Is It Really HR's Job to Keep Everyone Happy? Let's Discuss This Office Incident

Dear All, I wanted to share an incident that happened today in our office. We have a common cellphone used for internal official purposes. One of our employees left the organization 15 days ago, and his contact number was still in the phone. Since he left, the phone was handed over to another person, but his name was not changed in the internal official phone directory. The current user of the phone did not edit the name. When I noticed this, I asked her to edit it, but she did not. Today, I mentioned that the name had not been changed yet, and I offered to do it myself. In response, she said, "Changing the name is HR's job, and HR should make the employees happy. That's the role of HR, it seems." I was really irritated by this statement. Is our role to make others happy? Expecting your valuable comments!

I have been experiencing some similar incidents in our office recently. I don't understand why employees perceive HR in this way.

Role of an HR Generalist in Employee and Management Satisfaction

What is the exact role of an HR Generalist in terms of employee and management satisfaction? I really don't understand how to react to these kinds of situations. Please clarify; I am the only HR in my company.

Regards

This is not a job for HR; instead, the ISD department should make such changes whenever an employee is relieved.

Cheers,
Satish

I read about your situation; here's what I understand.

The Case Fact:

- There was a phone which was handed to a new employee.
- The old employee's contact co-existed.
- The new employee refuted/escalated this as an HR error.

Now here are my questions:

1. Was there any turnaround time set for these activities?
2. The employee data is considered to be confidential. Hence, a few activities which may primarily be of an administrative nature still remain with HR. In this view, what risks would be there if this is shifted to the Admin team? I am not asking for a shifting of responsibilities. Logically, any repetitive activity that does not hold high confidentiality is considered to be admin work, such as generating email IDs or arranging a guest house for an employee who is traveling.
3. Finally, what is the matrix to be followed in case a new employee wants to find out if an activity was done or not? The sole reason to find this out is to understand that there is a communication map which one needs to take in order to ensure that the activities have been completed. Suppose an employee needs a new laptop. This would require the permission of the manager to whom the employee reports, the materials and vendor management team who might be arranging for the extra machine, IT, and HR. If there is a delay and the employee keeps coming to HR for updates, it will not solve the situation. Rather, the Manager, who might be considered the process owner, should be the point of contact for the employee.

Here's an article for you to read. You will get a clearer view on how to manage such a situation: [HR as a scapegoat](http://citeman.com) ([Search on Cite](https://www.citehr.com/results.php?q=HR%20as%20a%20scape%20goat) | [Search on Google](https://www.google.com/search?q=HR%20as%20a%20scape%20goat))

Please do share more as requested.

Regards,
Cite Contribution

Dear Prema,

(Cite Contribution) had covered almost everything. These are my views:

Don't be worried or irritated with such statements - "HR is there to make employees happy." This is how some people have been recognizing the HR department in the organization. In fact, some of our HR course books also talk about the same role. And my dear, you should be happy that such a charming job is assigned to the HR department to keep everyone happy. It's a very difficult task though.

Employees still get confused between the role of the Administration department and the HR department. It will take some more efforts and time to change the overall view of employees regarding HR.

Whenever you hear such remarks, please make sure you correct them then and there politely. I'm sure it will bring good results.

Regards,
Archna

Avoiding Workplace Problems with a Checklist

Problems like this can be easily avoided. The solution is simple: have a checklist to be ticked off when an employee leaves your organization.

This checklist can include things like:
- Keys to be handed back
- Mobile phone to be handed back and details changed
- Official documents, manuals, files, and other materials that the employee may need to carry for their work
- Security passes
- Has the employee cleared their desk
- etc.

We have lots of problems in our workplaces, and we are all busy people. Many problems can be avoided by having systems in place and keeping them updated regularly to meet changing circumstances. This is a role that HR can manage but delegate to the employee's Manager on the day of departure and then follow up later to ensure everything was done correctly.

The Role of HR in Employee Satisfaction

As for the other question, well, the role of HR is to maintain the workforce and ensure people are treated well and receive all their benefits and entitlements as well as working in a safe environment, etc. So, at a stretch, one could say that HR is responsible for keeping people happy! That makes for a good workplace then!

