Why Do Some Employees Feel HR Acts Like Their Boss? Insights from 12 Years in HR

Hi, I am Sarita, a Head HR working in an organization. I want to share something from my 12 years of experience in the industry. Why do people have conflicts with HR and the impression that HR wants to be their boss? I understand that not every employee feels this way, but some have this perception.

Thanks

Dear Sarita,

It may be true also. People understand from our actions, not by what we think of them. It must be brought to the knowledge of employees that HR is for them, to support them. I would suggest you come up with employee-friendly policies and start some good HR practices so employees feel confident about HR. Do remember to present HR as a friend to every employee in your organization.

Yes, it is the psychology of employees that HR handles everything like salary, recruitment, treating, and directing. While HR is the boss of them, it plays a crucial role in industries as the sandwich layer in the hierarchy. So, don't mind and be prepared to face challenges in resolving employees' grievances.

Functions like HR, Finance, and Admin are departments that are typically the custodians of policies that directly impact employees. When implementing company policies, the communication from HR, Admin, and Finance often carries a tone of superiority due to their interpretation of the policy. This may be a contributing factor to why employees perceive things the way they do.

Employees do not have the impression that HR wants to be their boss; they think HR is an obstacle in their work. This is generally portrayed as 'management gives opportunities' and 'HR gives rules'.

Understanding Employee Perceptions

HR should survey to what extent employees think that the rules are hindering their opportunities. It should be understood by employees that HR are also employees. This can be achieved through employee-oriented HR policies. Six Sigma-type productivity improvement processes emphasize employee participation in suggesting corrections or upgrades to policies and processes.

You have to check how much employee contribution is really present in your policies. For example, a food committee comprising only employees who bring their own Tiffin will always raise questions about their dedication to canteen food quality assurance.

Fostering Transparent Communication

Likewise, it should be understood by HR that other employees are also their peers, and there should be transparent communication and understanding between both parties. Sometimes, HR policies really 'dictate' dumb rules, as HR accepts them as 'helpless subordinates' of management.

They say a king is as good as his council. I think the same goes for Management and HR. The HR as a council has to be wise, ethical, smart, and sometimes very candid. If not, you can find many cases where companies become "penny wise and pound foolish." For example, a company trying to save costs on a cheap vendor who provides unsatisfactory service to employees, which in turn increases dissatisfaction and loss through productivity.

The Unique Role of HR

The difference between HR employees and other employees is that other employees do not really (officially) have to think of the rest of the employees, but HR does. That is why employees in HR have to be more sensitive to this matter, even though other employees do not show this sensitivity. This lack of higher sensitivity and a feeling that "employees do not like HR" only pushes them further apart.

It can be done effectively only by HR to bridge this gap and bring employee confidence.

Best Regards,

Amod Bobade

Dear Amod, I understand that many times, HR is seen as a villain. One needs to understand from the HR perspective too. For HR, all employees are equal, and nobody is special. A privilege cannot be given to one employee and denied to others. I also understand that HR needs to be sensitive to employee needs and should always be flexible without crossing permissible limits.

The Role of HR in Balancing Needs

For such things to happen, management should hire a mature and seasoned HR professional and invest in talent development opportunities. An HR leader is sandwiched between employees and management.

Regards, Murali

The Vital Role of HR in Organizations

HR in any organization has a vital role to play. Both management and employees have high expectations from HR. Business demands profits, employees demand salary, and other benefits. While HR is all about managing people, it is always expected by management that HR should manage people/employees in a manner that the business runs smoothly and goals are achieved. Employees expect that their share of benefits, compensation, welfare, etc., is being taken care of efficiently by HR. The key factor is the balance between management demands and employee demands.

Having said this, I feel that HR has to be extraordinarily competent and smart to manage employees and convince management on human resource issues within the policies of companies. Management's support and confidence in HR can make it happen. While HR has a personal responsibility to be an employee-friendly and humble person to retrieve more productivity out of them and compensate them up to their satisfaction.