Redefining HR in the minds of employees Change is the only thing that is constant. The said lines allude to the fact that human world is ever evolving and highly dynamic. Human race has come a long way from the Stone Age to this modern age. This transition has seen a lot of changes like change in food habits, sartorial changes, changes in dwelling etc but the change that we here focus on is the change in the way human mind has started thinking. In other words it has started to realise more about its inner strengths and potential. The transition phase of humans from just being humans to human resource is indeed interesting and talks of the increased role of HR in an organisation. However just redefining the role alone is not sufficient; it should be communicated well to the employees so much so that it occupies a permanent mental space in their minds. The role of present day HR can be best highlighted when we juxtapose it with the traditional HR wherein the main focus revolved around recruiting, maintain pay roll, disbursing salaries and wages and adhering to industrial policies on labour laws. In the present era the role of an HR if we put it this way is to ‘partner’ the employees with the organisation indicating the fact that employees are no longer a support function but mainstream business themselves. The typical conjecture of an HR head in minds of most of the employees still is either that of an ATM at the end of the month or punch bag to pour out all anger and frustration or as a sacred statue on a Himalayan foothill-never to be approached and rare to be seen, but this perception has to undergo a sea change by making the present day employees cognizant of the fact that not the machines, not technology but it’s the employees which act as change agents for the organisation and it is through them that companies will earn profits. ‘No company today can survive today by keeping their customers unhappy’- is the buzzword in this marketing oriented era. If we were to modify this line a bit and add the word stakeholders instead of customers it would then be an ambit big enough to include both customers and employees. This then thus becomes a process of mentally empowering the employees, winning their hearts and capturing their minds. Let us take an example of a crucial role of an HR – Appraisal. Appraisal in earlier form of HR was only on papers but with the advent of concepts like Balance scorecard, 360 degree feedback, performance appraisal report there is a constant check and balance and at the same time a constant source of belief for them that ‘someone is watching you’ because someone is interested in you and your career upliftment and holistic goals. HR thus is redefined more as a nurturer of talent than a just acquirer of talent. This paradigm shift will not occur by framing rules or bye laws but by changing the mental psyche of the workforce involved with the organization. It has to be instilled in their minds. In management arena it is a n accepted thing that change though follows a top down flow but it ultimately percolates down to each and every level of the organization –the most important being the grass root level. People of Japan seems to have an early enlightenment in the sense their employees realise their own worth and today what Japan is its only because of its dedicated and hard working human resource. With the advent of capital intensive technologies use of man power has reduced but that should not be confused with the fact that use of ‘strategic’ man power has reduced. HR is brain behind the machines. It would thus not be wrong to say that if marketing is the flesh of the organisation body, finance the blood then HR is the skeleton or the frame work which binds the body together. Growing importance of HR personnel has led to concepts like Keyman’s Insurance policy wherein the company just doesn’t want to let go on key personnel in their resource arsenal. In a nutshell we can conclude by saying that redefining the role of HR is an ongoing process but this vital process goes waste if not properly communicated to the employees to the extent that it becomes a part of their thought process
Posted on: Tue, 06 Aug 2013 03:53:00 +0000
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