Hi!
Please try and implement the suggestions given by Mr Hussain. They are excellent, time tested and really work. Ask your HR to present herself as a relaxed, approachable and affable person, but without comprising on the discipline. Wishing you and her the very best.
Capt Shalini Nair
Manager HR & Training
The Bella Vista

From India, Chandigarh
Dear Simhan,

I have not faced any such experience in our organization. We give enormous freedom to employees. We are transparent and open to everyone. Still I remember what our Md told me when I met him during the interview jokingly, "see our cabins; that are made with glass, so that people can see me from outside as to what am I doing inside".

We are 40 years old company we started manufacturing single lift in year way back in 1968-69 and today we are doing not less than 6000 lifts in a year. We have grown and enjoying No.1 position on All India basis. We have 40 branches all over India and branches in Srilanka, Nepal ane Male.

All these were possible only because we believe in people. The trust we developed over a period of time. There is no Union in our organization. Whoever wants, and whatever they want, can straight approach HRD Department and ask. HRD deparment if it within the ambit of the system, do not wait for anyone's approval, and immediately sanctions it. Some points that needs intervention, still taken up with higher ups, and special approval is taken.

By that time I was writing this, I had to go to meet someone who came for interview (who was with our organization 3 years back) seeking employment in our organization. I asked him "what is the reason for his quitting my organization and what made him to decide to join my organization again"; he said, "he left the organization for salary, and wants to join my organization for career". I am going to consider him for our requirement. I do not have to ask anybody. That is the freedom I enjoy in my organization and anybody for that matter in their department. There are many people in our organization who quit us came back and joined again.

Therefore, Ideally, the management must practice good working culture, so that people always cherish the memories even if they quit.

Coming back to the question that the poster has put forth here. He is trying to understand that whether the same trend is practiced by other HRD Dept in other companies. If most of us endorse, 'yes, in our organization also we are facing the same problem", then poster of the question may conclude that it is common phenomenon and he would not take it so seriously. On the other hand, if we say that our organization is different then he might like to fine tune the department or the Manager himself, so as to be acceptable by the employees; and that is what I feel from his question (am I right Mr. TKS?).

Balaji

From India, Madras
Thanks Balaji for responding to my queries. Yes, you have read Andy's mind. That's what he is trying to find out (How common is the problem he is facing?).
Posts like yours explaining the position helps him. Having an open plan or glass windows through which people can see what happens, is similar to the latest trend in some hotels and take aways where people can see what's going on in the kitchen (How clean it is, how food is prepared, etc.?). It helps to generate confidence.
Giving you freedom is similar to what is practised by SAS explained in the book "Moment of Truth" by Jan Carlson.
Have a nice day.
Simhan

From United Kingdom
Dear Andy,
I agree with Hussain's words. It is HR personnel's duty to maintain the sound relation with the staff and handle their issues. This can be done by regular interaction with the employees. Try to involve employees in the employee welfare activities and arrange some weekly meet with employees like how u arrange birthday celebrations. U can arrange open house on saturdays for 20-30 min. and invite jokes and watever they want to comment(should be healthy). Trust me such things can improve employee relations with HR.
HR should know hw to maintain a sound relation with employees.If employees have started disliking HR then try to find out what r the reasons in the roots. If you think that implementing Strict policies is the reason then u should be able to explain the advantages of the same as well.
Sejal

From India, Mumbai
Dear Mr. Andy,
The case is really interesting, but you need to to analyses whether the policies that are framing by your HR manager after complete evaluation of your company culture and work environment. Agreed their is a resistance to change but tell her to firstly sell herself to the employees try to built up trust within them dont just hammer them with all HR policies, yours is a manufacturing so blue collared employees do have separate mind set. Even I joined to organisation which did not had HR dept. but after joining I removed all the nonconstructive policies about management and developed some really good policies about salary on time, OT to be paid on time with proper rates, suggestion boxes, Kaizen & 5 S, incentive schemes, training that were easily accepted by them the after the strict policies were implemented and they also got accepted with not much resistance. Pl tell your HR manager to built up trust and faith amongst employees.
Warm regards,
Nikhil

From India, Pune
Dear Andy,



Of course, your question is very valid and crucial. I appreciate your honest attemp to know the intricacy about HR. But frankly speaking your question misses one aspect, "is disliked."



There is a lot of difference between the terms, "need to be disliked" and "is disliked."



In fact, based on my in-service experience of about 40 years and post service experience of 10 more years, as a consultant, my firm opinion is "HR does not need to be disliked, BUT is generally disliked by the employees". But generally the HR personnel neither try to know, nor want to know why they are not liked by the employees and how they can avoid that dilemma, while the answer is quite simple for them to understand, provided if they try to understand. That is ......

Their own attitude and the working style.



