Feeling Isolated as the Only HR in a New Job: How Can I Overcome Cultural Barriers?

Dear all, I'm facing a tough situation in my current organization where I joined 2 months ago. To add to the difficulty, I'm the only HR in my organization. Previously, there was no HR here, so people are always trying to create problems in my path. Although my boss is very supportive, I have to deal with employees at the workplace who are very uncooperative, and I feel very stressed out at times.

Nobody talks to me unless there is some need. I would like to mention here that my mother tongue is Bengali, whereas I am working in Faridabad. I'm not sure whether this problem is due to a cultural difference.

Seeking Advice from Seniors

Seniors, please advise me on how to overcome this type of stressful situation.

Regards

Dear Indrani, Bengalis are known for their rich culture and behavior. Try to positively influence the people around you. You may not be successful in one day, but ultimately, you'll win. A word-of-mouth campaign will follow among people about you. Your boss is supportive, which will add value to your endeavor. Start smiling, listen to them, and enjoy good music. People generally are afraid of HR personnel, thus initially, they are avoiding you. Try to win them over with your service and good behavior. Your good intentions will be known soon, and people will start respecting you!

With regards,
Lahiri, Kolkata

Dear Indrani,

As you have mentioned that your boss is supportive, kindly discuss with him/her the need to hire someone to support you due to the increasing work pressure and numerous pending issues. Managing the HR aspects of the entire organization is a very complex task that naturally leads to job stress. Since you joined the organization two months ago, you may not have a complete understanding of each employee's behavior and attitude. You are also not well-connected with everyone yet. As you spend more time in the organization, you will become more familiar with others. Therefore, do not fear or feel tense. Handle employee situations with a calm and courteous demeanor.

The Role of an HR Person

The role of an HR person is indeed complex. You need to have the ability to solve the problems of employees who are already facing challenges. Sometimes, they may put pressure on you to complete their tasks quickly. If you, as an HR professional, experience high levels of stress, how will you address the broader issues affecting your employees? Always approach situations with strategic thinking. Establish deadlines for tasks related to employees' needs and ensure they adhere to them. Approach disrespectful employees politely and try to understand and resolve their issues. If someone continues to be uncooperative, handle the situation calmly and strategically. If needed, seek assistance from your seniors for serious matters.

Handling Language Barriers and Bias

Language barriers can be less of an issue if you understand the local language and can communicate effectively. Ignore anyone who shows bias towards your Bengali background. Be patient and honest in your work, and your problems will likely resolve over time. If the situation becomes critical, consider exploring other job opportunities in your preferred field.

Thanks & Best Regards,
Regards

Dear Ms. Indrani, We recently exchanged our views, giving me an opportunity to study your perception level. The problem lies at your end. Since I do counseling, kindly allow me to solve your queries. Kindly pay attention to my queries and free your mind from negative thoughts before you start reading them one after the other.

A) Discussing Workplace Issues

- Have you discussed your current workplace issues with your supportive boss?
1) If yes, what was his reply?
2) If no, why haven't you approached him yet?

B) Identifying Personal Weaknesses

- Identify your weaknesses in getting irritated, disturbed, or stressed when troubled by your coworkers.

C) Viewing Problems as Challenges

- Why do you view problems as hurdles or obstacles in your professional life instead of considering them as challenges or opportunities to prove yourself? Think from a different angle.

D) Professional Work Culture

- Please don't assume anything. In the workplace, only a professional work culture (ethics) should be given importance and promoted, not any other work culture (Bengali, UP, etc.).

E) Understanding Your Organization

- You are new to your current organization. Spend time studying your employees' psychology/mentality. Be an observer, don't take things personally, and avoid worrying about your company's practices as there is top management responsible for everything. Understand your role, submit reports/inputs to your boss, and seek guidance.

With profound regards,

Many fellow HR professionals have come across similar challenges in their careers, especially when the HR department is in its initial stages. Whenever we try to implement changes, it is a common human tendency to resist, particularly in the case of the HR department, as it is often perceived as a department focused solely on hiring and firing. Therefore, such issues are likely to arise. We need to implement measures to enhance acceptance.

