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Casual Articles - Making HR...the Most Lovable Profession
Networking for Cleaning Companies: How to Plan Ahead , but we are THE mission.Networking is a great way to market your cleaning business, and in order to do it effectively, you need to plan ahead so you know what you want to accomplish at each event. You also need to grow and nurture your network to keep it fresh!Networking isn't about seeing who can collect the most business cards. How many times have you attended an event, and then let the pile of cards sit on your desk? Have you ever gone back through the cards and wondered what the person looked like who gave you their card? Wouldn't it feel awkward to call that person up when you don't even remember meeting them or what they look like? Chances are, the cards will end up in the trash.In order to network more effectively, it helps to have a plan of attack BEFORE the event. Here are some ways to plan ahead:* Set a goal. Perhaps the goal is to connect and have a conversation with 3 people before the event is over. Once you've reached your goal, if you're not feeling comfortable, then give yourself permission to leave. However, if you're enjoying yourself, by all means stay and continue to meet more people.* Be prepared. Have your business cards ready, know your "elevator speech", and be prepared with your conversation questions", noted in Part One.* Be proactive. Instead of waiting for people to approach you, take the initiative and walk up to someone who looks like they could use someone to talk to and introduce yourself. Ask them about their business. They'll be relieved someone is taking an interest in their business and will eventually ask about yours.* Listen, listen, listen! Ask questions about the person you've just met, and then let them talk. The more you let people talk about themselves, the more you learn. Eventually they'll realize that they've been doing all the talking and ask about your business.* Give referrals. Don't go to the event with the goal of just finding new prospects for your business. Peop But why do some employees hate HR? (I'm equally irked upon reading the statement "All employees . . . hate HR" - perhaps some but definitely not all.) What are we supposed to do about it? I'm in total agreement to Sanjeev's statement here: "Employees hate HR, when they don't get solution for their problems; they don't get proper information; there is communication gap; (HR) fails to keep (its) words . . . (its) commitment." Many times HR professionals get buried in the myriad of things - paperwork and reports, administrative duties, and even disciplining employees which is supposed to be a line function. Oh by the way, for non-HR people reading this - if you still believe that employee discipline is an HR job, I suggest you attend a seminar on effective supervision to learn the what, why and how on employee motivation and discipline. There are lots of good training providers out there who are updated and equipped with the latest trends in people-handling, one of which is MaP Consulting Group. (Yes, it's my company, and I'm talking about the Basics of Effective Supervision Training.) These things comprise HR's "trivial many" and is more than enough to consume his time, taking away a more important aspect - the "critical few" should have's, which focus on relationship- building. Without knowing it, HR becomes oblivious to the real needs of the people, and failed to listen. Solution In the words of Sanjeev: "Of Course, 'Proper Communication' can solve many issues." When I see the word 'communication' used in a management article, I can't help but recall some offices with no doors, advocating "open-door policy" which literally means open communication. Some companies are doing this perfectly well with a management team who "walk their talk." Others however, are only as good as the open cubicles without knowing the real essence of the word, much less practic Medical Billing Courses Online Should Not Be BackgroundSure it would be easy for someone to tell you what good online medical billing courses should be comprised of. However, by showing you what they SHOULD NOT be will make a more dramatic impact on you so you will remember them instantly when researching an online course. Ready?1) Medical Billing Courses online SHOULD NOT be taught by anyone other than experienced medical billers, medical coders or a successful medical billing business owner.2) Medical Billing Courses online SHOULD NOT be given by an Educational Clearinghouse (school that teaches everything from accounting to zoology). The BIGGEST problem with EC's is that you are not taught the in-depth education that you need to be proficient within this industry.3) Medical Billing Courses online SHOULD NOT take you 2 years to complete unless one of the following applies:a.) Your current situation doesn’t allow you to dedicated the necessary time to complete the course sooner,b.) Your course also consists of additional subjects such as medical transcription, medical coding or healthcare management.c.) Your course also prepares you to sit for one of the National Certification Exams given by the The American Medical Billing Association (AMBA), The American Association Of Professional Coders (AAPC) or American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).4) Medical Billing Courses online SHOULD NOT be really short in length. A really good course should cover the 8 essential aspects of doing medical billing as a business and that cannot be properly learned in a cram course or seminar type course.5) Medical Billing Courses online SHOULD NOT be overly expensive. The norm for a good online program is between $500 - $700 and anything above that is usually a sign that the school is trying to pad their pockets at your expense. However if your course also includes classes on becoming a nationally certified medical coder or medical transcri Recently in one of the HR-group…someone shared one statement, which was “All employees in all organizations hate HR. This is the statement of a high profile professional (other than HR) employee. So what is your experience?” No more information was provided by this person and if not less, we all exchanged close to 100 e-mails, discussing about the topic and throughout the discussion the originator of the debate, kept mum. Some people said few things in favour of HR and few people said against HR. At the end, we ended up by making few statements…having just difference of opinion. Few people went on to share one of the article, titled “Why we hate HR” written by Keith H Hammonds of FastCompany and posted on December 09, 2005. I interrogated the person who originated this debate in its current form and he shared two things, “This statement made in private and I didn’t react on it. For few days this statement haunted me and to know the experience from all HR professionals about this I circulated the mail” and “Even many HR professionals say HR is thankless job. Therefore I plainly put up the mail to get the experiences of all you”. After reading this, I didn’t know if I should laugh on the immaturity of this person and should get angry on his attitude. I have few questions for my fellow HR professionals and Business Managers, they are: 1) Everyday as a person or professional you meet so many people; do all of them love you? 2) Talking about profession, which is the profession, which is liked by all and sundry? Do you like lawyers…police personal…politicians? Why only to point at HR-Professional? 