How Can We Foster a More Supportive Environment on CiteHR Without Negative Replies?

Dear All,

I have been using CiteHR and find it very useful. You can post a query, and almost everyone is ready to help you with whatever they can. However, in recent times, I came across a few posts where the senior members and moderators give negative replies to the person who asks a question. They openly insult them by saying, "You should have paid attention to your MBA class or read the newspaper or ask a good question."

Concerns About Negative Replies

How can you decide what is good or bad? If someone wants to know something, they will post it here. CiteHR is for everyone, and there is no compulsion to answer every question. If you feel a certain question is irrelevant or not up to your standard, please do not reply or insult other members. Not everyone is as educated or experienced as you are. Simply don't reply and don't be judgmental.

Encouragement for Open Expression

Anyone can post a question and ask whatever their query is. If you are going to restrict this, then no one will be able to express what they feel. It's my humble request to all members, especially senior members and CiteHR moderators, to please not insult by using rude language.

This forum is for all!

Thanks

Our apologies if we sounded rude while responding to any post, whether it's the senior, moderator, or any member for that reason. We are here because we want to help. We like to contribute to the extent that even after years of mentoring, I know many mentors who still remain anonymous. Most importantly, everyone contributes without expecting anything in return because that's what they want to do.

This is beyond a free service, as it takes the time and effort of these senior leaders to respond and care for the members who have raised a question. My point remains that no one would, after such an effort, want to hurt anyone. I am not defending what you have noticed; I speak for what I have observed.

We are here to bring about a positive change in others' professional knowledge and understanding. If at any moment anyone sounded rude, we are sorry about it. It was purely unintended.

Regards

I have repeatedly requested many senior members to ignore posts where they can't add value but feel the need to pass judgment about how the member should be conducting themselves. To us, the fact that an engagement from the query posting member exists is more valuable than anything else. Politeness is also a virtue we hold very high, and it's exceptionally important in an environment where the social ties are this weak, as we don't know each other personally.

Please report such posts, and I will reiterate the message to the members in question.

Regards,
Sid

With due respect to (Cite Contribution) and Sid, let me reply to your post. I have just checked to see how many messages you have posted. This seems to be your first message.

If members have said that an MBA should have done this and that, your point of them not being educated is not valid. When students seek questionnaires or MBA project reports on a plate, I have commented that they should kindly not ask for such things but do certain things. I know of members who have been a bit harsher with their responses. Even such responses have added value to the topics.

As (Cite Contribution) has rightly pointed out, no one posts harsh messages intentionally. When people have pointed out the tone of my messages, I have publicly apologized in the thread. I am sure that the right way would have been for you to send a Private Message to individuals concerned. Maybe you have not got the facility to send a private message. Please let us know an example of threads that you have come across.

Here is an example of a message which a person might construe as being publicly admonished https://www.citehr.com/463384-how-st...mpetitors.html but the intention is that of educating bloggers.

It's a pity people indulge in this, especially in this age, where everyone is to be treated as equals. After all, none of us see each other, or maybe even know each other, then this is pathetic.

Having said this, I have another side of this, if you can permit me.

There are several who come to this forum and raise a doubt or query and ask for advice. There are several who take this seriously, spend time to put their thoughts together, and this doesn't get acknowledged by the person who raised the query. It's sad, but that's how life is. Never do anything with any expectation; if you do, be ready for disappointment. Else, take it as just another day, another appointment met, another good contribution made. It takes a lot of people to make this world.

Dear Nancy,

This is in addition to what (Cite Contribution) and Sid have said. Both have given very good replies.

Addressing Queries on the Forum

As far as queries are concerned, a few members raise very churlish queries. They do not conduct any kind of search on the web and expect CiteHR members to spoon-feed them. This forum is neither for spoon-feeding nor for cajoling. Tons of material is available either on the web or this forum itself, yet the same queries come up again and again.

Guidelines for Posting Queries

Queries should be asked about what you did not learn or while implementing knowledge you faced some problems or challenges. Nobody will object to posts of the following kind:

https://www.citehr.com/463454-monkey...ing-plant.html

https://www.citehr.com/463352-case-m...n-company.html

https://www.citehr.com/463017-traini...employees.html

https://www.citehr.com/462816-annorm...employees.html

However, look at the following childish post:

https://www.citehr.com/339175-how-post-new-thread.html

As a reply to the above post, one of the members has raised her query. This is a pure lack of common sense. When some junior members do not show common sense, seniors are bound to pull them up. I do not find anything wrong as such. Show professionalism, and you will get professional replies. But when the childish behavior of a few members pops out, then they are liable for a dressing down. If seniors do not do that, then possibly that member might do some larger damage and may bring disrepute to the profession itself. When seniors rap the knuckles, it is in the interest of the HR function as a whole, so do not look at the member but look at the interest of the HR community as a whole.

Thanks,

Dinesh V Divekar

The post you mentioned has been taken care of. What was needed there was a reply, a post move, and a closing of the thread. This is a moderator's job, and unfortunately, we don't have enough of them. But by itself, the thread causes no issues.

I don't completely agree with the "liable for dressing down" comment. Juniors are to be corrected (even aggressively) when they are directly reporting to you. But on a platform where ultimately everyone is equal, that is not required.

You are right - this platform is not meant for "spoon-feeding," so we have a choice not to do that. But many times, these seemingly irrelevant threads become seeds of connections for two new members. So it's always best for seniors to ignore such threads if all they are going to add is a judgmental comment about the inefficiency of the user. If it's repeated and the senior has time, they can point out the research bar at the top or go one step ahead to find the relevant threads for them. Again, showing these new members how silly they are is not the goal.