In this respect you may also like to see my post on the issue of employees attrition from the following link:

http://citehr.com#post1551555



In your eyes your HR Manager may be an experienced person, but I may frankly rate her as an inefficient Manager, if she is being disliked by her subordinate employees, as she has not been able to learn anything out of her experience. An experience person is that who learns well from his or her own experience, as experience is a great teacher for a person. Nobody else can teach him/her well than his/her own experience.



Even if you try to pay your employees an increase of 25-50% instead of 10-12%, the employees won't stop disliking your HR Manager irrespective of her plenty of experience. She may be implementing the HR Rules or disciplinary rules very perfectly, sincerely, honestly and without any bias, but unless there is a human touch in her working style, she cannot earn any respect, as an individual HR Manager.



Rules and procedures are made only for the guidance of one and all in order to streamline the processes. Human values have also to be taken in to account and considered before implementing such rules and procedures. Rigidity in implementation always works adversely. Not the words, but the spirit of rules have to be observed. A person if aware of the fact that you have a stick or rod in your hand, he would definitely be afraid of you with the fear that you would use that to beat him. But the moment you use that he would become fearless. So, punitive rules should be used only sparingly and that too with the tough type of an employee only, so that others should also take a lesson from that incident.



We have to treat our human resourse, not merely as human resourse, BUT AS "Human Capital" to work for and in the interest of the organisation, but by respecting their values, needs, passions and emotions also, so that they may feel the sense of belonging and also feel themselves about their responsibilities towards the organisation, its development and progress without any need for enforcement of policies. Needless to emphasize, no one likes to be treated as inhuman.



An organization is just like a family and has to work as a family only. Mere idea of bossism cannot work. So, unless your HR Manager starts dealing with the employees as the 2nd head of the family she can't succeed.



HOPE, YOU WOULD LIKE TO AGREE WITH MY OPINION.



PS DHINGRA

Chief Executive Officer

Dhingra Group of Management & Vigilance Consultants

New Delhi, India

[dcgroup1962@gmail.com]




From India, Delhi
Andy,
It seems that your organisation is growing and it is a good sign. Also it is a very crucial time. Let every body know it and arrange some good training programmes for employees. They will eventually agree.
Also HR need not insist on all the policy implementation from word go. Give employees time to digest changes.
Abhay Damle
9691938513

From India, Thana
I think a lot depends on what and how the HR communicates, what role he is supposed to play (and is playing) and what authority he has. It could be a pure communication issue, or could run deep into rifts (or faults) in the organization design. They are the two ends of the spectrum, you might need to analyze which one is the cause among the several possibilities in between.
From United States, Daphne
Hi Andy,
Let me tell you that HR Dept is one of the pillars of the organization, their job is to create employment engagement in consultation with the company management, conducting awareness programme on Industrial safety, conducting training for the welfare of the employees for their development .
In certain segments HR is disliked due to the reason has to effectively implement appraisal system, wherein , it is not possible to satisfy each and every employee of the organization. Non performing employee has to be removed from the organization, since they prove to be liability and there are employees thinking negative and jealous of others are some the factors for disliking HR.
But HR in the present circumstance is an important department.
Thanks

From India, Bangalore
For any organisation, HR plays a crucial role. Without human resource, no office, no factory, no company can function effectively. The basic role of HR is creating policies, procedures, systems to facilitate managing of human resource, but not certainly the way you use your tools, machinery and equipment. They will have a life, only if you connect them to a power source. In the case of HR, they are knowledgeable, intelligent, hard working but they have a brain a heart and several limbs apart from feelings and emotions, etc illness, livelihood which machines and equipment do not have. If you use the human resource the way you use your tools and equipment, naturally, they will crumble under pressure. In this situation, the person who handles Human Resource should not take sides with management, become a henchman, and implement everything the management says, to save money for his personal wealth. HR manager should always stay neutral and point out mistakes that may happen on either side. He is the vital link between the two. He should be more empathetic to the workers than management. HR manager should rule from the heart and not to throw the rule book at every employee. Whereas the owner can shut down the office or factory for one week, as he has the wherewithal to survive, which is not the case with the worker. I worked for 40 years, out of which I spent 33 years with an Indian MNC. I handled executives and supervisors for close to 20 years. I retired 12 years ago. Recently I happened to meet a large number of them in a wedding function. Each and every person came, met me, shook hands with me, enquired about me and my family. Am in touch with my team members and nobody had ever told that people talk ill of me. I believe in being flexible and bend the rules here and there to help and support the employees in times of need. Rigidity will be fragile and break easily like an electric pole in severe winds but not with the case with bamboos.. Same goes with the HR Manager. I conduct a lot of soft skill training in India and abroad, for several leading industries and also online HR training. I always tell the participants what I have mentioned here and above. In whatever role you play, please remember - Treat others, the way you wish to be treated. Best wishes.
From India
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