Seek support from your boss and develop strategies or policies to improve human resources within your organization. This could range from implementing a leave encashment policy to organizing fun activities, fostering belief in the HR department.

The first two months typically involve understanding the systems and culture. Implement changes gradually, with clear communication and by opening channels from both ends.

When an employee approaches you with a problem, initiate a casual conversation to get to know them better. This approach will also help them get to know you more.

I concur with S. Lahiri; with your positive attitude and approach, employees will eventually come to respect you.

All the best!

Thank you so much, seniors, for your valuable advice and suggestions. I will surely follow them, and hopefully, by adhering to them patiently, I will overcome these problems.

I have not yet discussed this with my boss, the reason being he is in top management, looking after so many issues in our organization. So I felt it was not necessary to bring these small issues in front of him. Maybe he will think I am immature enough to handle these issues myself. I admit that maybe the fault lies on my end that I get easily disturbed and hassled by these issues. But please give me suggestions on how to overcome this behavior of mine. From now on, I will try to think of this problem as an opportunity rather than a hurdle.

I have this feeling that maybe people keep their distance from me due to cultural differences because there are a few colleagues who openly criticize Bengalis. Lastly, I would like to say that I am trying hard to focus on my job so that I can grow in my career rather than diverting my attention to these issues. But I would like to understand one thing from you. Will I face these sorts of problems throughout my career, wherever I join? I mean to say, do these problems exist in all organizations? I will wait for your valuable insight.

Regards, Indrani

Let me share my experience with you. Though I have more than a decade of experience in various domains, I still found problems in all those organizations where I have served, including my current organization. It's because of employees only, not due to the organization, which has no life.

Understanding Workplace Dynamics

Please understand the following:
- Positive Motivation and Negative Motivation
- Human Psychology/Mentality associated with Attitude/Behaviour
- Hypocrisy and Criticism

At the workplace, you will find different kinds of employees with varying perception levels and attitudes/behaviors.

You will always find people (pessimistic/narrow-minded) who love to trouble others because it's a kind of attitude/behavior that demotivates (negative) employees. Only those who fall prey to their dirty tactics lack better perception/interpretation levels, focus, concentration, patience, and willpower.

To the contrary, you will find people who love to support, encourage, are optimistic/open-minded, and much more as they are considered catalysts for motivating (positive) individuals.

Dealing with Hypocrisy and Criticism

Hypocrisy is a very bad habit found in employees (who can't dare to speak facts face to face), and criticism (commenting) is also a demotivating tool or considered one of the factors for making employees lose their concentration/focus, irritate them, cause frustration, raise anger, and make them deviate from their actual path resulting in self-created stress because one has taken such critics very seriously. This can even hamper one's career.

When you consider problems as opportunities/challenges and start gaining self-control, willpower, focus/concentrate on your goals, nothing can disturb/shake/irritate/confuse you. You will find yourself much stronger than before as you will develop more willpower to listen to everything, whatever may come your way, rather than getting deviated from your actual path.

Kindly remember always, never ignore small issues at the workplace as they can prove more deadly than big issues. Learn to perceive them positively and let go of those who love to create hurdles at the workplace. Learn to handle risk as I love taking risks that made me much stronger (internally) than before. But the same risk should not be a factor for creating stress/pressure and a lot more.

Professional Relationships and Cultural Perceptions

My advice to you is that you have to develop your professional relationship with your boss and keep updating him periodically. He can help you to solve many issues because he is the decision-maker.

Last but not least, what's wrong with Bengalis and what's so special about UP guys? It's not the culture; it's their perception level and maybe something more than that.

HR can control human attitude/behavior through PMS because PMS is a very effective tool to control employees.

Do feel free to write to us if you have more queries to be sorted out.

Good luck in all your endeavors.

With profound regards,

Dear Indrani, could you kindly shed some more light on the situation? How large is the organization? What prior experience do you have? Do you have a good command of Hindi? Are you the only Bengali working there? Have you started to formulate HR policies and implement them? Have these changes been communicated to the workers? If so, how and by whom?

In my experience, both in India and in the UK, whenever a new person is appointed, that leads to change. People resist change, and that resistance can be construed as resistance to the person. Just think about the reaction of employees of a firm in Bengal if a Madrasi is appointed to bring about changes.