Dear Balaji, I agree with your team player suggestion. We never put ourselves ahead of any organizational requirement. But here, the discussion is more towards dealing with the 'blame' that the HR had to take. We are trying to brainstorm a way out of such a situation. We always want to resolve every escalation. As Archana had mentioned in her article, the way we set the course will allow us to be more productive and remove hassles for every employee. We are not shifting responsibilities, rather looking forward to a way that will manage it better. HR would lose focus if they keep looking after every need and 'blame' that come to them. We need to direct them better for the best results.

Regards, (Cite Contribution)

Understanding the Role of HR in Organizations

In my recent conversation with Mr. Nikhil, I was considered a BEHAVIOR SPECIALIST. In fact, we all specialize in various domains where we possess skills that help us perform better.

In most organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, 80% of problems arise due to MISCOMMUNICATION, MISINTERPRETATION, or MISUNDERSTANDING. This leads people to react, ultimately giving birth to PROBLEMS/ISSUES and damaging RELATIONSHIPS (resulting in a heavy toll on interpersonal skills).

a) In your case, I suggest not reacting to small issues, considering the significant role of HR in any organization. I firmly believe that the employee who refused to edit/change the name is NARROW-MINDED, LAZY, and LETHARGIC, expecting others to do their job.

b) You should be a ROLE MODEL by maintaining a POSITIVE ATTITUDE and inspiring others to do the same. Help your employees understand the drawbacks of an ADAMANT/ARROGANT ATTITUDE in a professional setting, as it can negatively impact their performance and career.

1) The HR role extends beyond just ensuring employee happiness; it involves guiding them on the RIGHT PATH.
2) Consider an employee's attitude/behavior during PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS, as HR should evaluate all aspects (360 degrees), not solely focusing on TECHNICAL SKILLS and EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION TO THE COMPANY.

I am striving to create an environment in our organization where attitudes are NORMAL, POSITIVE, DOWN-TO-EARTH, POLITE, HUMBLE, KIND, HONEST, SINCERE, LOYAL, and more. I aim to encourage employees to develop a SENSE OF HUMOR and utilize COMMON SENSE effectively. Attitude often leads to issues in many organizations.

If each individual practices this, we can likely control most things in this world.

Cheer up, Ms. Prema; you can work wonders in your organization if you can maintain control over your mind.

Watch your definitions – they become thoughts. Watch your thoughts – they become words. Watch your words – they become actions. Watch your actions – they become your destiny.

With profound regards,

Here are my 2 cents:

1. I see such 'blames' as opportunities to make HR more effective. It's just a matter of coordinating with the respective people. You don't expect a newcomer to know that... or do you expect him to go elsewhere? If I were an HR head, this would be a great opportunity to 'expand' my wings to cover a few important portfolios...  Maybe that justifies the role better too...

2. I once had such a problem. For every simple thing, there used to be a specific person to talk to... man, it was a difficult situation... It would have been easier if someone from HR had coordinated that.

3. And yes, like everybody else, HR has to keep people happy!  That is applicable to everyone working in a workplace - even the CEO.

Unfortunately, we want to shy away from blame. That is not always the best strategy. You might have to advise him (and really hard) on how the organization functions and tell him that you like him (the new employee) and so, you might do it for him this time. Believe me, he might become your best ally in the future 

On the other hand, if you label him as a person who is 'trouble' or the 'devil', you can rest assured that the attitude would boomerang sometime soon... After all, you need to survive and create a positive environment.

As far as the team member suggestion goes, I don't know how you define your 'team' because it's an interdepartmental issue. More of an internal customer...

True indeed, it's the job of the HR Functionary to make an employee happy. No dispute about it. But then, that by itself should not make the employee simply adopt the stance of an onlooker, with a bystander's apathy to things happening in his/her very workplace. While it's a key area of HR that an employee should ensure a reasonable comfort zone for the employee, it also equally forms part of his duty to make the employee work-responsible and task-competitive.

In this instant case, the woman employee, at the outset, should be made explainable as to why she has not brought the aberration to the notice of her immediate supervisor, and maybe even the HR. Also, the HR too should be asked why he has not ensured proper counseling to the lady employee regarding her passive conduct. An HR professional needs to be proactive, if not expected to do all the sundry things by himself. He should not make an issue of such routine matters. All this speaks about the company not having proper systems in place to take care of exiting employees' roles. I am indeed happy that one of our friends has not only suggested this but in fact even gave a checklist of items for action thereto.

