Employee Interaction

HI,
I have recently this company where I have been asked to introduce myself and interact with the junior engineers. I have been asked to break the ice and ensure that these guys relate to me & approach me for any HR related problems in the future.
problem is, they are freshers and are very shy /nervous talking to a female.They are reluctant to talk to me on a one-to-one basis. I really cannot force them to do so. Nor can I sit in front of them and demand them to talk to me.
Can anyone pls advise how I tackle this problem? Has anyone faced this kind of situation b4?
Any help will be deeply appreciated.
Regards
Deepa

Yup I have been through a similar situation and for the kind of thing u gotta do...u gotta be a buddy to them...I know it sounds tough but ...ju ca take them out for lunch...and just slowly mingle in with them...you gotta hear any small issue they might have n solve it bedore they will trust you with big issue...start small training programs with icebreakers and all for them...have a daily meeting of 5 minutes with all of them...etc

Hi deepa,
i would suggest u can ask them to give their suggestions or whatever the issues they have in writing or thru mail, that will i think slowly break the ice and help both .
regards
Jayaraj

I think its not very difficult. Being an HR you will be on doctors round regularly for some time. During doctors round you voluntarily talk to them, say Hi, how are you etc with smile. Very soon they will become cool and relaxed and your problem is solved. Its only continuous interaction which matters.
Thanks,
Sat.

Deepa,

The best way is to interact with your employees on regular basis.Try spending couple of mins with them,join them at coffee and lunch breaks,share some interesting moments of ur professional, if necesary personal life as well.Keep them at ease in all cases,c to that u develop a relationship where they dont hesitate to discuss any problem with you.but be carfull not to give much liberty to them since they might misuse.try framing policies or make amindments or refinements in the existing policies which would benefit the employees to some extent without effecting the organisation goals.Discusss with them in a friendly manner regarding the problems they have,accept suggestions/requests and work on them.Remember use 90% - 10% princilpe.According to this principle listen 90% and talk 10% to employees to wt ever they say.Dont ever be harsh.Employees morale is most important which would only be gained by regular interactions,good suggeations,guidance and respect which would help the organisation to achieve its objectives.

Vijay

Thanks a lot pranati /jayaraj/satheesh/vijay...
Vijay is absolutely right when he says I shud not allow them to take too much liberty. I had been in a similar situation in my previous job, got a bit friendly with the employees there and a couple of guys took it otherwise... :roll:
I guess that's an occupational hazard when you are a female in a predominantly male domain.....
BTW, I tasted the fruits of success yesterday when I had an informal chat with some of the boys...and they seemed to appreciate the effort!
So thanks once again to all my fellow HRs who took the time out to help me out!

Deepa,
Sounds great .Good luck and all the best .Remember,Not organisations but people create excellence.So be as polite as possible inorder to achieve what you want.Feel free to discuss about anything related to your profession.
Vijay

Thanks vijay
i really appreciate it :)
There have been instances in the past where I have encountered problems at work and did not know whom to ask!
Feels good that there is a forum where like-minded people like us can discuss issues and find solutions...
Long live Cite HR! :)