Navigating HR Challenges: Employee Engagement, Exit Interviews, and Induction Programs

Dear All,

One of my friends has been working in a company as an HR for one year. The company's VP (Head of the company) has decided not to have any induction for new joiners. He is also not in favor of conducting exit interviews and other employee engagement activities ("It's all a waste of time as per his view"). My friend has asked me how to deal with this situation. The company has 80 employees.

Currently, he reports only to the VP due to management changes.

I would like to know your thoughts about it.

Regards,
PD

Dear Friend,

Your concern for the organization and the reality on the ground are not significantly different from what many organizations face. Your friend's keen interest in both the induction program and exit interview is indeed the need of the hour. We cannot simply dismiss the importance of these processes by citing company policy as a hindrance. While the organization may not currently be experiencing a high attrition rate, it is essential to prepare for potential challenges in the future. It is unclear from your message whether the organization belongs to the service industry, manufacturing sector, or another field where your friend is employed.

I suggest advising your friend to thoroughly assess the situation and explore similar industries or organizations that have faced issues due to the lack of proper induction programs, leading to indiscipline and a lack of cooperation among employees. Encourage your friend to communicate effectively with the Vice President about the evolving circumstances and consider whether there might be a generational gap affecting the VP's understanding of the current requirements. If necessary, your friend could help educate the VP on the importance of these programs or seek the assistance of a consultant.

Given your friend's strong support for induction training, it would be beneficial to involve consultants in designing and implementing these programs within the organization. This collaborative effort can help navigate the current situation effectively.

Best of luck.

Hi Prakash,

Please ask your friend to speak to the VP and try to make him understand the importance of induction and exit interviews. Though it is not that easy, he can give it a try. This explanation should be conveyed in a very positive manner in favor of the organization; only then, it may work out.

Good luck.

Thanks for your suggestion. Being an HR professional, I do understand the importance of induction and initial orientation towards organizational culture.

Do you guys think this kind of mentality is good from an employee perspective? What are the short-term and long-term effects of this kind of behavior? And lastly, a very important question: Does my friend "X" have any growth opportunities in this company?

Regards,
PD

These things do happen in unorganized sectors. The best thing is to look for another job and move.

Regards,
Murali

Hello PD,

The taste of the pudding is always in the eating.

Ask your friend to conduct some informal exit interviews, maybe 4-5, and then show the results to his VP. If the VP still doesn't understand the advantages of such practices, then I guess your friend is wasting his time here (his VP's opinion about these practices being a 'waste of time' would surely prove costly to him and the company later, but that's his problem).

However, your mention of exit interviews along with other steps indicates that the attrition rate here is high for a headcount of 80. If true, there is even more reason for conducting exit interviews as soon as possible.

Regarding other steps like inductions and other employee engagement activities, suggest asking him to wait until the exit interviews phase is done. These would require the involvement of the VP and/or others, meaning your friend wouldn't be able to handle them alone and informally. So until the VP sees some sense in what your friend is suggesting, they have to wait.

If the VP is convinced that there is indeed some logic in the practices/suggestions, then the other suggestions can be brought forth and implemented one by one.

Otherwise, as I mentioned, ask your friend to move out as soon as possible.

There's a quote often used in Organizational Psychology: "The work expands or contracts according to the time available for it." In a larger perspective, this can also be applied to such situations. If your friend continues to stay here despite such mindsets, there's every chance your friend might also become like his VP along the way and consequently, he just won't fit in anywhere else. Hope you get the point.

But one thing puzzles me. I see that you post quite a few threads/postings on behalf of your friends. When they too are in HR, what's stopping them from posting their problems/issues themselves? Do they need someone else to do it on their behalf? Sounds weird to me.

Why don't you tell them to ask on their own in CiteHR?

Regards,

TS

Hi, I appreciate your response. It is said, "A friend in need is a friend indeed"... lol. The main idea behind putting practical situations is to give us good learning. I believe this is the overall idea behind this forum.

Regards,
PD

Hello PD,

While you are right when you say "A friend in need is a friend indeed," suggest not to practice it at the cost of their personality development. A true friend ought to ensure that he/she makes himself/herself dispensable along the way, instead of making his/her friends totally dependent on him/her. This idea is adapted from the quote: "A true leader is one who makes himself gradually dispensable."

What would your friends do when you aren't around, for whatever reason(s)?

Regards,
TS

Dear PD,

HR professionals are typically responsible for final reporting, a task that often falls to a leader who is not from the HR department. Consequently, it is evident that this individual may not fully appreciate traditional HR concepts and tools.

An essential role of HR professionals in an organization is that of an "advocate." They must advocate for their profession, employees, and organizational development.

Your friend faces a challenge in demonstrating the correlation between conducting studies, translating the study findings into actionable plans, achieving results, and quantifying those outcomes. If successful, their VP is likely to recognize them as a star and grant them the freedom to implement more innovative concepts and practices.

Best of luck,

Shailesh Parikh
99 98 97 10 65
Vadodara, Gujarat

Dear PD,

The easiest solution for your HR friend is to find another company with a good corporate culture. The boss here is pretty conservative, and I'm sure that he will not allow exit interviews or induction programs in the near future. Every HR professional understands how important employee engagement programs are and what happens if a company doesn't conduct them. It can lead to high turnover, low productivity, and high costs of replacement. If your friend can't convince his VP with real evidence, just move on.

Best of luck!

Hi,

What I suggest is for the exit interview:

The purpose of an exit interview is to know why an employee is leaving the company, what the positives are - opportunities, threats, improvements required in the company. This can be initiated strategically. Your friend can initiate this by speaking to the VP to suggest the usage of an exit interview document instead of a direct exit interview to save time. Initially, have an exit interview document with multiple-choice questions and blanks to give suggestions if any. Ask the employee to fill and submit. Slowly, this leads to interaction and, in turn, leads to a formal procedure. If this does not work, have a suggestion box policy/whistleblower policy. Interact with the employee upon receiving resignation. If this does not work, have formal interactions with employees at regular intervals. Take feedback. Document it. Finally, HR meets the purpose.

HR needs to work with different kinds of people. Working with a boss of a different perspective is equally a challenging thing. Take time, observe your boss's strategies, understand them, and try to implement your strategies accordingly step by step.

For induction:

Send an email announcing the new employee joining - include a photo, job role, years of experience. Take a chance during the facility tour/group meetings. Explain to the new joiner about the organogram. Inform your employees to introduce themselves to the new joiner and ask them to provide support if required. Speak to the department manager about training.

As per the email, the company currently has 80 employees. It's not a big deal.

I HOPE THIS HELPS your friend.

Best regards