How Unprofessional HR Responses Can Tarnish a Company's Reputation – Have You Faced This?

Hello Members,

I am not an HR expert, just been in the field for a couple of years.

First of all, I need to apologize to all consultants on behalf of BAD CORPORATE HR people. I had the most weird experience today.

I am a corporate HR, and we are planning to conduct training for our garment unit. So before going ahead for final confirmation of the proposal and deciding the date, I was asked to do a reference check by my Managing Director on the outcome of the training....

I called the HR of Gupta Garments (I believe her name is Rita or Tina). Please see the dialogues below:

Asha (ME): Hello, this is Asha. I am calling from a Garment Manufacturing company; this is regarding...

Tina: Stop...what you want? Call me after half an hour, okay. Don't disturb me.

...after half an hour...

Asha: Hi Ma'am, I called you a while ago.

Tina: Look, I don't want your service. Keep the phone. Please don't call.

Good she was not in front of me. That lady did not even have the least courtesy to listen to what I am trying to say... Finally, I had to talk to the Managing Director Mr. Puneet Gupta - a very Professional person. I told him that I was seeking his reference on the Training institute and whether he would recommend us also to go in for it. He is a very well-mannered, professional, down-to-earth person.

I finally called Tina and told her (even before she could say something) that I have spoken to Mr. Puneet. She knew then how to handle the call professionally after that.

I understand all Recruitment consultants must be going through the same thing... I believe professional HR's don't respond this way.

However, a tip from my end is: Just let them know if you will have to talk to the Managing Director (Just in case they try to act smart). They will keep quiet.

Second Weird Experience:

I had to do an employee background check with Premier Evolvics - a reputed Organization. Each time I try calling, they used to say HR is away, HR is on leave.

Today I got a response HR is on another call... I told the operator that getting this info is my job, and I don't mind even staying on hold for the whole day. He directed me to her number. The HR lady there (Deepa) gave me the weirdest response, "Ya, this is a waste of time for me. I don't like giving old employee details."

What an HR?

I should have not mentioned the names... But I feel people (who so ever - Corporate or Consultant) need to be professional. After all, we are employees and representing our company, we should not spoil the image of the company.

Gupta Garments is a well-known garments company, and I would definitely say it's good Management (Specifically to mention about Mr. Puneet Gupta) but people at the lower level are spoiling the image like anything.

Premier Evolvics too is a reputed company, and trust me anyone would like to work there - but such kind of people at the low level literally spoil the image.

If people at the lower levels are not approachable, no one will have a good opinion about the company itself.

Yes, very correct. People at lower levels spoil the image of the company, and to an extent, the company is responsible for this, even though the company policy is there for professional conduct. But I think the company is responsible for this to an extent by not dividing work properly, overloading employees, or creating an unprofessional work culture.

In my company, people don't hesitate to manhandle other employees, and the owner doesn't take any action because the guilty employee is useful to him. Difficult people to handle, but as HR professionals, we can help the company reduce these problems.

Regards,
Pratap Kamble

The mistake is in the hiring part. I guess so, Pratap. The owner/boss/MD is not aware of such behavior, and it's so bad. I urge everyone here (specifically HRs) to ensure that such behavior is not used on consultants, customers, prospective candidates. Maybe we receive 100 calls from consultants, but don't carry their curse. I was hurt not for myself, but I realized that there are bad corporate HRs - and I feel that there are 100 consultants out there who probably deserve a corporate role. Really bad on the corporate HR's end. Now I understand why there were previous posts where consultants vented their feelings out.

Hi there,

Good examples. I hardly come across such people, especially in my time during 1980 and up to 2008. I found people in HR, at large, very cooperative to their counterparts in another organization. We did have competition, but that was for knowledge base and achieving excellence in our professional commitments.

However, the examples indicate the state of affairs today. Maybe people are not satisfied with their jobs or are frustrated. Anyway, our job is to help people improve themselves to build better careers. But this approach will definitely harm the growth prospects of these candidates.

Best regards

Thanks, Asha for the posting. That reminds me of my experience with a firm in the UK when I applied for a job as an Industrial Engineer in the late 1970s. The telephonist (the wife of the Operations Manager) told me that the job had already been filled (just based on the foreign accent). Then I asked my junior (a UK-born Indian with an English accent) to ring and check. He was told that the vacancy was still there, and he was sent an application form. To cut the story short, I filled the application, was interviewed, and even offered the job. Due to personal reasons, I had declined the job.

You are right, people at the lower echelons can act in such ways.

Have a nice day,
Simhan

Hi Ash Mathew,

I read your weird experiences with awe and surprise, and the same made me put across my point of view as follows:

a. The people in any professional or semi-professional organization come from different economic and social backgrounds, making it a herculean task to imbibe good communication and interpersonal qualities.

b. I differ with you on the issue of only people in the lower strata of the organization being responsible for spoiling the image of an organization.

c. In my humble interpretation, any true professional firstly goes by the book, then on the response of the other side, and lastly, intuition plays a vital role. My point is the difference in your perception before getting the requisite info on the first instance, and then I finally called Tina and told her (even before she could say something).

d. Yes, we do face problems day in and day out, especially when the tasks are time-bound and there are numerous persons in the loop at any given time. However, as evident from your mail, in any public dealing, we are not supposed to lose our composure, wits, and fighting spirit, as for others, we represent the true face of the organization we are representing.

e. Last but not least, there are bound to be good and bad people everywhere, leaving aside bad corporate HR. I would like to appreciate your deep concern and optimism for positivity. By feeling so strongly and that too objectively, you have put across your point of view in the most humble professional manner, speaking volumes about the imbibed professionalism in you (I am including your organization as well). Others too can learn from your experiences. All the best in all your future endeavors.

