers and the people they manage need to address the challenge of always keeping in mind that first and foremost the greatest asset the company has are its people.
“Customers will never love a company until its employees love it first.” – Anelia Varela, ‘Remember: Your Employees Are People Too,’ Business2Community.com
Many HR departments, especially in large companies, frequently adopt an impersonal approach when dealing with employees – a mass-mailing approach instead of a relationship building one. Organizations and their HR departments need to keep in mind that their people ARE their brand – and you want your employees to be positive brand ambassadors for your firm at all times. At the same time, frustrated employees have the responsibility to inform their managers of discontent as soon as possible – to thwart any ongoing ill will.
Of course, all of this is easier said than done, especially within the scope and unpredictability of human behavior and relations. The main thing is to keep in mind that people matter – and you may not be aware of the issues behind the scenes. Try to walk a mile in the others shoes before you judge too quickly or too harshly – lest you be judged.
It’s isn’t the Mountains Ahead that Wear You out – it’s the Grain of Sand in Your Shoe