Have a nice day.

Regards,
Simhan
A retired academic in the UK

I guess Narsing Brahanpure is right in saying: "God is watching you." But one also needs to remember another quote related to Him: "God helps those who help themselves." So I think it's more appropriate to guide Indrani on how to handle the issue at hand rather than preach homilies... no pun intended, please.

Hello Indrani, I think Simhan, Archna, and Khadir have mentioned very valid points relevant to your situation. Even though you fear that your boss "will think me immature enough to handle these issues myself," it depends on how you break the news to him. If you "report/complaint" to him as a problem, then you could be right. But if you "inform/discuss" with him about the status of the activity/work you are doing, then it gives a totally different perspective. Notice the difference?

I suggest you answer the queries that Simhan has asked—they have a bearing on any practical advice this forum can give you. More after you answer Simhan's queries.

But I can point out one thing right away—the point you mentioned about being a Bengali. I am not sure if you have met/noticed any Malayalees/Keralites at work. They have a really nice way to fit into any culture/environment where they land up, unlike those from most other regions. If your Hindi pronunciation makes them laugh, so be it—you laugh too, even while asking them the right pronunciation. After a while, take it from me, that could be the binding force between you and others.

Regards, TS

Dear Simhan,

Please find my replies to your queries as follows:

Organization Details

The organization has around 100 employees in the corporate office, where I am the corporate HR. I have around 1.5 years of experience (1 year in the company, 6 months in consultancy) prior to joining this company. Frankly speaking, I am not very fluent in spoken Hindi, and yes, I am the only Bengali here. Yes, HR policies have been formulated by my boss, who is the Country Manager here, and the same have been communicated to all in writing.

Hope I have answered all your queries. In case you have any more queries, please feel free to let me know.

Regards

Dear Indrani, thank you for the information. It's as I guessed. Every minority faces that problem when not fluent in the local language. Time and patience will cure it all. Kindly tell people that your command of the Hindi language is not good and ask them to help you master it. Others have already given you sound advice. Have a nice day.

Regards,
Simhan

It's not all about COMPANY POLICIES, but it's about EMPLOYEE STANDARDS (ATTITUDE, BEHAVIOR, PERCEPTION/INTERPRETATION LEVEL, MATURITY LEVEL, and more) associated with WORK CULTURE/ETHICS and COMPANY STANDARDS. You have to ignore useless issues and concentrate on your job. The more you think, the more troubles you are going to invite yourself. You have to think out of the box, analyze the situation, and act accordingly. Avoid getting confused, deviated, or frustrated for SILLY REASONS/ISSUES.

With profound regards

Dear Indrani, Thank you for answering my questions. I have included some more questions and comments in blue. Have a nice day.

Simhan

First, make a list of the efforts you made. Then go to your boss and share your problem areas with him, giving him feedback on your efforts. Based on what you say, he seems to be a reasonable person. So I don't think the discussion will turn out the way you fear—"Maybe he will think me immature..."—once he sees that you made an effort to the best you could. Just convey to him what you did, and then ask if there's anything else you can do to handle the situation "in a different way" so that the results will be what both of you wanted.

This is what I meant when I mentioned in my earlier posting: "...it depends on how you break the news to him..."

Next, as I suggested, make light of your non-fluency in Hindi. I recollect a time three decades ago when I took up my first job in UP. The Hindi I was used to in Hyderabad was [in fact, it still is] different from that spoken in North India. And I had to handle all local technicians—leave alone the fun they used to make behind my back, quite a few times, the instructions I gave were misunderstood and something else was done instead of what was needed. That's when the suggestion I gave you [you laugh too even while asking them the right pronunciation. After a while, take it from me, that could be the binding force between you and others] helped me.

Now, friends in Hyderabad say that my Hindi is typical North-Indian :-)

Please recollect what Khadir mentioned: "...When you consider problems as opportunities/challenges and start gaining self-control, willpower, focus/concentrate on your goals, nothing can disturb/shake/irritate/confuse you..."

It is in such situations that your mental strength and recovery mechanism is tested.

All the best.

Regards,
TS