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Thought Leadership in Action

Avoidable Ways HR Drives Employees Nuts

Human resources departments and employees often get a bad rap - sometimes deserved and sometimes not. In the worst cases, business owners and executives view them as a necessity to keep the organization from being sued, while some employees see them as hall monitors, enforcing every little rule just for their own pleasure.

If you’re in HR, though you know you and your peers are strategic business partners, capable of leveraging talent to help the bottom line. You’re also employee advocates who want everyone to succeed. How can there be such disparate views of the same department? Is it possible HR feels like a strategic business partner and advocate while behaving like a hall monitor? Probably.

Here are a few avoidable ways HR is driving everyone crazy - and what HR professionals can do to stop.

Over or Under Communicating

By not having a strategic communications plan, HR can overwhelm or underwhelm staff members. "If employees see one too many memos, emails, surveys or presentations from HR in a short period of time, they may tune out," says Chris Costello, principal and founder of CBG Benefits, a benefits brokerage firm based in Massachusetts.

On the other hand, if HR goes too long without any communication, the staff can feel as though HR doesn’t care about them or value their opinions. Costello recommends HR think more like the marketing department and plan communications well in advance. "By sharing relevant, consistent messages across a variety of channels throughout the year, it will increase employee engagement."

Withholding Documentation

"Employees should receive a copy of everything they sign," says Donna Ballman, employment lawyer and author of Stand Up For Yourself Without Getting Fired. This applies to everything from basic policies to the entire employee handbook, but it’s especially important when it comes to termination paperwork such as noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements.

"How are employees supposed to know what they aren't allowed to do when they leave if you won't give them a copy?" Ballman says. "What is the point of having them sign and then hiding it?" Don’t make employees, even the outgoing employees, feel like you’re trying to get away with something. Provide copies of everything.

Acting Aloof

HR has access to a lot of information about employees. Also, they’re typically the ones making and enforcing workplace rules. "The better HR people will see all of these responsibilities as the solemn tasks they are; the worst can become a little drunk with power and use this, intentionally or unintentionally, to bully or intimidate people," says Deanna Arnold, founder of The People’s HR. "Because of that, when an HR person either calls an employee or walks around the office, everyone panics and instantly thinks the worst."

Alternatively, the HR team may spend too much time in their offices and think they don’t need to interact with employees. This sends a message that HR feels like their time is better spent elsewhere, rather than with their greatest asset: staff members.

"Walk around - get out of the office and go where the employees are," suggests management consultant Joni Daniels. She recommends visiting regional or branch offices, the plant floor and department meetings to see what’s really going on with people and to make your presence felt in a positive manner. "If people are really important to you," she says, "don’t tell them, show them."

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