How Can HR Truly Connect with Employees Amidst Busy Schedules and Diverse Languages?

Dear Members, On one of the WA groups, the Administrator of the forum has brought a topic for discussion. Today's topic is on decision-making based on head or heart. He has raised the following questions:

Q. 1 How should we as HR Professionals get connected with employees?

Q. 2 What methods/tools need to be followed so that trust will prevail amongst employees?

Q. 3 Does local or regional language play a vital role in understanding each other, or is the regional language the best medium to get connected with employees?

I have given replies to his questions. My replies are as below:

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Dear Mr. Rajaram Thorve,

Replies to your questions are as below:

How should we as HR Professionals get connected with employees?

Reply: To connect with employees, two fundamental things are important. One is that there should be a sufficient strength of HR professionals, and the second one is whether HR professionals have time to connect with the employees. In IT companies, where most of the activities of erstwhile personnel management are outsourced, and HR professionals handle only the core HR activities, even then, the ratio is 1:200. With this ratio, how HR can stay in touch with the employee is a matter of conjecture!

In SMEs, where most HRs are nothing but personnel managers, they are laden with routine work like payroll processing, activities related to labor laws, and above all, recruitment. Even if payroll processing and statutory activities are outsourced, the challenge of timely recruitment keeps HRs on their toes. This leaves them no time for staying in touch with the employees proactively. Many times, it is just firefighting.

Therefore, before we discuss "how HR should stay connected with the employees," we need to ponder on "Do HRs have enough time to stay connected?"

What methods/tools need to be followed so that trust will prevail amongst employees?

Reply: The method of communication should be personal communication. It has no parallels. Another challenge to HR professionals is how to gain insight through exit interviews. Most HRs complain that exit interviews are useless because they do not reveal anything. It is important to investigate the disconnect between HODs and their subordinates. In IT companies, project managers take feedback from the team leaders, and they just do not know exactly which team members are working and who is not working. HR is also ignorant about what’s happening in the project teams. Secondly, HRs are also ignorant of how project managers or HODs are passing their time. Unfortunately, many team leaders or project managers spend their time in stock market or real estate activities, and this goes unnoticed. Therefore, if HR wants to gain trust, they should find out what exactly is going on and take corrective action thereafter.

Does local or regional language play a vital role in understanding each other, or is the regional language the best medium to get connected with employees?

Reply: The question of communicating in the local language arises for lower-level employees. However, in mature organizations or MNCs, most of the staff are well-versed in English. In many organizations, English is the official language of communication. In these organizations, the language of communication is not a barrier.

Final Comments: The question is asked about how HRs should stay connected with the employees. Obviously, the better answer is communication. Nevertheless, in addition to communication, HRs should also gather organizational intelligence. HR should get insight into fights or fracas that take place in various departments, strained relationships, romantic relationships, who could quit the organization out of frustration, and so on.

The second challenge as to why HR fails to stay connected is because they do not understand the business issues. Ask operations professionals, and they just quip what HR knows about operations. The same thing is about marketing or supply chain also. Those who are dismissive of HR, can they be expected to be in touch with HR? Therefore, the major challenge of HR is to understand the terminology used in each discipline of management, i.e., marketing, production, supply chain, etc. Staying connected does not mean friendliness in the lunchroom or while having a smoke. Sometimes polite behavior also masks the mental disconnection!

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

How should we as HR Professionals get connected with employees?

Have an open-door policy. There should be no barriers to meeting HR personnel. Considering the workload, it may not be feasible for HR leaders to visit various departments for interaction with employees and to gain an understanding of how the product is manufactured or business practices are conducted. Routine methods of communication include mail, phone, and WhatsApp.

What methods/tools need to be followed so that trust will prevail amongst employees?

The actions of HR affect all employees. Open, transparent, and documented actions will enhance trust. HR employees need to demonstrate that they do not have linguistic, regional, or any type of bias. This task is difficult, but it can be achieved by avoiding the use of regional languages or any language during interactions that everyone present does not understand.

