How Can HR Professionals Stay Safe Amid Rising Workplace Violence? A Wake-Up Call for Change

I have known Rajarajeswaran since the 80s. He was my college senior at PSG, Coimbatore. A light-hearted, warm, and humorous person who always broke the barriers of age and seniority and was very cordial with all of us. I spoke to him last week when he came to Chennai for his daughter's admission. I couldn't honor my commitment to see him. It was just with the faith that I could see him during his next visit. Fate has the last laugh, crudely. The news came as a forwarded message from a common friend. Upon exploration, it was known that he was killed by a suspended employee. Another Roy George.

My intention of this email to the group is not just to share my feelings, but to share some questions/insights that emerged out of deep introspection.

Safety of HR Professionals

How safe are HR Professionals? Is the label HR Professional right? Are we still IR Managers with a glorious label? What has been the response of the professional community and bodies so far on these murders, apart from condolence meetings?

Learning from Incidents

What have been the learnings shared? Why are these cases not discussed as much as "success stories"? Are they not survival tips for co-professionals? What is the impact of all this on the respective employers? Has the ER Climate improved? Apart from compensation to family and replacement with another "tough" guy, what has been the learning?

HR Professionals' Responsibilities

Are we not understanding the changing face of workmen and realigning our styles and strategies? Are we not communicating adequately and building trust and compassion, which would be the bedrock of enduring relationships during a crisis? Are we not 'really' people-sensitive? Are we just "rule book" driven officers? Are we not genuine and fair in our dealings? Are we not receiving enough information, guidance, and support from co-professionals?

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Call to Action for HR Veterans

Rajarajeswaran's murder should be seen as a "wake-up call" to discuss these professional issues. Now, please think ahead and give an absolute solution at the forefront to avoid such incidents. I am sharing it here to create awareness of our profession.

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Regards,

Ramkishore

Manager-HR

Dear Karthikeyan Ranganathan,

Those who bloom in the hearts of others, like your senior, never fade away. May you find comfort and strength in your memories of him. I sincerely pray for him; let his soul rest in peace. As stated by you, whatever the IR is, it is not worth the cost of a life. We are the most passionate department in the company, as whatever problems occur, they reflect on HR straight away. Therefore, we should be good strategic players between management and workers. We should let the game play to the safer side, not affecting employees, management, and ourselves, as we deal directly as glorious managers.

As you rightly said, this should be a wake-up call for all HRs. We should be very careful in dealing with people. We have only one life to act to safeguard our family members. We are not down to earth; we talk about this incident and extend our solidarity with the HR fraternity. I would request you to give wide publicity in all the HR communities and pass a resolution for early suitable action from the state government. Also, we must show respect to the departed soul by observing two minutes of silence in our next meeting and sending a condolence note to the family of the late.

This is the reply I gave him. I expect all your views, perceptions, and suggestions.

Regards,

Ramkishore

Manager-HR

With all due respect to the late Mr. Rajarajeswaran, I would only say that there were these kinds of cases where there were a lot of industrial disputes. However, after the establishment of trade unions and significant development in the field of HR, these kinds of cases have been registered less frequently. Only in the rarest of rare cases does it happen, and in many instances, reasons turn out differently after examination. Yes, HR professionals need to develop more empathy and maintain good employee relations. This doesn't mean being lenient; they still have to follow the rules and regulations, which calls for diplomacy.

There have been wake-up calls, and the government's intervention is also active since it's a three-tier system: Employer-Employee-Government. It was almost pathetic and a major issue in the past, but today it has been significantly reduced. This is evident from the history and development of industrial relations and labor laws.

Regards,
BSSV

With all due respect to the late Mr. Rajarajeswaran, I would only say that there were cases where there were a lot of industrial disputes. However, after the establishment of trade unions and significant development in the field of HR, these cases have been registered less frequently. Only in the rarest of cases does it happen, and often the reasons turn out differently upon examination. Yes, HR professionals need to develop more empathy and maintain good employee relations. This does not mean being lenient; instead, they must follow the rules and regulations, which calls for diplomacy.

There have been wake-up calls, and the government's intervention is active since it's a three-tier system: employer-employee-government. It was almost pathetic and a major concern in the past, but today it has been reduced to a great extent. This progress is evident from the history and development of industrial relations and labor laws.

Regards,

BSSV

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Dear RamKishore,

It is noted that there are fewer cases we have come across, but one must consider how many cases have not been reported involving threats, assaults, and so on. Even with empathy, employees may react as if HR has caused the issue, when in reality, it is often a management concern. My question is, do we truly have empathy and sympathy towards the situation, employees, unions, and contractors? While the government is taking action, we need to anticipate the changing trend, especially with contract workers, and ensure that employees are integrated into roles for the future success of industrial relations.

It is impossible to forget the brutal murder of Mr. Roy J. George, VP (HR) at Pricol Limited, Coimbatore, during a labor unrest in 2009. Additionally, incidents involving assault on GM-HR/HR Managers/IR Managers have been increasing in recent years, such as the case of Mr. Rajeshwaran at Coimbatore Madras Cement. Therefore, I urge HR veterans to find solutions to these challenges. Is suspension worth the cost of a life?

Regards,

RamKishore

I'm Purnima Rajarajeswaran from the esteemed family of K.G. Rajarajeswaran. Thank you for your deep condolences. I am proud to be my daddy's girl; he was a "man of principles."

Regards,
Purnima