I sincerely request senior members to ignore such threads. This is how we have functioned, and it helps maintain an open and inclusive platform. But more importantly, it helps new members not be "told upon" the minute they open up. It is up to us old members to make them feel welcome here. I am in no way against debate, but it should never be directed towards the seniority or the newness of a user.

Regards,
Sid

Nancy, the Super Moderator and other Moderators have already spoken on behalf of all Senior Members. I personally endorse their wisdom. My own viewpoint, however, remains that no one ever likes on the CiteHR platform to hurt anybody's feelings. But if something is pointed out by the senior lot in an advisory capacity, it should be taken by our young friends in the right spirits. Only then a one-to-one equation sets in. Advice is to be viewed as something different than insult; only then true learning takes place. If ego levels rise so high that a pungent comment injures one's pride, one shall continue to feel uncomfortable as an HR professional, since plenty of Senior people within the organization (including those from the HR Department) do have a tendency/style to throw blame on HR executives for whatever goes wrong and be highly judgmental in their statements.

Therefore, to digest criticism with a smile may be a way of conditioning oneself to grow in one's career. Nevertheless, the caution given by you to the senior lot shall not go unnoticed.

Thank you, everyone, for the time you took out to reply on the thread. I did not write this for an apology or something. My main aim was just to highlight that these things do happen. I am really grateful to all the senior members who are here to help in any possible way. Please accept my reply on each post.

For (Cite Contribution)1979 and CHR, thanks for such a polite response.

For Nashbramhal, I have been a member since 2007. I created this profile just to raise this issue. I absolutely agree with your point on spoon-feeding. However, to publicly express anger is not accepted, no matter how irritated you are with the question. Here, I am not targeting a particular member; it's a general concern.

For Tsk.Raman - Exactly, this is my point. If you are taking out time to answer, please don’t expect anything in return. If someone appreciates, that’s good; if not, it’s their choice. But I specifically take out time to appreciate members, even though the thread is not mine.

For Dinesh Divekar - I know some questions are purely out of sense, like the use of toilet paper and all. But my point is to avoid those questions instead of being rude.

For B K BHATIA - I know it should be taken positively, but it will discourage members from asking more questions. It’s a public platform and may hurt someone’s feelings.

Regards

First of all, let me welcome you on behalf of the knowledge-sharing Forum, CiteHR. Here, you can share knowledge with our members, and if you have any queries, you will receive a reply as well. Our members will surely help you find a solution to your query.

Please go through the thread at https://www.citehr.com/118961-welcom...ers-group.html and the thread (link no longer exists - removed) where you will find a lot of valuable information to enhance your knowledge.

Here, no one has any intention to personally insult anyone. Sometimes, upon seeing such silly questions, some young and energetic senior members get frustrated, which leads to such replies being posted.

After logging into the site, some members post a new thread to ask about facing problems logging in. They also create new threads to inquire about how to start a new thread. Additionally, there are instances where individuals who have completed their Ph.D. struggle to draft a simple intimation note to inform their colleagues about their achievement when distributing sweets to them.

Do you find any sense in posting such queries? This is why some of our members are becoming irritated. In this forum, we have not met each other personally. Even if we work in the same office or location, we may not recognize each other here.

Some people need motivation to work, and if motivated, they will succeed. Others may need a push, and if pushed, they will step up to the task. If you allow some people to work independently, they will perform better. It is essential to monitor them from a distance. If you become too involved, they may become tense and make mistakes. We cannot treat everyone the same way; each individual requires a different approach. Senior members usually analyze the situation thoroughly before providing a response to a query.

Please understand that we are all here to assist one another and seek help when needed. Therefore, do not take anything to heart, and in the future, it is recommended that you actively participate in discussions of your choice.

Thank you.

Your advice makes a lot of sense, but this applies more in the offline world. The issue is that in a text-only medium, it is extremely difficult to be certain of the tone of the posted message. This becomes a bigger problem when the message is intended in a corporate-type environment, where most people are on guard against criticism or they don't really see the other parties as authority figures. Thus, to make this work, it is of paramount importance that politeness is maintained. This space was never meant for criticism but rather for solutions to problems faced in corporate issues.

It is best that we don't worry about the repetition or novice'ness and concentrate on identifying the interesting threads. One way this can be done is by "following" the senior people - this will send you recommendations in the "recommended" tab, and collectively the seniors can identify the best threads where an input from them is warranted.

Regards,
Sid

Thank you very much for the reply. I know you are right, but I felt bad about the tone they used for someone who just wanted to increase knowledge. I really like being a part of CiteHR, and I am active in the discussions and posts. One of your moderators messaged me that I violated the rule by creating a new profile to highlight the issue. I really don't understand; if I wanted to highlight a fact without being known, what's the issue with it? I guess some people didn't like my reaction to the problem. Though it did not happen to me, at any time, anyone can publicly insult me, assuming that the question I asked was not up to their level. I am sorry, but this is not the way. They should not reply on such threads.

Regards

If we are not interested in disclosing our name publicly, we can use the option of hiding the name and user ID by clicking on the "Make Anonymous" box.

As you mentioned, our moderators truly respect other members; that's why they send private messages after due moderation. I would like to emphasize that we, including you, are all helping each other without any expectations, and in doing so, we are continuously enhancing our knowledge levels.

Please do not harbor feelings that someone will insult you. Here, we are all equals—no seniors, no juniors, no students, and no professionals. Whoever has a query can ask, and whoever has a response can provide it. If any miscommunication occurs, it may be unintentional and unknowingly caused. Therefore, even if something happens, please do not take it to heart.

Wishing you a great day ahead.

I think you are right. No one should use such rude language as we don't even know each other to be judgmental. But let it go; if there are some rude people, there are many others who help selflessly.

Regards