3) How many of you Love George W. Bush and how many have you hate Osama Bin Ladin? How many of you love Tony Blair and hate Saddam Hussain? Challenges for HR Professionals Human Resource Professionals deals with the most difficult part of any organization – “Human Beings”. They are not machines. They have emotions, sentiments, different behaviour, different beliefs and culture. A part from that, we have Government, labour laws, and law enforcement body. Over and above that we have investors, management and board of directors. I don’t know, how you are expected to keep all these people happy? Competencies in HR Professionals Certainly, even HR professionals need to change the way they work. “Proper Communication”, I repeat, “Proper Communication” can solve most of your problems and issues. To have proper communication, one should have proper information about the labour laws, about business, about policies and procedures of the company and about the industry. Most of the time…most of the HR professionals…don’t have this. Proper Communication also includes “Proper Listening” and that is also lacking in some of the HR-Professionals. “Understanding Human Behaviour” is another trait, which can help in addressing many problems. Why employees hate HR? Employees hate HR, when They don’t get solution for their problems. They don’t get proper information. There is communication gap. You fail to keep your words…your commitment. (Is there anything else that they expect from you?) Solution Of Course, “Proper Communication” can solve many issues. If there is any query, give “legally supported” and “logically correct” solution. I also feel that as we are growing...as there are more and more mediums of communications...we are not communicating properly and I tell you...proper communication can solve many problems both at personal and professional front. Those people, your employees are not duffers or dumb…don’t try to be over-smart. Don’t lie to them. The day they come to know that the information provided by you is false or fake…they will start hating you. Customer Centric Approach This is the best way to know…where you are wrong? Why they hate you? And what are the areas of improvement? Treat them as your Customers and let the part of HR department behave as “Customer Service Centre”. Treat them the way you like to be treated when you are “Customer” and at the service centre of another service providers. As they say, “Don’t do what you don’t want other to do to you”…”Don’t serve the food that you don’t like to eat”. Conclusion and Love-Hate Equation I feel that it is one love-hate equation, where some people love you and some hates you. In a crowd of more than two people you cannot expect everyone to love you…everyone to agree with you. That has never happened and will never happen. There will always be few people who will love you and few to hate you. Only thing that you can do is that by your work…by your behaviour…by your attitude…you can have more people to love you…to love your profession and hate you and your profession. To tilt this equation, entirely depends on an individual, his style of working and his approach. Love-hate equation can be different in different company. No degree and no education can give you an assurance that all people will “Just” love you. You are MBA from Harvard, Oxford, London School of Business or IIM; you are certified by SHRM or CIPD; no institute can give you an assurance that your employee will always agree with you and will always love your work. As I said in one of my previous write-up…few people…just few people by their behaviour, work and attitude brings bad name for the organization, for the profession, for the community and for the country. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Analysis of the Article by Rey Misoles is CEO and Managing Director of MaP Consulting Group, a consulting and training outfit for developing managerial competence. He is author of "Self Improvement & Success: Your 7-Day Self-Improvement and Success Program" – a `How to do it' Several weeks ago I registered to be a member of HR-Philippines, a Yahoogroups network for HR professionals. I enjoyed the articles posted by the members, and learned from some of them. In fact, I also contributed an article or two from time to time. Just recently some articles published caught my attention - and one from an HR practitioner, Sanjeev Sharma from India really heightened my interest. He talked about, and the title of his article is, Making HR...The Most Lovable Profession. This all started after he read a comment from one HR-group which goes, "All employees in all organizations hate HR." Sanjeev, apparently irked, said, "This is the statement of a high profile professional (other than HR) employee... I didn't know if I should laugh on the immaturity of this person and should get angry on his attitude." I was touched in total agreement to Sanjeev's reply, which prompted me to share my thoughts with you today, anchored on salient points of Sanjeev's article. Challenges for HR Professionals: Human Resource Professionals deal with the most difficult part of any organization - "Human Beings." Accounting managers deal with numbers, no doubt about it. Sales managers deal with quotas, producing sales and nothing but sales. Manufacturing managers deal with production, tight schedules and meeting deadlines. No wonder they're in constant bickering with sales - the former promising clients that they will deliver, and the later complaining that they can't deliver what's being promised. Where does HR stand? In the middle of course, caught in the crossfire, most often eating up all the fire and silently enduring the cross. