Are HR Forums Losing Their Value? Let's Discuss Knowledge Sharing vs. Real Impact

Hi All, I see several posts on this forum/site asking for things like:

1. How do I make a leave form? Does anyone have a sample?
2. How do I make an appraisal form? Does anyone have a sample?
3. I am in recruitment now. What should I do?
4. I am looking for material on Emergency Planning. Please email me by the end of the day.
5. Motivational quotes for all and so on...
6. Here is a good book. Please read it.

I am sure these are useful posts for those who are doing it, but for someone to ask for such trivia on a forum meant for practicing professionals... well, you can well think about how you justify your own existence in your roles.

Why HR is 'Frowned' Upon

Maybe it's time to look at why HR people are 'frowned' upon in their companies. Some months back, we discussed why HR fails in organizations. Seeing the incidence of these types of posts in this forum, I am pretty sure the answers are quite obvious.

Of course, we have a lot of intelligent posts too, but the major chunk is having a different focus.

Request for Reflection

This is a request to everyone to think and let me know. I love knowledge repositories, but I would like to hear from you all on your take on the matter: knowledge repository vs. intrinsic value addition.

No offense meant there, friends.

This site was started with a noble intention to assist HR professionals and share their challenges, views, opinions, experiences, ideas, and to help those in need in the HR community. However, nowadays, it has become a platform for those lazy individuals who do not wish to get up from their chairs but instead simply post questions requesting forms, formats, etc., and they receive the same in return.

I am concerned that rather than fostering intelligence in individuals, it is encouraging laziness. Particularly, the younger generation seems uninterested in stepping out of their rooms, and the knowledge gained in such a manner may not be long-lasting. The saying "No pain, no gain" applies not only to wealth creation but also to knowledge development.

If we utilize this site as a platform for sharing knowledge, we can all greatly benefit from it. However, if we treat the site as an assistant that can do our work for us, our brains will be rendered useless. For simple forms or formats, we can easily obtain them from the respective shops, visit the relevant websites (such as PF, ESI, and other related sites), or approach the appropriate office to gather the necessary information that is tailored to our specific state or locality, instead of posing queries on this forum.

It is disheartening to see students seeking help in completing their project work to be submitted at college. While guidance and downloading necessary information for their projects are accepted, expecting to be spoon-fed for their assignments is strongly discouraged.

Thank you, Mr. Nikhil, for addressing and reprimanding the young individuals who misuse this site to be lazy.

Wishing you all the best.

Actually, there is a story regarding helping.

"The Story of Self-Help in the Classroom"

In a classroom, the teacher was giving a lesson on self-help. For example, he placed an egg of a bird, and a crack formed in the egg, revealing the bird's face struggling to come out. At that moment, the teacher left to attend to other school matters, and a boy in the classroom gently tapped the eggshell, helping the bird to break free (similar to how MBA students seek help from peers and new employees receive assistance from the company).

The bird managed to reach the stage of flying, but the teacher noticed it was unable to fly. Concerned, the teacher asked the students if there was any interference during the bird's hatching. The enthusiastic boy admitted that he had helped the bird by breaking the shell.

Upon hearing this, the teacher sadly explained that while the boy intended to help the bird, he had actually ruined its chances. The bird could no longer fly for its lifetime because the forced exit had left it with a heavy body and weak wings, preventing flight.

Similarly, in this forum, some individuals offer help to students and new employees that fosters laziness, hindering their career growth. While guidance and assistance are essential, spoon-feeding is discouraged.

Let's aim to support and guide others without enabling dependency, fostering self-sufficiency and growth.

Thank you, Bhaskar, for such a nice example and food for thought for all of us. Hi Nikhil, I don't think the whole blame should go to the newcomers. HR professionals who are in the habit of copy and paste... actually, it is us, the senior members of the forum, who, with a blink of an eye, reply to each post even when we know that the question asked has been answered many times in the forum already. In fact, there are members who themselves copy their replies from somewhere else and then post them here as their answers. What do you call it?

Taking Responsibility for Forum Quality

Why can't we make a stop to it like Mr. Simhan does, who has been consistently telling forum members to search for answers first? So, let's take the responsibility to put them on the correct path. Emails like this may not help anyone. They are good to read, for sure, but then do not show much effort.

We should make a stop to spoon-feeding; then it will automatically stop.

Regards,
Archna

Dear Ms. Archana,

We cannot change the senior citizens and veterans, but we can create awareness and help them understand how to develop in the competitive market. In the current challenging market for Administration/HR/IR/Facilities fields, the younger generation must be go-getters, eager to learn, and willing to acquire knowledge even through trial and error.

That's the intention behind posting this thread (I hope I am correct, Mr. Nikhil), not to offend those who are assisting. As a matter of fact, Mr. Simhan is appropriately encouraging them to search before posting such trivial questions. I don't believe Mr. Simhan is doing anything wrong; in fact, he is guiding in the right direction.

Keep enhancing our knowledge, Madam.

Regards

Please read the post correctly. There is no mention of senior citizens anywhere. What we are talking about is Senior Members of the forum who spoon-feed the youngsters, and they come back with more queries that can easily be searched.

Secondly, I am actually praising Mr. Simhan. I said he is the only one who is making an effort to show the right direction to the newcomers to search. We all should follow his path, actually.

Knowledge enhancement is not copy and paste; it's always about efforts and errors.

Regards,
Archna

Even after this post, we continue to see 100 posts asking for the same trivia...  Thanks, Archana, you have been active in curtailing that to some extent...