Balancing Act: Should HR Be Strict, Friendly, or Both for Better Growth?

Dear all,

How should an HR be?

1. Very close to all the employees (always smiling, always ready to give information, and solve their problems simply like a facilitator, not more than that).
2. Very strict with the employees? (Very strict if an employee comes late, even by 2 minutes, deducting half-day salary or half-day leave as per their policy. In this scenario, the HR believes only in documents, facts, and figures and follows them).
Or
3. Both 1 and 2, depending on the situation (timely changing behavior. Whenever necessary, they will be strict; otherwise, they will be as friendly as in Point No. 1).

In all the ways mentioned above, we can achieve productivity and maintain the HR role effectively. However, dear seniors, which approach is more effective and useful for the organization's growth as well as the career growth of the HR?

Regards,
UDAY

Dear,

You should manage it in both ways. You are the key person to implement all the policies and follow up at regular intervals. At the same time, keep a harmonious relationship with everyone in the organization. However, you should communicate clearly about the systems and procedures that must be followed by each employee. :-P:-P:-P

The answer to your question must be a basic bottom line for every HR. It is essential to realize and follow rather than merely defining and having a process. I feel the three ways you mentioned are the methods of getting things done, but when you ask about how HR should be, I suggest that instead of following one particular way of the three, you should empower the employees. Once the empowering character is instilled in them, which should be cultivated if not already present, the employee will be more cautious and responsible about their actions.

The role of HR is not only to establish strict or lenient rules but also to ensure that employees adhere to them. In all three ways, there could be a percentage of employees that are difficult to control. Therefore, I believe that HR should customize their approach depending on the employee. These are just some thoughts to share, and I would appreciate any comments.

Thanks to Soju & Naveen,

Mr. Naveen, I agree with you. "HR has to customize his way depending on the employee" is exactly right. HR has to have multiple behavioral skills.

Anyway, thanks to the respondents. I hope this discussion will continue further as well.

Regards,
UDAY

As per my thinking, a HR should have a positive attitude always in any condition.

If someone is coming late, he/she should not react angrily. It shows your frustration. A HR should have a high degree of self-control in any condition. A HR should develop new responses to situations. How the situation can be managed effectively... Suppose an employee is coming late; you can interact with the particular employee and softly pass your message, but it does not mean you have to react to him/her. If there will be a specific rule, follow your rule, and the main responsibility of any HR is continuous improvement of the employees. Showing your frustration is not the way to improve anyone. It means you are behaving like a teacher and student. If a student does anything wrong, a teacher will punish him, but in the corporate world, you can't follow this. You have to boost your employees' morale. Do you know employees always have a lot of expectations from HR dept.

The situation can be controlled in a normal way also. My mantra is to stay positive always, whether employees are breaching the code of conduct, not performing, or whatever. Our duty is only continuous improvement of employees and do as per the company rule.

I have given some brief ideas about this. This is what I am thinking about the HR qualities.

Hi,

According to me, any person should follow the below guidelines:

(1) Sama (Explain)
(2) Bedha (Differentiate)
(3) Dhana (Gift, if you do it...)
(4) Thand (Warning/Punishment)

Regards,
M.V

Hi there,

It's not customization; every job has two faces - the first is policy-driven and the second is humanitarian-driven. Every HR professional should ensure that policies are implemented in a humanitarian way. HR professionals are also employees like others; adjust your approach, act correctly, and set an example for others to follow.

Providing flexibility at times may lead others to misuse it or take it for granted. If you are strict with policies, you may not be seen as humane. It's like a coin that requires both sides to make sense; it cannot be customized because companies have their own policies and procedures, and HR professionals are responsible for guiding others to adhere to them.

Regards,
Priya

Nowadays, the days are gone when you could simply dictate to employees and expect them to follow your orders without question. Employees now have options and can choose where they work. Personally, I believe that companies that prioritize 'Work-Life Balance' will succeed in the long run. We must acknowledge that besides being employees, we are also sons, daughters, brothers, husbands, wives, or sisters to someone, and they have expectations from us. They want to spend time and share moments with us.