Does local or regional language play a vital role in understanding each other, or is the regional language the best medium to get connected with employees?

Language is a binding mechanism. However, in a nation where employees speak different languages, it is essential to avoid using language that excludes those who do not understand it. Languages should facilitate communication, not exclude. Choose your language of communication appropriately. I use local language when needed but never allow it to bias my decisions. Keep this quote in mind: “You can have the best strategy and the best building in the world, but if you don’t have the hearts and minds of the people who work with you, none of it comes to life.” – Renee West

In many organizations, HR professionals often remain aloof and do not show much interest in business operations. Whether they are technically qualified or not, having an awareness of business operations provides them with insight into manpower requirements, skill levels, issues that arise in specific business segments, customer base characteristics, specific team dynamics, regional concerns, imbalances, customer focus, and more. Without showing involvement in the business, it becomes challenging to recruit the right kind of manpower with the necessary skills. As rightly pointed out, effective communication across all employee levels and segments is essential to grasp the business environment and the underlying dynamics present at different levels. These aspects can only be addressed if HR professionals approach their roles with passion rather than merely focusing on routine tasks. This proactive approach is what I refer to as the "TWO PUNCH AND ONE LUNCH Attitude!" Lolzzz

The Role of HR in Organizational Functions

HR should be involved in every aspect of the organization, and HR personnel should oversee all functions such as planning, development, manufacturing, integrated materials management, finance, etc. They do not need to perform all the functions of these departments but should be able to participate in important decision-making meetings. This ensures that HR is informed of the commitments made by all departments towards targets and can assist each department's employees with their welfare activities to enhance core production jobs.

Importance of Transparency and Information Flow

Transparency and the flow of information from top to bottom, as well as from bottom to top through HR, are essential activities in an organization. These are some of the things to be implemented. Additionally, the suggestions provided by other senior professionals are also very important.

HR has always been the medium of communication between management and employees, so it is always very important to be updated on the management decisions and to communicate timely any decisions taken or changes made by the management. On the same note, management should understand this aspect of HR; only then can HR effectively connect with employees.

Employees as Assets

Employees are the assets of the company, so we should concentrate on their welfare and job satisfaction levels. Every employee believes that if they encounter a problem at work, whether it's an issue with a colleague or senior management, HR will understand their problem and help them. Therefore, HR has certain expectations from employees.

An HR professional must know the various operations of the company and the workflow of the employees. They should visit all departments weekly to gather feedback from employees about their experiences, problems, and other positives and negatives in the company. HR can also form a WhatsApp group for each department and send a questionnaire to understand employees' states of mind through their replies.

Whenever an employee approaches HR with a query, HR should assist them. This creates trust and bonding between employees and HR.

The Importance of Employee Welfare

The first policy of any organization is the employees' welfare, which is crucial to ensuring that they are valued assets. Customer service can only be enhanced and maintained when employees are genuinely satisfied.

Engagement and Support from Leadership

In practical terms, I have observed the Managing Director of a company engaging with every staff member at least twice a week, having lunch together at least once a week or once in fifteen days without fail. He ensures that no employee's concerns go unheard or unaddressed within the office premises. Furthermore, he takes a personal interest in the well-being of his employees' families and children, providing support as needed.

Setting a Precedent for Senior Staff

The MD sets a precedent by ensuring that all senior staff members in the office follow his lead in supporting their own departments and standing up for employees facing challenges due to their assigned tasks. Long-term benefits for employees are meticulously planned and fulfilled on time to foster an environment of trust and faith among the team.

A Remarkable Success Story

The success story of the company I have witnessed is remarkable, growing from humble beginnings to a turnover of over 100 crores, with many employees having stayed with the company for more than 12 years. The approach and attitude of leadership play a significant role in this journey. Positivity and commitment are key drivers of success.

All these achievements are possible when there is strict adherence to ground discipline and the respect for every team member is upheld.

Your idea highlights the importance of prioritizing employees' welfare and job satisfaction. It recognizes that employees often turn to HR for support and assistance in addressing work-related problems with colleagues or senior management.