Reasons for HR Inactivity
Sometimes HR has no work due to the following reasons:
• No recruitments happening, hence no question of induction and joining formalities.
• Busy only during payroll, which lasts for less than a week.
• HR policies, personnel files, organization chart, job profiles, employee MIS, etc., are already in place.
• No appraisals happening for a long time.
There are many reasons that keep HR idle unless a company goes for major expansion and changes. I would like to know if you have faced such a situation and how you handled it. Many people think HR is unwanted, and this perception has not changed even today.
Proving HR's Worth
In such a scenario, how can HR prove its worth?
From India, Mumbai
Sometimes HR has no work due to the following reasons:
• No recruitments happening, hence no question of induction and joining formalities.
• Busy only during payroll, which lasts for less than a week.
• HR policies, personnel files, organization chart, job profiles, employee MIS, etc., are already in place.
• No appraisals happening for a long time.
There are many reasons that keep HR idle unless a company goes for major expansion and changes. I would like to know if you have faced such a situation and how you handled it. Many people think HR is unwanted, and this perception has not changed even today.
Proving HR's Worth
In such a scenario, how can HR prove its worth?
From India, Mumbai
I know that in large organizations a HR is always busy but in small companies sometimes HR remains idle and to keep him busy he is given many admin activities. Is it really necessary?
From India, Mumbai
From India, Mumbai
Any reason why the appraisals are not scheduled? Does it follow the yearly cycle, hence need to wait? What about Talent Management? Why is HR not a part of managing the employees and leadership development? If your firm is too business-oriented, where all the decisions are made by the business heads, here's what I would suggest. Research the HR initiatives in your competitors' and other firms in your sector. Collecting the insights would help you see how many ways you can make talent management better in your firm.
Other than this, have you tried the employee feed-forward method? I read about this and really liked the concept. Here's a link discussing it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFX74GIxca4, http://www.culturechangega.org/speci...0Goldsmith.pdf. There are many more concepts that can be explored to find the best fit for your organization.
From India, Mumbai
Other than this, have you tried the employee feed-forward method? I read about this and really liked the concept. Here's a link discussing it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFX74GIxca4, http://www.culturechangega.org/speci...0Goldsmith.pdf. There are many more concepts that can be explored to find the best fit for your organization.
From India, Mumbai
I would suggest that you make use of HR metrics to prove the contribution of HR to the company. You need to take up activities that will impact the business. For example, increase employee engagement, which will improve the overall productivity of the workforce. Then you can prove to your management that through an increase in employee engagement, x% productivity has increased for the workforce.
Align HR Strategy with Corporate Goals
Have a vision, mission, and strategy for the HR department aligned with the corporate strategy. This will not only add value to the HR function in your company but also make them start seeing HR as a contributor to the business. For instance, by developing and implementing individual development plans, HR has reduced attrition by x%.
Having a proper HR strategy will not only increase the credibility of HR but also add value to it.
Impacting Company Profit Through HR Initiatives
You have to understand that you need to impact the profit of the company. For example, by recruiting innovative people and providing competency-based training to the average performers, the performance of the workforce has gone up by x%.
Please remember that the days when HR was only focused on transactions are gone. We all need to take up transformational HR activities as suggested above.
Hope this helps.
From India, Mumbai
Align HR Strategy with Corporate Goals
Have a vision, mission, and strategy for the HR department aligned with the corporate strategy. This will not only add value to the HR function in your company but also make them start seeing HR as a contributor to the business. For instance, by developing and implementing individual development plans, HR has reduced attrition by x%.
Having a proper HR strategy will not only increase the credibility of HR but also add value to it.
Impacting Company Profit Through HR Initiatives
You have to understand that you need to impact the profit of the company. For example, by recruiting innovative people and providing competency-based training to the average performers, the performance of the workforce has gone up by x%.
Please remember that the days when HR was only focused on transactions are gone. We all need to take up transformational HR activities as suggested above.
Hope this helps.
From India, Mumbai
I am really depressed by this comment and question. Every function has its own objectives. We are in the organization to make your life smooth. For example, if you die, who will process your savings further? I mean HR is responsible for giving PF amount, pension amount, etc., to your family. There are many things that we do, but generally, employees don't know.
Regards,
Garima Singh
From India, Belgaum
Regards,
Garima Singh
From India, Belgaum
Just because you are not ingesting any food does not make your liver useless. I hope people understand the value of the body's original organs compared to implants. Ask those who have lost their gallbladder about their digestive process—though subtle, it is still crucial.
In the same way, a company, being a body, shouldn't lose one of its important organs! The quality of work provided by the HR department compared to its replacement must be evaluated. I can only say that your company may not know how to utilize the HR department to its fullest potential.
Your company needs to understand the history where the introduction of HR was considered a huge revolution in the corporate world.
From India, Bangalore
In the same way, a company, being a body, shouldn't lose one of its important organs! The quality of work provided by the HR department compared to its replacement must be evaluated. I can only say that your company may not know how to utilize the HR department to its fullest potential.
Your company needs to understand the history where the introduction of HR was considered a huge revolution in the corporate world.
From India, Bangalore
The value of HR can be understood in its own word - Human Resource. Unlike other resources, especially natural resources like water, air, etc., human resources are natural and important. It becomes valuable when a trained and seasoned HR person polishes this resource and presents it to the organization to retrieve the best out of it. Human resources are also sensitive and require lots of care and courage to handle. Management of organizations understands this value today, and hence you find HR departments made for this purpose.