Regards, Nikhil Sharma

Hi Priya,

I suppose you misunderstood the word "customization." I was not talking about customizing the policies and implementation processes, but I was expressing my point that the behavior, approach, reaction, etc., towards the employee should be customized.

Let me know your comments on it.

Hi there,

It's not customization; every job has two faces - the first is policy-driven, and the second is humanitarian-driven. Every HR should check if the policy is followed in a humanitarian way. Because HR is also an employee like others, mend your way; you be right and let others look at you, and they would follow you. Giving leverage at times would make others feel to misuse the leverage or take it for granted. If you are rigid with the policy, then certainly you are not a human being. So it's like a coin that does not make sense with only one side; it needs two. And it cannot be customized since the company has its policies and procedures, and you are supposed to help others follow them.

Regards,
Priya

Hi Naveen,

I did understand it in the first instance, but I felt that if we customize ourselves for every individual, it would not hold good for the long run and for bigger companies. This would not be sustainable. We cannot be custom-made every time we look at someone; then we would be termed as split identities, and we would not be able to maintain neutrality.

What do you say, Naveen?

Regards,
Priya

Thank you to everyone for responding and sharing your views.

Priya ji, without customizing, we can't maintain the individuals. As you know, no individuals have the same behavior. So, as an HR professional, we have to bring them under one umbrella. For that, we have to be customized.

As Mr. Naveen mentioned, customizing does not mean changing the rules and regulations of the organization.

Mr. Naveen, we also need to consider Priya's point of view on how beneficial it would be to change or customize from individual to individual. Please think about it.

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I have corrected the spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors in the text and formatted it into proper paragraphs. Let me know if you need further assistance.

Yes, I completely agree with what you say, especially when it comes to big companies. But I wanted to convey my message that I personally can be very flexible with people. I won't be casual nor strict with everybody. Instead, I will react and act as per the situation, the person involved, and the issue to be handled. I have been very successful in following this approach. Split personality is a completely different state. I hope you agree with this. Let me learn from you if I am doing it wrong. I appreciate your clarification. Though my main concern would be my company policies and all my employees following them. I make sure that I would make my associates aware of the importance and advantages of the policies and conduct.

Hi Uday,

HR is the bridge between employer and employee.

An employer has a different vision, mission, and goal, which ultimately leads to profit-making and creating a brand image. For this, he needs to achieve certain goals which can be achieved by people (the most valuable assets). In this process of achieving vision and mission, there is a tendency for the employer/senior management to forget about the needs of the most valuable assets (the people) - [GAP NO 1].

The employee has certain reasons for working - earning, saving, taking care of family, and other needs. It also includes status and image (Ref Maslow's theory). Also, for achieving and satisfying all this, the employee agrees with the employer to work for him in achieving the employer's vision/mission and goals. In the process of doing so, he sometimes tends to forget the actual purpose of being there and gets carried away with personal and emotional needs and thoughts - [GAP NO 2].

Now, HR serves as the function that solves both gaps so that the employer is considerate and meets the requirements of the employee (salary, benefits, leave policies, motivation, personal development, rewards, etc.), and the employee is also in line with the actual specifications of his job.

There is no concept that HR should only smile, scold, or have a mixture of both. If there is an understanding about the purpose of having an HR department, I think it's a perfect fit. A mother cannot be said as a person who always smiles, always scolds, or has a blend of both (you see, it's an incomplete definition if we say so). A mother takes care of the child so well that the child improves and grows strong in each stage - to face this world independently. Link it to HR in the company, and you will get the answer.

Hi Uday,

It is a hundred-dollar question. The HR person basically should have tremendous love for human beings. An HR person should be like the mother in a family. The way a mother manages her children, husband, in-laws, etc., she will be strict where required, and at the same time, her love is also expressed in many ways.

Employees should find the concern of the HR department, and the procedures should be implemented as sugar-coated capsules. It is not easy but not impossible.

Jayashree
jayashree1056@gmail.com

Hi Uday,

A true HR professional is one who takes things as they come and acts accordingly. I mean to say it's all about BALANCING in HR. If you are always lenient, then people will take you for granted. On the other hand, any autocratic behavior would portray you as an arrogant person, which is not right for any HR manager. In HR management, we come across people from all walks of life; hence, treating everyone fairly holds utmost importance. Even if we have to be harsh to stand by the truth, there is no harm in it. It's all about being fair and unbiased.

Regards,
Mehul

Thank you very much, Jaya, for your response. It is worth $200 for us. Most people compare HR with a mother. It's a great comparison and a good compliment to HR professionals. I will soon come to a conclusion for this post.

Regards,
UDAY

Dear All,

Thanks for the million-dollar question and billion-dollar worth answers. :-P To smile, care, etc., to do all these, do you think an HR personnel should pursue an MBA or some other course? If HR is really all about doing those, anybody can do it!

Regards,
Vicky:icon10:

As an HR professional, we should act like a friend, philosopher, and guide to employees. This does not mean pampering employees but rather acting as agents of the employer to uphold good employment practices and establish the credibility of the HR department.

Regards,
Bhajiya

Hi All,

I would rather go with Ms. Ash Mathew's view. She has beautifully given an adaptive Human Resource Psychology. However, many HR Departments across various companies are vaguely linked to Organizational Performance Metrics. When discussing harnessing performance against a given set of goals, we must monitor and confirm periodically whether the 'Metrics' in place are rightly positioned across departments and individuals.

Furthermore, when considering Human Psychology in the workplace, we cannot simply overlook the empathy and emotions underlying every peer-group/subordinate-boss relationship. These factors significantly influence one's performance and engagement imperatives within an organization.

Today, organizations are recognizing the importance of empathy because without it, we cannot achieve completeness in a team and teamwork. When discussing Strictness and Closeness, we need to analyze the degree to which it is applied, which largely depends on the industry one is in. For example, the policies and decision-making processes in Construction, Manufacturing, and Software Industries will vary significantly in handling the Manpower Pool.

Every HR professional should be a custodian of HR policies applicable in an organization and should never relax if any employee is seen violating the Standing Orders. Room should also be provided for every employee to learn, develop, and take initiatives.

In summary, we need to use our wisdom since every action we take will either add value or destroy our existing work culture.

Regards,

Jayesh Yohannan

Hi Uday,

HR serves as the bridge between employer and employee. An employer has a different vision, mission, and goals, ultimately leading to profit-making and creating a brand image. However, there is a tendency for employers/senior management to overlook the needs of the most valuable assets—the employees, creating a gap.

Employees have reasons for working, such as earning, saving, taking care of family, and fulfilling other needs. They also seek status and image, as per Maslow's theory. In the process of achieving the employer's goals, employees may forget the actual purpose and get carried away with personal and emotional needs, leading to another gap.

HR functions to bridge these gaps by ensuring that employers meet employee requirements (salary, benefits, leave policies, motivation, personal development, rewards, etc.) and employees align with their job specifications.

There is no strict definition of what HR should be—it can involve smiling, scolding, or a blend of both. Understanding the purpose of having an HR department is crucial. Just like a mother who takes care of a child to help them grow strong and independent, HR nurtures employees within a company.

Keep up the good work!

Ash Mathew

Hi Uday,

In my opinion, an HR person is not a rigid person. He should have a flexible nature but shouldn't bend at every step. He must be stable and have good knowledge about HR-related matters. If an employee is coming late every day, he should ask friendly questions to understand the issue and then explain the company policy. An HR person must work as a mediator between the employer and the employees. The HR person is the only one who acts as a bridge between the two parties.

Thank you.

Hey guys,

Nowadays, the role of HR is changing. Previously, the role of HR was to make policies rather than to implement them and many others.

HR now, in addition to the above profile, has to work on empowerment and function as a partner in organizational development. It is true that the specific role allocated to HR varies from one organization to another.

Regards,
Abhijeet Sawant