Weathering the Highs & Lows in Human Resources

As any HR professional knows – peoples’ moods can change like the weather. Keeping a workforce happy, productive and engaged (not to mention retained) is a full-time job both for human resources and managers. Having the right tools goes a long way toward helping both the employees at an organization, as well as the managers and HR staff, working cohesively together…

According to '7 Strategies for Dealing with Difficult People at Work,' "No matter what industry you work in, sooner or later you are bound to deal with at least one very difficult person at work. Sometimes the difficult person is a customer, sometimes a coworker, and in some cases the difficult person is even a manager. While the exact method for dealing with the person may vary slightly depending on their position and the specific troubles, there are some general strategies that can be applied to most situations with difficult people."

Approaches mentioned include: staying calm and focusing on the issue (not the personalities) at hand, seeing an issue from the perspective of the other person, acting respectfully and with empathy, and bringing in management when needed. "Like the old Saturday Night Live character, Debbie Downer, some people are only happy when they’re unhappy and bringing down everyone else around them too," says Kevin Kruse in '8 Tips for Dealing with Difficult People' on Forbes.com. "Creating a great workplace culture should be everyone’s job. Don’t let Debbie and David Downer harm your company or your own level of engagement at work.”

"Organizations with great cultures tend to have something in common – they treat their employees like they treat their best customers, as outlined in ‘Treating Employees as Customers,’ by Kraig Eaton and Himanshu Tambe.

"Few executives underestimate the importance of a dedicated and committed workforce. It is employees who serve on the front lines of customer service and represent the company as brand ambassadors. It is employees who help meet business objectives. And it is employees who are ultimately responsible for the organization’s success.”

And a key technology component in delivering this exceptional employee experience is the HR Service Delivery solution.

HR Service Delivery systems, including their personalized self-service portal play a significant role in treating employees like customers, by delivering a positive HR service experience.  And a positive experience is a big step in converting difficult employees into delighted employees. "No matter your job or your workplace, dealing with people effectively is a must for success. Dealing with everyday people successfully will make work more fun and inspiring. Dealing with people is both a joy and a challenge," Susan M. Heathfield, '10 Tips for Dealing with Everyday People at work.'