Facing Pushback on New Policies: How Can HR Navigate Employee Resistance and Management Challenges?

Hello Leo Steavart, HR Generalist this side,

I have been facing many issues from the management and employees' side.

Challenges with Management and Employees

Previously, management has given freedom to the employees even though there is no development in productivity. So, I, as an HR, and the management had a discussion regarding this and decided to implement new rules and policies.

Dress Code Policy

We drafted an email requesting all the employees to come in formal attire. However, all the employees refused to follow that even after discussions and attempts to convince them.

Working Hours

Management decided to make the employees work all six days of the week, totaling 54 hours per week, including breaks. Saturdays are designated for employee development activities, organizational development activities, and training sessions.

Employee Dissatisfaction

Employees are communicating their dissatisfaction, stating that salaries should be credited on time before implementing new policies. One employee even mentioned that they would rather leave than comply with the dress code policy.

Concerns from an Associate Product Manager

An associate product manager expressed to the management that they are not comfortable with me being the HR in the organization.

Adopting New Practices

The management is making decisions to implement new practices similar to those followed by Accenture.

These are the major challenges I am currently facing. Given my limited experience in this role, I would appreciate guidance on how to address these issues and the necessary actions to be taken as an HR professional.

Regards,
Leo Steavart
HR Generalist

It is good to implement new policies but only after taking the employees into confidence. Changes should never be made just to follow another company in the same industry, and you should never imitate what another company is doing. You can win the confidence only if you have risen to the expectations of the employees. Otherwise, comments like "pay salary on time rather than implementing new policies" will certainly arise. You know that you should pay salaries in a cycle of 30/31 days. Then why don't you pay salaries on the 30th day/31st day or at least the 1st day of the succeeding month? Paying salaries on the 1st day of every month is the best remedy for every HR-related issue. Therefore, I would support the employee who rightly said, first pay salaries on time and then implement new things.

Now, extending the working time to 54 hours, including 6 hours of lunchtime, should be considered very carefully because the employees who have joined you on the presumption that Saturday would be an off day would certainly try to leave you as there are alternative opportunities available to them. It is true that employees need employment. But at the same time, it is equally important that the employer also needs the employees, and it is not that the employer can run an establishment without employees. It is also incorrect to think that an employer is just offering employment; he is also a recipient of revenue. If the employees are recognized, they will be ready to accept any changes that you offer. Therefore, first change the mindset of the management.

Dear Leo Steavart,

From your post, the following points emerge:

a) Before initiating the change, I wish you had read the theory of change management. You did not anticipate the backlash or the "resistance to change."

b) Just because people resist change does not mean that we should not initiate change. However, I wish wherever possible, you could have used the participative or democratic management style. As the learned member Mr. Madhu TK has said, it is important to take the employees into confidence. This did not happen.

c) From the employees' point of view, the new policies are thrust upon them, or in other words, they feel that the management has used a coercive leadership style.

d) If the employees are complaining about salaries not being paid on time, then the complaint is valid. I wish you and your management would have fixed these fundamental issues. A regular income helps them manage their monthly budget. If the salaries are credited at irregular intervals, then they will be forced to keep extra liquid funds in their bank accounts. Which employee will accept it?

e) The changeover from the 5-day week to the 6-day week is always problematic. People get too accustomed to the 5-day workweek. If employees join the company because of the 5-day workweek, they might refuse to join with a 6-day workweek. Now suddenly increasing to a 6-day workweek, the employees feel let down.

f) Why did the Associate Product Manager question your continuation as an HR Manager? Were you unjustly domineering while executing the change?

g) Lastly, you have written "The management is making decisions to implement new things followed by Accenture." Merely copying the policies of MNCs or other big companies does not make any company big. Companies grow provided they create a supportive culture. Yes, you may benchmark industry leaders, but please note the difference between "benchmarking" and "copying."

The Next Step:

So what is the next step? The first step is to start crediting salaries on time. This is sine qua non, and there cannot be a compromise on it.

The next step is to identify which decisions will improve the organization's productivity. Call the employees and ask for their suggestions. Implement the suggestions that have a wider consensus.

A few policies may have to be rolled back. Let the management not take this as their defeat, but sometimes in life, we have to take a 'U' turn.

Lastly, while initiating, let your management do this step by step. People should get accustomed to the change. They should be given time to adjust to a new working style. A sweeping change is not always desirable.

Suggestion to you as an HR:

Occasionally, HR professionals have to face the ire of the employees. But then it is a part and parcel of their job. The fate of HR is that employees consider him/her as a representative of the management. On the contrary, the management thinks that he/she is one among the employees, but they are never shy from using the shoulder of HR to keep their gun and shoot! Many HR professionals wade through this duality.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar