Human Resources

When I became an HR professional, I quickly realized that my job affects lives. From correcting payroll errors to handling terminations, the issues I address have the potential to change the way individuals in my organization work, interact, develop, and live. Because HR ensures compliance with laws and implements policies and procedures, I find that HR receives a negative reputation as just a policing department that restricts employees and keeps employee records. This perception has also been popularized in the media (Toby from The Office, anyone?).

To avoid falling into the HR rut of being perceived as a strict, robotic naysayer and transform HR to a valuable resource to both employees and the organization, I offer these three tips for how I have been able to work to change the face of HR.

1. Be a reliable, visible and approachable resource for all staff.

HR professionals have a unique relationship with employees and managers. Central to my efforts to position HR as a valuable resource in my organization has been ensuring that HR *always* keeps information confidential. This serves two purposes: 1) Confidentiality and discretion are essential in establishing credibility. When managers and employees trust that I will only share their information as they direct, they use HR as an avenue to solve issues rather than resorting to more problematic methods such as complaining to coworkers, underperforming, resigning or seeking legal advice. 2) HR assumes the responsibility for compliance with laws and a tremendous amount of laws pertaining to HR require the organization to keep employee information confidential.

Following this golden rule, I have an open-door policy and walk around from time to time so that people are aware that I represent more than just a paper-pushing department. My primary job as an HR professional is to successfully maintain the greatest asset of the organization: human capital. If people are unhappy, I want to make sure they know that they can turn to me before looking elsewhere. When I take 20 minutes to walk around my building, I am always amazed that I am stopped at least three to five times by employees who were reminded to set up a time to speak with me or hand in an essential form simply because of my presence. This regular practice gives me an opportunity to show my colleagues that I am approachable and fully invested in supporting them from more than just my office desk.

2. Use mistakes as a way to gain respect.

Making mistakes, especially in HR, won’t grant you any fanfare. However, I have found that my own missteps can be opportunities to better understand a colleague’s background or improve an outdated system. Striving for a proactive, solutions-oriented approach, along with an apologetic and sincere tone has helped to position me and my team as department that addresses any issue head on.

When I transitioned into the role of HR Manager at my organization, I took an opportunity at a leadership meeting to acknowledge the previous challenges of the HR department and to let organizational leaders know that HR is committed to being used as a effective resource for the organization. After the meeting, several leaders approached me to both bring up issues and also to thank me for the transparency and the commitment to overcoming past issues. This simple act set the expectation for leaders and I have found that HR is greater utilized, supported and included in strategic decision making.

3. Build bridges between employees and management.

This is admittedly one of the biggest difficulties I face. For example, let’s say I receive an email from a manager complaining that an employee has been insubordinate. The manager feels that the only resolution is to move to terminate. As I read the email, the aforementioned employee walks through my door with tears in their eyes alleging that their supervisor has been treating them unfairly and would like to file a formal grievance. In times like this, it is vital  for me to remain objective and position HR as a neutral party with an interest in supporting a resolution. It has been helpful to me to reiterate to both the manager and the employee (and remind myself) that my role in the process is to understand the facts and to uphold the policies and procedures of the organization and compliance with local and federal laws.

Working with people and understanding behavior is for me at the heart of HR.  When I take time to clarify the emotional reactions of individuals through a combination of listening and empathizing, I gain the respect of each party involved while working to get at the root cause of the conflict. I find that asking specific questions, restating facts, and working to hold individuals accountable for their words and actions also helps to ease the conflict and help each party work towards a solution that does not involve a lengthy grievance process or trigger a complaint if a wrongful termination is initiated.

Until I worked in HR, negative depictions of HR professionals in the media and among my colleagues led me to incorrectly view the department as limiting, emotionless, and automated. Learning from valuable experiences in the trenches, I now understand the enormous responsibility and impact that I as an HR representative can have on the overall effectiveness of my organization. To rebrand HR in my organization, I have balanced a personable, customer service approach with the realities of implementing HR policies and procedures. My hope is for others to do their part to help change the face of HR and in turn, use HR as a valuable mechanism for maximizing organizational impact.