Our friend Balaji's and Senior Member/Super Moderator (Cite Contribution)'s contribution to this think tank in this regard is quite appreciable. Adopting the approach, "I am okay, and you are okay," in group/team working, will certainly reduce the conflict-centered tendencies in such matters. Thank you all then.

Hi Prema, Naomita has analyzed the situation for you. It is a good practice to have a joining and exit checklist which would cover all activities to be handled upon joining or upon separation. This checklist would cover items that should be handled by respective functions such as HR, admin, Accounts, IT, Department Head, etc., which will ensure nothing has fallen through the cracks.

Regards, BMKANAY

Dear All,

The quality of this discussion worries me. I read that some of us not only deny our core role but also claim that what they have been taught is incorrect. The discussion is lengthy and may be beyond the scope of such a forum. I would like to state a few things that I have seen work.

There are quite a few activities that seem to fall between the cracks. In some companies, you may have many people with varied roles to take care of them, while in others, we only have a few. Therefore, the rule we follow is that the person who notices something out of line takes responsibility to correct it. For example, if I am walking through the corridor and notice some paper strewn about, should I wait for the sweeper or admin to come and clean it? I think not. I will do it myself and then look for who could have done it better. If we say that it is an attitude issue of the employee, it is also an attitude issue within us.

Is the Function of HR to Make People Happy?

This is a big question, as we might need to define what happiness means and what it takes to make them (us) happy. I do believe the HR role is to enable productivity. It should take responsibility to ensure that people are able to produce efficiently what they are required to. HR is a core support role, so it must take responsibility to do everything that is required by the organization to deliver output.

The other day, I met a very senior executive of a company that has over 3000 employees, and she mentioned that she does not have an HR function in her company as she believed that it only means passing the buck and HR people are not empathetic. It might be only her impression, but we must note that she is a successful business leader, and we do not want others thinking the same.

Regards,
Sushil Mehrotra

HR can never put themselves ahead of organizations. The discussion here is not about 'how to pass a buck' but rather focused on 'how to resolve.' Cutting across levels and finishing every task irrespective of the task owner will end in a mess, similar to what I had shared, especially when the task has a cost attached to it. As Nikhil had rightly pointed out, the scale and the volume remain a game-changer. Archana's article rightly resolves situations like this.

This is a problem-solving discussion. We have already set the attitude right with complete ownership and identified the problem. Now, once this blame is set apart from the incident, we need to decide on the course of action. We look forward to reading more solutions that have been implemented in different environments. Looking forward to knowing how our community members would resolve a situation like this.

Regards,
Cite Contribution

This is not an HR job. However, you can start by ensuring that if an employee is about to leave the company, they should clear all their responsibilities before departing. This is a type of clearance procedure, even for seemingly minor tasks.

Thanks & Regards,
Supriya

NO, our role is not to make others happy, but it is crucial to maintain discipline. Firstly, it's essential to understand how that person left the company without updating his name, which is very important.

Dear All,

As the new employee is concerned, we need to make him comfortable and provide some hand-holding to help him get used to the system and culture. The handing over of phones and assigning them to a new person is an administrative task that, if done with a little bit of smartness, can resolve such problems.

Some of our HR personnel feel that sticking to facts and ruling over others is our job. Speaking intelligently and proving things right cannot be considered as smart work. This approach often leads to attrition and, consequently, reduced productivity.

In my opinion, HR needs to be friendly and humane wherever necessary and bold whenever required. That's the solution.

Regards,
Vinod

Dear All,

Thank you all for your comments. Some of you have misunderstood my problem. We have a fixed wireless phone where the employees' contacts are stored. One of the employees who was working in Bhuvaneshwar had resigned, and a new employee joined in his position. The ex-employee's number was given to the new employee, but the contact details were not updated in the phone.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions on how to resolve this issue.

Thank you.

I do agree with Archana; there are plenty of such situations I come across every day. My employees too have similar views at times regarding HR's role (to keep them happy always), and I personally feel it is justified. But again, we as HR would not be able to do the same in every situation due to various reasons. So, first analyze the situation, then try to find out the root cause of the problem, and then give the employee a delighted solution. Never get irritated; always keep yourself calm because if you are not patient enough, how can you deal with the other person's mind?

Regards,
Alpana