This is the 4th edition of Discuss HR and now a firm fixture of the group. If you have missed any of the previous editions you can find them either at the blog or under the manager’s choice option. Thank you to Annabel Kaye for producing last week’s article which has proved very popular. This week experienced HR professional Sheena McLullich looks at HR’s ability to keep their finger on the pulse. (Ed Scrivener)
Getting to know you
I spent several weeks in hospital last year and, whilst I’ll spare you from the gory details, I ended up having two major abdominal operations, each lasting several hours in the space of a few days. As I was emerging from an anaesthesia-induced haze, the surgeon came to see me, only to be told by a very apologetic nurse that they’d somehow managed to lose my medical notes.
“I won’t need them” he smiled, somewhat enigmatically, “I already know this patient very well”
That set me thinking – partly because there’s not much else to do in hospital but mainly because, as an HR professional, I’ve often been intrigued by how well we actually do know the people we work with – and whether this should matter.
How often have we been let down by the CEO who promised to do something, and didn’t? How many times have we dealt with a ‘shock’ resignation and discovered that everyone else knew all along that it was only a matter of time before that person left? Or, more seriously, did that ET1 form on your desk really come as a complete surprise?
Is there anything we, as HR professionals, can do to prevent these ‘surprises’? It may be blindingly obvious but I think that the simple solution is that we get to know more about the people we’re dealing with as individuals – as people. Investing a little time in actually talking to our colleagues, face-to-face where possible, can pay dividends when difficult situations arise.
Of course, I understand that working in a larger organisation makes it impossible for an HR Director to get to know all the employees that they’re responsible for. Even in small companies our day to day interaction with the employee population can be minimal. But I would argue that we can all get to know our immediate colleagues better and encourage them to do the same – thus extending links throughout the organisation.
One Finance Director I worked with was disparaging about the ‘cosy chats’ that I had with each of the Directors I worked with. We would get together for about half an hour each week, often just a quick ‘catch-up’ over a cup of coffee. But during that time I had a unique opportunity to discuss any on-going issues, find out what their concerns were and get them ‘on-side’ for any initiatives I was working on. It certainly made my life easier when I was presenting these initiatives to a full Board meeting – maybe that’s why the Finance Director didn’t like it!
I used the same tactic with my HR team and it worked. A weekly one-to-one session with each of them meant that I knew exactly what they were up to, what the pressures were, whether they needed help, advice or simply to talk things through.
I’m not suggesting that we need (or want) to know the intimate details of our colleagues’ lives. I draw the line at deeply personal conversations – although I’ve had a few in my time! I’m talking about taking an interest in what’s going on without delving into areas that are often better left unexplored (just ask my surgeon!)
I’ve seen numerous situations where HR people have got too friendly with other employees in the business and this can make life difficult when it comes to decisions about redundancy, discipline and so on. It’s hard enough to dismiss someone without having the complication that someone is a close friend. HR’s sometimes fragile credibility can be seriously undermined by even a whiff of favouritism or the perception that we’re seen to be gossiping in the corner. We have to be open and honest in our dealings with others but that’s no reason for not being sociable at the same time.
In any event, I think it’s far more damaging to our credibility that we’re thought of as separate from the rest of the business or even as invisible. I know of organisations where HR is hidden away in a corner office and never come out and interact with their colleagues. My advice to them is simple – get out and about and talk to people – you’ll be amazed at what you can discover.
About the author
Sheena has worked at a senior level in HR for the past 14 years, including 6 years as an HR Director, following a successful career transition from training & development. Working mainly for small/medium organisations in a variety of sectors, she has acquired a strong reputation for effecting change and for "getting things done". She is now working as a freelance HR Consultant.
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Discuss HR is the blog for Human Resources UK, the leading LinkedIn group for those involved with HR in the UK. Next week’s Discuss HR will be published on Thursday 3rd February and will be written by Training Consultant Jill Hart-Sanderson.
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