Thank you, Badlu and Mr. Simhan, for sharing your views.

Deepak, you are right; it's not just junior people, but people at all levels who need to be trained or advised while presenting themselves to the public.

Regarding finally calling Tina - I had to call her from a different number and start by only mentioning the name of the MD. She felt sorry from within for being so bad but kind of did not even know how to handle it. She was searching for words.

Hi,

This reminded me of a bad experience I faced a few years ago when I asked for my final interview feedback from the HR executive, Ms. Manshi S, from a software firm in Pune. I had appeared for 3 rounds of interviews, and the final interview was with the CEO. It went well, but there was no feedback. Out of curiosity and anxiety, I called her up. She was very rude, acted weird, and abruptly said, "You are rejected, do not disturb me." I felt humiliated. However, at the same time, I decided that I would be humble and polite with my candidates. Today, I am working with a tier 1 IT company in recruitment, and I always make it a point to answer the queries of candidates and internal customers politely.

Sometimes, due to work pressure or other reasons, a person may react in an odd manner. But as an HR professional, I believe we are representing the organization. The individuals reaching out to you from the external world may not have any other contacts within the organization. Regardless of the social status of the person contacting you, they deserve to be treated well. Even if the candidate is someone you will not meet in the future, why insult them or throw tantrums at them? They will undoubtedly carry a negative image of you and the company throughout their career, as it happened with me.

I also acknowledge that junior HR professionals are not always treating candidates or consultants well. I have seen many complaint emails from candidates to seniors in the organization regarding the misbehavior of HR during the interview process. Recruitment consultants have also faced similar situations with HR professionals. As HR professionals, we must treat everyone properly. You can always point out mistakes, but there must be decorum maintained by juniors.

Taz.India sounds very much like our dear citehr member Ravi. Leaving that aside:

Dear Tax. India, what's the point in spoiling someone's career? At initial stages, we are all, in one way or another, below expectations according to our employers, colleagues, or even customers. Time and maturity help us master professionalism. Like how d.sayli stated, people show their work pressure or become overly emotional over a silly issue, and this spoils the image they create for the company. It has to be observed by mentors/counselors (people in leadership positions) who can help them grow professionally.

It is not about spoiling someone's career that you need to focus on, but how to bring in professionalism.

Thanks.

Dear Taz.india,

I appreciate that you are justifiably bound to feel bad for a valid reason, but is it not appropriate that "TWO WRONGS CANNOT MAKE A THING RIGHT." Instead of humiliating and insulting, we should learn to grow like Ms. Dsyali by setting an example for others.

Thanks

Hi Everyone,

I have read all the comments given by all of you, and it's sometimes evident that HR people are not behaving in the proper way they are expected to. I don't blame anyone, but I can say it is the responsibility of their seniors to train them in aspects like professionalism and how to handle clients or candidates.

These individuals may not receive adequate job training, which is why sometimes they struggle to behave appropriately in certain situations. However, if we hire inexperienced or less experienced staff, it becomes the organization's or the seniors' responsibility to train them properly and keep a record of their work consistently.

I will share a personal example:

I was coordinating with one of the top consultants in India for our recruitment drive. The consultant was supposed to provide me with the candidate's mobile number for the telephonic interview round. However, she did not respond, and on the day when my assistant was supposed to conduct the interview at 4:00 PM, she called me at 03:55 PM and requested me to note down the numbers for feedback after the interview. I felt the urge to reprimand her for her lack of time management. However, I chose not to react and informed her that I had postponed the interviews and would communicate new dates. The next day, I personally visited their office, which was challenging for me, and met with her and her seniors. I explained the situation and emphasized the importance of proper interactions with clients and candidates. I discovered that the young lady was a fresh graduate, confused about her job profile, and unaware of basic terms like JD.

I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT IF CORPORATE HR AND CONSULTANTS PUT EXTRA EFFORT INTO TRAINING OUR STAFF MORE PROFESSIONALLY, WE CAN AVOID SUCH INCIDENTS.

Thank you.

Exactly, we should train keeping in mind that a fresher is just like a baby. It's better to train and let the person perform, rather than feel bad in front of someone.

But the problem with a few freshers I have seen is the attitude. Most of them come with a poor attitude. Training such people is really a challenging task.

Hi,

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I agree with all points, but it would not be appropriate to blame only lower-level staff. I work with a consultancy and have even experienced unprofessional behavior from very senior people. These individuals represent the corporate culture. If seniors display such behavior, what can we expect from junior staff? Moreover, it's about individual character. If someone is dedicated to their work, they will perform with the same spirit regardless of their designation.

Regards,