Theoretical and Practical Aspects of HR
What we read in theory is only one side of the HR function that supports implementation and alignment procedures required for the organization to run its show. The other side is the realistic way, a practical approach to handling human resources and making the management understand the value of HR and how important people are for the organization.
Thanks,
Bijay
From India, Vadodara
Theoretical and Practical Aspects of HR
What we read in theory is only one side of the HR function that supports implementation and alignment procedures required for the organization to run its show. The other side is the realistic way, a practical approach to handling human resources and making the management understand the value of HR and how important people are for the organization.
Thanks,
Bijay
From India, Vadodara
Understanding the HR Role in Small Organizations
There appears to be a weak concept of HR. If the organization is small and you have to deal with just a few people, it is quite possible:
- The owners/seniors are either uninitiated in assigning a "role" to HR, OR
- The owners/seniors are aware of the HR role but have not developed it for a small organization.
I say this because the HR function has three fundamental components, namely:
1. Personnel Administration: This would take care of the Time Office—attendance, leave, payroll, compliance, and record-keeping.
2. Industrial Relations: This includes representative interactive relationships, such as Union Management Relations, to cover Collective Bargaining, Disciplinary Actions, etc.
3. HR Development: This is expected to cover all non-conflict-prone areas of the functions that are expected to build the organization through good systems and procedures, Recruitment, Appraisals, Training Needs, and means and methods to establish "Value & ethics" sanctified by the organization.
It is possible that in a relatively small organization, there may not be scope to do all that is described above and more. In such a case, the HR function usually gets an add-on called "Administration." If with the add-on there is still not much to do, the function is often assigned to Finance/Accounts.
If we know your situation better and more elaborately, the advice could be more focused!
Regards,
Samvedan
July 17, 2013
From India, Pune
There appears to be a weak concept of HR. If the organization is small and you have to deal with just a few people, it is quite possible:
- The owners/seniors are either uninitiated in assigning a "role" to HR, OR
- The owners/seniors are aware of the HR role but have not developed it for a small organization.
I say this because the HR function has three fundamental components, namely:
1. Personnel Administration: This would take care of the Time Office—attendance, leave, payroll, compliance, and record-keeping.
2. Industrial Relations: This includes representative interactive relationships, such as Union Management Relations, to cover Collective Bargaining, Disciplinary Actions, etc.
3. HR Development: This is expected to cover all non-conflict-prone areas of the functions that are expected to build the organization through good systems and procedures, Recruitment, Appraisals, Training Needs, and means and methods to establish "Value & ethics" sanctified by the organization.
It is possible that in a relatively small organization, there may not be scope to do all that is described above and more. In such a case, the HR function usually gets an add-on called "Administration." If with the add-on there is still not much to do, the function is often assigned to Finance/Accounts.
If we know your situation better and more elaborately, the advice could be more focused!
Regards,
Samvedan
July 17, 2013
From India, Pune
I am not an HR personnel, nor am I aspiring to be one, but I think I have an HR mindset, i.e., adding value to my organization. Human Resources, as the name suggests, aims to simplify employees' lives at work. Vishal Dudhate is absolutely right in his words. Here are my suggestions:
1. Share your views on such portals/forums - Congratulations, you have already done it!
2. Before you begin implementing anything, keep in mind that you need to 'continue' the activity/initiative you started, even with a workload at any time in the future. In other words, your initiative should not be impulsive, i.e., due to the current lack of work. Also, keep in mind that whatever initiative you take now is a value addition to your CV - this applies to your own appraisal.
3. Keep your eyes and ears open to register and document all the issues faced by everybody. These issues can be regarding IT, admin, HR, or any other team. Compile them and, from your perspective as an HR professional, brainstorm how you can ease people's issues.
4. One of the heaviest suggestions would be to work on the "employee attrition rate" and, in turn, the 'monetary' recognition of employees' efforts. Based on my knowledge, or rather common sense, appreciation in mail or verbally lasts for only 2-3 minutes and is not long-lasting. You can show management that employee attrition, and hence recruitment, costs us 'business money.'
5. Last but not least - Do not keep expectations but keep delivering results. It all starts with you feeling worthy. Because our 'not feeling worthy' reflects in our work and hence, our self-esteem.
Regards.
From India, Mumbai
1. Share your views on such portals/forums - Congratulations, you have already done it!
2. Before you begin implementing anything, keep in mind that you need to 'continue' the activity/initiative you started, even with a workload at any time in the future. In other words, your initiative should not be impulsive, i.e., due to the current lack of work. Also, keep in mind that whatever initiative you take now is a value addition to your CV - this applies to your own appraisal.
3. Keep your eyes and ears open to register and document all the issues faced by everybody. These issues can be regarding IT, admin, HR, or any other team. Compile them and, from your perspective as an HR professional, brainstorm how you can ease people's issues.
4. One of the heaviest suggestions would be to work on the "employee attrition rate" and, in turn, the 'monetary' recognition of employees' efforts. Based on my knowledge, or rather common sense, appreciation in mail or verbally lasts for only 2-3 minutes and is not long-lasting. You can show management that employee attrition, and hence recruitment, costs us 'business money.'
5. Last but not least - Do not keep expectations but keep delivering results. It all starts with you feeling worthy. Because our 'not feeling worthy' reflects in our work and hence, our self-esteem.
Regards.
From India, Mumbai
I agree with Mandy. I agree that HR needs to do all the things that seniors have mentioned above. But what if the management/boss/owner of the company is not ready to do any activities? What if they do not have a budget for employee engagement activities? In a small firm, HR's main function is recruitment, and once that's done, all the other formalities are completed, leaving HR with idle time. Appraisals are also mostly yearly.
All employees are so busy with projects and tight deadlines that the boss refuses to pursue any employee engagement activities like outings, movies, dinners/lunches, or fun games.
Personnel administration tasks like time office-attendance, leave payroll, compliance, and record-keeping do not take much time. What if all the policies, regulations, and rules are already set, and there is no ongoing recruitment? Only then is HR left to seek more knowledge from valuable seniors.
I am not saying that HR is not valuable. It is the most important part of the organization, as I have seen in many large organizations. However, in small firms with 10-20 employees, HR may not have as much to do.
Regards, Meghna
From India, Ahmedabad
All employees are so busy with projects and tight deadlines that the boss refuses to pursue any employee engagement activities like outings, movies, dinners/lunches, or fun games.
Personnel administration tasks like time office-attendance, leave payroll, compliance, and record-keeping do not take much time. What if all the policies, regulations, and rules are already set, and there is no ongoing recruitment? Only then is HR left to seek more knowledge from valuable seniors.
I am not saying that HR is not valuable. It is the most important part of the organization, as I have seen in many large organizations. However, in small firms with 10-20 employees, HR may not have as much to do.
Regards, Meghna
From India, Ahmedabad
Expanding HR Responsibilities in Small Organizations
In small organizations, there may not be many HR-related activities. Certain activities could be cyclical in nature. But do not waste your time. Sit with your immediate superior and explore ways and means of enlarging your responsibilities, especially during lean/free time. Use the opportunities to learn new things or involve yourself in the activities of other departments, with the approval and consent of your boss. Or, better still, pursue higher studies to enhance your knowledge and qualifications further.
Best wishes
From India, Bengaluru
In small organizations, there may not be many HR-related activities. Certain activities could be cyclical in nature. But do not waste your time. Sit with your immediate superior and explore ways and means of enlarging your responsibilities, especially during lean/free time. Use the opportunities to learn new things or involve yourself in the activities of other departments, with the approval and consent of your boss. Or, better still, pursue higher studies to enhance your knowledge and qualifications further.
Best wishes
From India, Bengaluru
I would firstly like to acknowledge the inputs from everyone on this thread for their fine contributions and thoughts shared.
Dear Mandy, I make my bit to this with my thoughts, which complement the thoughts shared by (Cite Contribution).
In most young organizations or startups, the top management tends to view Human Resources (HR) as the department fulfilling an administrative function. HR is often viewed as the organization's "cop," ensuring that benefits are properly administered and hiring/firing is handled to the letter of the law. In contrast to the HR administrative function, strategic HR practices are more contemporary concepts. What gets measured gets done and/or receives the authority to contribute to an organization's strategy. In circumstances where HR is included in the strategy of an organization, its alignment does not go beyond a forecasting function. The main reason that HR is not aligned with the strategy of an organization is that it does not hold a seat at the strategic planning table. The irony with HR being left out of strategy planning is that by its nature, HR is about people, which is the core of an organization and its strategic plan.
I remember reading this a very long time ago in an article on Sales and Marketing:
It seems Bata Shoe Company sent a salesman to explore business in a country in Africa. The salesman, on his arrival, walked down the road and saw the people there who were mainly tribal. Shocked as he was after seeing this, he sent a telegram to his boss, "EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SELL FOOTWEAR WHERE NO ONE WEARS ONE." He was asked to return, and another was sent in his place. This salesman, on his arrival, too did the same thing and walked down the same road. He too saw the same thing: people, who were mainly tribal, walked barefooted. He was too excited and rushed to the post office to send a telegram to his boss. "IMMENSE POTENTIAL NO ONE WEARS ANY FOOTWEAR HERE, A HUGE MARKET AWAITS US, AWAIT MY NEXT TO RUSH SUPPLIES."
I take this analogy to convey that I see a huge challenge—a need to align HR with strategic planning, meaning aligning HR with organizational strategy.
An emphasis on HR leads to understanding the role HR plays in strategically building a competitive advantage. There is a link between strategy and HR. The greater the congruence between strategy and HR, the more effective the organization will be.
Strategic Competencies
It'll be good to understand what competencies are needed, available, and plan to close the gap.
- Strategic Talent Gap
- Strategic Key Employee Retention
Build Leadership
Create a leadership pipeline—a growth path.
- Bridge the Leadership Gap
Build Culture
Ensure that HR internalizes a shared vision, aligned with strategy.
- 100% of personnel understand the strategy
Alignment of Goals
Personal goals linked to organizational goals.
Learning/Knowledge
Sharing of knowledge and experience needed by the strategy. Different strategies require different skills.
Alignment between HR activities and strategy planning can be formed by HR. By increasing the competencies of HR personnel, the department will increase its credibility and be integrated into a strategic role. In its purest form, HR is best suited for leveraging an organization's personnel that implements the organization's strategic plans. In other words, HR resources are what drive an organization's strategic process. When HR measures itself from a business perspective and by the value it brings to an organization, top management will find it very difficult to ignore HR in the strategy process. On the contrary, top management will welcome HR input because it will have a clear understanding of how HR affects the bottom line from a business and/or strategic standpoint. By interlocking HR measures with items concerning the ongoing business, HR becomes aligned with strategy through dependent tasks that are accounted for interdependently.
In summary, an organization's people and their skills ultimately determine the effectiveness of strategic plans and their implementation.
From India, Hyderabad
Dear Mandy, I make my bit to this with my thoughts, which complement the thoughts shared by (Cite Contribution).
In most young organizations or startups, the top management tends to view Human Resources (HR) as the department fulfilling an administrative function. HR is often viewed as the organization's "cop," ensuring that benefits are properly administered and hiring/firing is handled to the letter of the law. In contrast to the HR administrative function, strategic HR practices are more contemporary concepts. What gets measured gets done and/or receives the authority to contribute to an organization's strategy. In circumstances where HR is included in the strategy of an organization, its alignment does not go beyond a forecasting function. The main reason that HR is not aligned with the strategy of an organization is that it does not hold a seat at the strategic planning table. The irony with HR being left out of strategy planning is that by its nature, HR is about people, which is the core of an organization and its strategic plan.
I remember reading this a very long time ago in an article on Sales and Marketing:
It seems Bata Shoe Company sent a salesman to explore business in a country in Africa. The salesman, on his arrival, walked down the road and saw the people there who were mainly tribal. Shocked as he was after seeing this, he sent a telegram to his boss, "EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO SELL FOOTWEAR WHERE NO ONE WEARS ONE." He was asked to return, and another was sent in his place. This salesman, on his arrival, too did the same thing and walked down the same road. He too saw the same thing: people, who were mainly tribal, walked barefooted. He was too excited and rushed to the post office to send a telegram to his boss. "IMMENSE POTENTIAL NO ONE WEARS ANY FOOTWEAR HERE, A HUGE MARKET AWAITS US, AWAIT MY NEXT TO RUSH SUPPLIES."
I take this analogy to convey that I see a huge challenge—a need to align HR with strategic planning, meaning aligning HR with organizational strategy.
An emphasis on HR leads to understanding the role HR plays in strategically building a competitive advantage. There is a link between strategy and HR. The greater the congruence between strategy and HR, the more effective the organization will be.
Strategic Competencies
It'll be good to understand what competencies are needed, available, and plan to close the gap.
- Strategic Talent Gap
- Strategic Key Employee Retention
Build Leadership
Create a leadership pipeline—a growth path.
- Bridge the Leadership Gap
Build Culture
Ensure that HR internalizes a shared vision, aligned with strategy.
- 100% of personnel understand the strategy
Alignment of Goals
Personal goals linked to organizational goals.
Learning/Knowledge
Sharing of knowledge and experience needed by the strategy. Different strategies require different skills.
Alignment between HR activities and strategy planning can be formed by HR. By increasing the competencies of HR personnel, the department will increase its credibility and be integrated into a strategic role. In its purest form, HR is best suited for leveraging an organization's personnel that implements the organization's strategic plans. In other words, HR resources are what drive an organization's strategic process. When HR measures itself from a business perspective and by the value it brings to an organization, top management will find it very difficult to ignore HR in the strategy process. On the contrary, top management will welcome HR input because it will have a clear understanding of how HR affects the bottom line from a business and/or strategic standpoint. By interlocking HR measures with items concerning the ongoing business, HR becomes aligned with strategy through dependent tasks that are accounted for interdependently.
In summary, an organization's people and their skills ultimately determine the effectiveness of strategic plans and their implementation.
From India, Hyderabad
Of course, you are absolutely correct. In the actual picture, the main importance goes to technical and marketing as they seem to generate the business to run the organization. Our department mainly incurs expenditure for the organization. (Labour cost is an indirect expense in financial terms, but this is a real investment in terms of HR.) However, in practice, many organizations, based on my experience, do not give direct and easy recognition to the HR Department. Yet, without proper HR functions, organizations are ultimately affected. We only seem to be illustrating theories for Motivation, with the HR department as the backbone of the organization. I have observed that many HR professionals are not satisfied at all and lack job satisfaction.
Best regards,
Mandy
From India, Secunderabad
Best regards,
Mandy
From India, Secunderabad
Whether it is a large organization or a small one, the HR functions and responsibilities are the same. You need to do a little research on HR metrics to understand the various functions, responsibilities, tasks, etc., for HR.
As for the volume of work for HR, it increases and decreases at the same level as other departments. For example, if you have fewer projects, then your developers, designers, and other team members may have spare time like HR. However, for Project Managers or Business Development Managers, it is a busy time as they work more to acquire new projects.
Later, when you have a large number of projects, the hiring process will start, and HR will be too busy with their tasks. The developers, designers, and other team members will have a lot more work to keep them occupied and may need to work extra hours.
In this way, there is a routine of ups and downs in the volume of work that happens in all departments, including HR. You need to adjust your work accordingly.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Regards.
From India, Lucknow
As for the volume of work for HR, it increases and decreases at the same level as other departments. For example, if you have fewer projects, then your developers, designers, and other team members may have spare time like HR. However, for Project Managers or Business Development Managers, it is a busy time as they work more to acquire new projects.
Later, when you have a large number of projects, the hiring process will start, and HR will be too busy with their tasks. The developers, designers, and other team members will have a lot more work to keep them occupied and may need to work extra hours.
In this way, there is a routine of ups and downs in the volume of work that happens in all departments, including HR. You need to adjust your work accordingly.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Regards.
From India, Lucknow
I agree with Meghna and Mandy. What if the management or owner of the company is not ready to conduct any employee engagement activities due to budget constraints? Also, all the employees are so busy with projects and tight deadlines that the boss refuses to pursue any employee engagement activities.
HR professionals are left with only routine work like attendance, leave management, payroll, compliance, record keeping, etc. This does not take much time. And what if all the policies, regulations, and rules are already set, and there is no recruitment happening?
The only option left is to surf the internet or other useful websites for knowledge enhancement. But when it comes to reviewing your performance or the importance of your role, it is not respected like others!
Seeking Advice from Seniors
Can our seniors suggest what can be the best way to handle such situations?
Regards,
Barkha
From India, Pune
HR professionals are left with only routine work like attendance, leave management, payroll, compliance, record keeping, etc. This does not take much time. And what if all the policies, regulations, and rules are already set, and there is no recruitment happening?
The only option left is to surf the internet or other useful websites for knowledge enhancement. But when it comes to reviewing your performance or the importance of your role, it is not respected like others!
Seeking Advice from Seniors
Can our seniors suggest what can be the best way to handle such situations?
Regards,
Barkha
From India, Pune
The question may depress many HR professionals, but there is no need to worry. I hope you find that all the accounts, finance, and marketing professionals in your organization are busy. It is certain. There is a lot of work for HRD. They have to comply with PF, ESI, and Labor Departments every month for existing staff. Of course, now the computer environment has made everything easy, and all these tasks can be done by sitting in front of the computer.
An accountant may be busy with pending work, a finance person may be busy with bankers in obtaining loans, and a marketing person may be busy due to enhanced targets. However, the work of HR professionals is solely related to existing manpower. I personally experienced being in the finance and accounts field that the smoothly running Accounts and Finance Department can be disrupted by professionals from other departments. Their minds are set on "Conditions Apply" (I believe you are familiar with these professionals). They portray small issues as significant challenges and make the Accounts Department operate cautiously. In simple words, they complicate tasks that are actually straightforward.
If you visit a lawyer, they may provide extensive information before filing a suit in court. Doctors request various reports such as scans, x-rays, and blood tests. Engineers discuss planning, AutoCAD, and more. Every profession has its complexities. I am not suggesting that you complicate matters; I just want you to consider the different perspectives within departments.
Thank you.
From India, Guwahati
An accountant may be busy with pending work, a finance person may be busy with bankers in obtaining loans, and a marketing person may be busy due to enhanced targets. However, the work of HR professionals is solely related to existing manpower. I personally experienced being in the finance and accounts field that the smoothly running Accounts and Finance Department can be disrupted by professionals from other departments. Their minds are set on "Conditions Apply" (I believe you are familiar with these professionals). They portray small issues as significant challenges and make the Accounts Department operate cautiously. In simple words, they complicate tasks that are actually straightforward.
If you visit a lawyer, they may provide extensive information before filing a suit in court. Doctors request various reports such as scans, x-rays, and blood tests. Engineers discuss planning, AutoCAD, and more. Every profession has its complexities. I am not suggesting that you complicate matters; I just want you to consider the different perspectives within departments.
Thank you.
From India, Guwahati
Mandy, you are right. It's common; I faced the same situation many times. People thought, "HR karta kya..." but there is a lot to it. I suggest you study and cite HR and always make changes in things like forms, etc., so you can keep yourself busy. Many companies keep two people for HR and admin, but one person is sufficient for all the tasks. Be creative; change almost everything - salary format, attendance format, induction, etc. Wish you good luck.
From India, Delhi
From India, Delhi
Human Resources Initiatives During Downtime
Human resources is always a core part of any company, trying to start new initiatives in spare time:
• Monitor the marketing and sales team. Try to find out who is bringing in less business to the company and determine why. Discuss with those individuals and create incentive plans. (You can also check grievance and stress management.)
• Start competition mapping within the same business industry. (This will improve the company's vision.)
• Evaluate your company's departments and replicate the structure with the same company. Identify employees with the same designations in other companies to whom they report. Create a flow chart. (This will assist you and your company in headhunting.)
• Establish your company's pages on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Encourage office employees to follow these pages. (This is a form of free marketing.)
Note: First, consult with the CEO and top management about these ideas. They are likely to approve and appreciate your suggestions.
All the best.
Regards,
Aarin Ratnesh Sorathiya
Senior HR Executive
Aspee Group, Mumbai
(You can also add me on LinkedIn for better career prospects.)
From India, Imphal
Human resources is always a core part of any company, trying to start new initiatives in spare time:
• Monitor the marketing and sales team. Try to find out who is bringing in less business to the company and determine why. Discuss with those individuals and create incentive plans. (You can also check grievance and stress management.)
• Start competition mapping within the same business industry. (This will improve the company's vision.)
• Evaluate your company's departments and replicate the structure with the same company. Identify employees with the same designations in other companies to whom they report. Create a flow chart. (This will assist you and your company in headhunting.)
• Establish your company's pages on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Encourage office employees to follow these pages. (This is a form of free marketing.)
Note: First, consult with the CEO and top management about these ideas. They are likely to approve and appreciate your suggestions.
All the best.
Regards,
Aarin Ratnesh Sorathiya
Senior HR Executive
Aspee Group, Mumbai
(You can also add me on LinkedIn for better career prospects.)
From India, Imphal
As expected, another quality comment on this forum. To keep myself busy, I am reading various articles related to HR. At present, I am working for a small manufacturing company under the guidance of an HR consultant because there was no HR department in this company. I know that in such a scenario, there is a lot of room for various HR activities, but we will perform those activities only on the instructions of the managing director. We have prepared personnel files, job profiles, leave cards, installed an attendance machine, and even an HR manual (yet to be finalized by the MD). Other HR activities are in the pipeline, but without the MD's instructions, we are helpless at present.
Upcoming HR Activities
We are going to perform the following HR activities:
1. Performance Management System (there is no system for appraisals, so we are going to start it).
2. Issue of Employee ID Cards.
3. Finalization of HR Manual.
4. Issuing Increment Letters and a new Salary Structure for staff, etc.
Note: Our MD has told us not to focus on workers for 6 months and to only focus on staff employees initially.
From India, Mumbai
Upcoming HR Activities
We are going to perform the following HR activities:
1. Performance Management System (there is no system for appraisals, so we are going to start it).
2. Issue of Employee ID Cards.
3. Finalization of HR Manual.
4. Issuing Increment Letters and a new Salary Structure for staff, etc.
Note: Our MD has told us not to focus on workers for 6 months and to only focus on staff employees initially.
From India, Mumbai
The Role of HR in Organizations
That is the fate of the HR department in all organizations. Finally, the Managing Director (MD) will play his part because that is his investment. If management is looking in favor of the staff or workers, they will definitely implement the system proposed by the HR department. However, it is a style of business.
Hrkpati
From India, Guwahati
That is the fate of the HR department in all organizations. Finally, the Managing Director (MD) will play his part because that is his investment. If management is looking in favor of the staff or workers, they will definitely implement the system proposed by the HR department. However, it is a style of business.
Hrkpati
From India, Guwahati
Proving the Value of HR
Your question is how to prove HR is valuable. In my view, it differs based on factors such as the nature of the industry or business, the size of the company, and government policies and procedures.
Understanding HR Functions
First, let's understand the functions of HR, as they are crucial to a company's success:
- HR Planning
- Job Analysis
- Job Design
- Recruitment & Selection
- Orientation & Placement
- Training & Development
- Performance Appraisals
- Job Evaluation
- Employee and Executive Remuneration
- Motivation
- Communication
- Welfare
- Safety & Health
- Industrial Relations
- Other activities (e.g., pollution control)
Regarding industrial relations, we must adhere to various provisions of acts related to industrial relations. Failure to comply with these provisions can result in penalties and imprisonment imposed by the relevant authorities, leading to the closure of the factory.
It is essential to recognize that nothing can be achieved without human resources; therefore, all recruitment is managed by HR. I strongly believe that HR is very important in today's business environment.
From India, Coimbatore
Your question is how to prove HR is valuable. In my view, it differs based on factors such as the nature of the industry or business, the size of the company, and government policies and procedures.
Understanding HR Functions
First, let's understand the functions of HR, as they are crucial to a company's success:
- HR Planning
- Job Analysis
- Job Design
- Recruitment & Selection
- Orientation & Placement
- Training & Development
- Performance Appraisals
- Job Evaluation
- Employee and Executive Remuneration
- Motivation
- Communication
- Welfare
- Safety & Health
- Industrial Relations
- Other activities (e.g., pollution control)
Regarding industrial relations, we must adhere to various provisions of acts related to industrial relations. Failure to comply with these provisions can result in penalties and imprisonment imposed by the relevant authorities, leading to the closure of the factory.
It is essential to recognize that nothing can be achieved without human resources; therefore, all recruitment is managed by HR. I strongly believe that HR is very important in today's business environment.
From India, Coimbatore
It's been an interesting discussion so far, judging by the number of quality responses this has generated. While it would be appropriate to acknowledge everyone who has shared their thoughts on this query, I would like to take this to another level, suggesting that "prevention is better than cure."
Several research studies have revealed to managements that most employees are believed to be pulled away by better pay. Yet, there is enough data from research studies that reveal voluntary turnovers are caused by factors other than money. This astounding disconnect between belief and reality allows managers to deny responsibility for correcting and preventing the root causes of employee disengagement. The question that remains unasked in so many exit interviews is not "why are you leaving?" but "why did you first start thinking about leaving?" Asking that question would show that the lessons learned about turnover are just as applicable to disengaged workers. Therefore, it becomes important for us to find out the basic hidden reasons why employees leave.
Reasons can be many, but I venture to list out a few.
- People do not like taskmasters: It is said people leave their immediate managers first and then the company.
- Disappointment: The job or workplace was not as expected.
- Mismatch between job and person.
- Lack of Training: Very little or no training or coaching.
- Lack of proper feedback.
- Stagnation: There aren't many advancement or growth opportunities.
- Feeling insulted: Employees feel disrespected.
- Not cared for: Devalued and unrecognized.
- Stress: Employees get stressed due to overwork and work-life imbalance.
- No trust in leadership: Lack or loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders.
- Image factor: People working for lesser-known companies may want to work for branded companies.
These are just a few reasons; there can be more that one can add. In exit interviews, these may be revealed, but in most cases, they are discounted by defensive managements.
While some companies may not even bother about this aspect, many still rely on tangible, easy-to-implement solutions revolving around pay, benefits, and trendy perks. However, we know the most powerful solutions revolve around the more challenging intangibles, such as good management and healthy work cultures.
To serve this need, several large companies usually conduct surveys of employees when faced with a crisis, or some well-known branded companies do it periodically to understand the pulse of their organizations. Typically, such surveys help management understand where they stand vis-a-vis the levels of employee engagement. It may also be practiced as an Employee Satisfaction Survey to establish the key factors influencing employees' opinions of the workplace. Such surveys, in most cases, are run once every three years, indicating a significant interval between feedback exercises.
Political, social, economic, emotional, and technological factors also influence how employees think about their jobs and employers. In such a dynamic scenario, the big question often asked is, "Is it enough to generate workforce insights on a periodical basis?"
When I talk to people, especially on campuses and among juniors, I gather most dream of getting into or wanting to do anything to join very large multinationals. When I see job portals, I also see many wanting to leave such well-known and established multinationals, and I often wonder what else they are seeking. I've got no answer to this, nor have I received a convincing answer from anyone so far. This cycle goes on, and companies keep hiring new people. However, when the dynamics of business around us change rapidly due to competition, our workforce changing their thinking and feeling frequently is no surprise. The resultant effect of all this is that companies losing existing employees is becoming more common than before. This is a fact and a difficult truth to digest, for which HR has to face the brunt.
It's time that companies seriously engage themselves in understanding the psyche of newly joined employees and gather valid opinions. This can help management and HR professionals devise effective retention strategies. It can bring clarity to the real reasons why employees leave and provide insights for key employee segments such as critical-skill employees, high-performers, and high-potentials. It can provide valuable insights about the experiences of employees from the selection stage itself. This is an important initial phase in the employee life cycle, where the employee begins to form initial impressions of dealing with the company. It helps management understand the prime reasons why the employee chose their company over others. This can also help in informing the company's unique Employee Value Proposition and seriously committing to meeting every word of it through thoughts, deeds, and actions. It can help develop a deep understanding of disengagement and which aspects of the Employee Value Proposition are not being delivered effectively.
Finally, another important factor is that every person seeking employment with the company should be treated like a first-class customer. Getting selected or not is another question, but the fact that they are treated royally creates an impression beyond estimation. This includes even those young people seeking first-time employment. Doing things like this will help management understand the prime reasons why the employee chose their company over others. This can also help in informing the company's unique Employee Value Proposition and seriously committing to meeting every word of it through thoughts, deeds, and actions. It can help develop a deep understanding of disengagement and which aspects of the Employee Value Proposition are not being delivered effectively.
Should these be practiced by companies with well-qualified, trained, and experienced HR professionals, I really do not see any reason why HR should not be placed on a higher pedestal by professionally managed companies.
From India, Hyderabad
Several research studies have revealed to managements that most employees are believed to be pulled away by better pay. Yet, there is enough data from research studies that reveal voluntary turnovers are caused by factors other than money. This astounding disconnect between belief and reality allows managers to deny responsibility for correcting and preventing the root causes of employee disengagement. The question that remains unasked in so many exit interviews is not "why are you leaving?" but "why did you first start thinking about leaving?" Asking that question would show that the lessons learned about turnover are just as applicable to disengaged workers. Therefore, it becomes important for us to find out the basic hidden reasons why employees leave.
Reasons can be many, but I venture to list out a few.
- People do not like taskmasters: It is said people leave their immediate managers first and then the company.
- Disappointment: The job or workplace was not as expected.
- Mismatch between job and person.
- Lack of Training: Very little or no training or coaching.
- Lack of proper feedback.
- Stagnation: There aren't many advancement or growth opportunities.
- Feeling insulted: Employees feel disrespected.
- Not cared for: Devalued and unrecognized.
- Stress: Employees get stressed due to overwork and work-life imbalance.
- No trust in leadership: Lack or loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders.
- Image factor: People working for lesser-known companies may want to work for branded companies.
These are just a few reasons; there can be more that one can add. In exit interviews, these may be revealed, but in most cases, they are discounted by defensive managements.
While some companies may not even bother about this aspect, many still rely on tangible, easy-to-implement solutions revolving around pay, benefits, and trendy perks. However, we know the most powerful solutions revolve around the more challenging intangibles, such as good management and healthy work cultures.
To serve this need, several large companies usually conduct surveys of employees when faced with a crisis, or some well-known branded companies do it periodically to understand the pulse of their organizations. Typically, such surveys help management understand where they stand vis-a-vis the levels of employee engagement. It may also be practiced as an Employee Satisfaction Survey to establish the key factors influencing employees' opinions of the workplace. Such surveys, in most cases, are run once every three years, indicating a significant interval between feedback exercises.
Political, social, economic, emotional, and technological factors also influence how employees think about their jobs and employers. In such a dynamic scenario, the big question often asked is, "Is it enough to generate workforce insights on a periodical basis?"
When I talk to people, especially on campuses and among juniors, I gather most dream of getting into or wanting to do anything to join very large multinationals. When I see job portals, I also see many wanting to leave such well-known and established multinationals, and I often wonder what else they are seeking. I've got no answer to this, nor have I received a convincing answer from anyone so far. This cycle goes on, and companies keep hiring new people. However, when the dynamics of business around us change rapidly due to competition, our workforce changing their thinking and feeling frequently is no surprise. The resultant effect of all this is that companies losing existing employees is becoming more common than before. This is a fact and a difficult truth to digest, for which HR has to face the brunt.
It's time that companies seriously engage themselves in understanding the psyche of newly joined employees and gather valid opinions. This can help management and HR professionals devise effective retention strategies. It can bring clarity to the real reasons why employees leave and provide insights for key employee segments such as critical-skill employees, high-performers, and high-potentials. It can provide valuable insights about the experiences of employees from the selection stage itself. This is an important initial phase in the employee life cycle, where the employee begins to form initial impressions of dealing with the company. It helps management understand the prime reasons why the employee chose their company over others. This can also help in informing the company's unique Employee Value Proposition and seriously committing to meeting every word of it through thoughts, deeds, and actions. It can help develop a deep understanding of disengagement and which aspects of the Employee Value Proposition are not being delivered effectively.
Finally, another important factor is that every person seeking employment with the company should be treated like a first-class customer. Getting selected or not is another question, but the fact that they are treated royally creates an impression beyond estimation. This includes even those young people seeking first-time employment. Doing things like this will help management understand the prime reasons why the employee chose their company over others. This can also help in informing the company's unique Employee Value Proposition and seriously committing to meeting every word of it through thoughts, deeds, and actions. It can help develop a deep understanding of disengagement and which aspects of the Employee Value Proposition are not being delivered effectively.
Should these be practiced by companies with well-qualified, trained, and experienced HR professionals, I really do not see any reason why HR should not be placed on a higher pedestal by professionally managed companies.
From India, Hyderabad
It is very disheartening when someone says HR has no work, or that HR is a cost-bearing team, etc., but they do not understand that their salaries, lowering the attrition rate, and job satisfaction come from policies made by HR.
Employee Engagement During Slack Periods
When there is a slack period in the office, one can have employee engagement activities regularly and team-building sessions for various teams.
Regards,
From India, Mumbai
Employee Engagement During Slack Periods
When there is a slack period in the office, one can have employee engagement activities regularly and team-building sessions for various teams.
Regards,
From India, Mumbai
As per my knowledge, HR is now evolving into Human Capital. If an organization invests in humans, it will receive more returns than from machines because only humans can exceed their capacity. In many organizations, HR is primarily involved in payroll and administrative work. However, by applying Industrial Psychology and Social Psychology concepts, we can motivate our employees. We need to transition to the Human Capital concept to provide more returns to management.
Regards,
Gautam Patel
From India, Ahmadabad
Regards,
Gautam Patel
From India, Ahmadabad
Interesting discussion and valued inputs given by many. At the same time—and as has been said directly or indirectly by some—it all depends upon the company size, priorities, budgets, etc. If recruitment is not happening, most probably the company is facing business stresses, as is increasingly the case nowadays. If that is the case, it will be all the more difficult for HR to carry out engagements and exercises which will cost the company money without—apparently—any tangible and immediate results.
While it is good to "increase your knowledge" via this site or others, I am pretty sure the top management will take this as a reinforcement of the "idle HR guy looking for another job, perhaps!"—certainly not the impression I would like to give in such times!
Think Outside the "HR" Box
Business runs on business. See what you can do to get some more business for the company, and you will be appreciated! Aarin Ratnesh makes some excellent suggestions in this direction. Many of such actions are free or cost very little. Some more that come to mind:
- Look at customers' complaints. Maybe some are pending just because the stretched salespeople are busy running after sales targets. Sometimes, even a helpful ear can work wonders!
- Look at customers the organization has "lost" over the years. Reach out to them, and you might find some are willing to listen to your organization again. Things change!
- Start a CRM initiative—it can be as simple as sending an industry or company newsletter a month to clients or prospects.
To my mind, even if you can have some minor achievements in the above—with the concurrence and involvement of the top management, of course—you will stand out as a person who is concerned about the company even to the extent of taking non-HR roles... and that would surely not be bad for your future as well :-)
As Tsk. Raman reminds via the excellent Bata Salesman example (must remember that...), in adversity, there could be an opportunity.
Regards,
From United States, New York
While it is good to "increase your knowledge" via this site or others, I am pretty sure the top management will take this as a reinforcement of the "idle HR guy looking for another job, perhaps!"—certainly not the impression I would like to give in such times!
Think Outside the "HR" Box
Business runs on business. See what you can do to get some more business for the company, and you will be appreciated! Aarin Ratnesh makes some excellent suggestions in this direction. Many of such actions are free or cost very little. Some more that come to mind:
- Look at customers' complaints. Maybe some are pending just because the stretched salespeople are busy running after sales targets. Sometimes, even a helpful ear can work wonders!
- Look at customers the organization has "lost" over the years. Reach out to them, and you might find some are willing to listen to your organization again. Things change!
- Start a CRM initiative—it can be as simple as sending an industry or company newsletter a month to clients or prospects.
To my mind, even if you can have some minor achievements in the above—with the concurrence and involvement of the top management, of course—you will stand out as a person who is concerned about the company even to the extent of taking non-HR roles... and that would surely not be bad for your future as well :-)
As Tsk. Raman reminds via the excellent Bata Salesman example (must remember that...), in adversity, there could be an opportunity.
Regards,
From United States, New York
I would like to add my view on this topic. HR managers/executives will not remain idle if they review their work. By assessing their day-to-day activities and creating a list of duties to be completed each month, they can categorize them into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks across different functions of HR, adding value in the process.
Enhancing your knowledge of each function will assist you in the future, aiding in policy formation and problem-solving.
Thanks,
Sudhir Kumar
From India, Delhi
Enhancing your knowledge of each function will assist you in the future, aiding in policy formation and problem-solving.
Thanks,
Sudhir Kumar
From India, Delhi
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