Over the years I have found that it always comes down to management. That’s not to say it’s the managers fault. Let me explain….
HR functions exist to align employee practices with the overall business objectives. Over the years, HR professionals have gained quite a reputation which has been damaging to employees themselves.
HR’s reputation was that it only cares about the business, the company revenue, and not the employees. I can tell you wholeheartedly this is incorrect. HR does consider the overall business strategies to inform its HR practices. However, we have an obligation to upload employee rights and employment laws within the business which benefits both the employer and employees. Also, a happier workforce is more productive workforce after all.
One of the main obstacles I believe businesses face is the aspect of management. Often, employees are promoted into positions that involve people management without being provided training on how to manage people. If a manager performs ineffectively it gives the entire company a bad reputation as well as it’s HR function.
HR can implement many strategies over different areas of the business using data available to us. A lot of our strategies can have a wider and bigger impact if managers are aligned with the agenda and objectives of these strategies. For example, we can implement a reward and recognition process, however, if a manager is unfair and bias in judgements of these then we have ourselves a huge issue as you can see.
That’s why it’s my professional opinion that businesses should invest in management and leadership training for their department heads and all managers of the business.
You might recall that in 2020 HR Habitat conducted to study on the reasons why people leave businesses. At number one we had managers as the reason why people have left previous jobs. If that isn’t a reason itself then I don’t know what is.
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Founder of HR Habitat, award winner of "Best HR & Employment Law Consultancy, 2024" title. As featured in BBC Oline, BBC Asian Network Radio, Telegraph & more.
