How Can I Help My Operations Managers See HR as Part of Their Role?

Guiding Operations Managers to Embrace HR Responsibilities

How do I guide all my Operations Managers in BPO to become integral HRs? Currently, in my company, all my managers feel that attrition is solely an HR headache. We need to clear this myth. I would like to guide these uninformed managers on this matter.

I recommend that you conduct an analysis of employee attrition. Determine which department has higher attrition rates. Additionally, investigate whether there are variations based on gender, age, education background, etc. This information will assist you in implementing corrective measures such as training and welfare initiatives.

Secondly, calculate the cost of attrition. Provide training to your managers on ways they can help reduce these costs. While HR is responsible for recruitment, retention largely depends on the Operations Managers' efforts.

Regards,
DVD

Dinesh Divekar is right about the primary responsibility of 'retention'. Though a bit out-of-context, the role of HR is something like that of parents (or friends, as the case may be) in a marriage . The parents can only take responsibility until the stage of marriage—but what the couple makes out of the marriage is up to them.

But please also remember that parents always come into the picture when there are problems in the marriage—so frankly, you can't say that HR doesn't have any role after Hiring/Joining, regarding Retention.

Coming to your query, it would have been better if you had given more details of both your observations so far and actions from the HR end to figure out the reasons for the attrition.

Do you have any exit-interview process in place? How is the Increment/Appraisal policy of the company, in general, viewed by the employees? Like Dinesh Divekar mentioned, is any specific department under a cloud for this situation, or is it spread across the company? More inputs, the better and more accurate the suggestions.

However, going by your posting, I get a feeling (I may be and wish to be wrong on this aspect) that the sense of belonging at the senior managers' level is lacking in your company. Else, given the reality that it's the Line managers who are directly affected due to any attrition, their comments ("...attrition is HR Headache") only convey an attitude of 'passing-the-buck' (typically seen in Government Sector Companies). If this indeed is true (to whatever extent), then this attitude is only being passed (without any specific intent most likely) to the lower-level employees—and attrition is the 'RESULTANT and EXTERNAL symptom' that is noticed. Like the saying goes in Sanskrit: 'Yatha raja, thatha praja'. The 'WHY' of this aspect could lead you to a totally different direction—if you want to find the solution.

All the best.

Regards,
TS

This is a classic case of developing a 'People's Manager'! The tug-of-war between HR fundamentals and the operation manager's perspectives will continue until one recognizes the other. I suggest you begin with the premise that Operations would find HR guidelines neither people nor business-friendly. Nevertheless, HR remains an enabler to the business. Hence, your research to present the data, as Dinesh had suggested, needs to be aligned best with the business. Explain every initiative with the outcomes that can be managed by the Line managers when owned by them. For example, Employee Engagement may include one of the goals as reducing the absenteeism rate. Don't create an incentive program for this. Rather, brainstorm with the line managers on the reasons specific to each team. Consider factors such as exigency and identify work-related or behavioral reasons, such as high work volume or consecutive negative feedback. Seek suggestions from the line managers on managing them, for instance, high work volume can be managed with acknowledgment and negative feedback with corrective and supportive measures.

I managed an attrition-sensitive business unit, where the reasons remained unacknowledged for a long time. A mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive study showed reasons such as regionalism, disparity in teams, and several other behavioral reasons. Compensation remained the last resort.

The tangible reasons were manageable, but the behavioral aspects took several business-owned programs to resolve. Even though, I must confess, not all the reasons could be resolved. Building coherent teams, in Satheesh's words, will remain a choice and not a luxury for the line managers.

Please let us know what is workable and what remains remote in your situation. Wish you all the best!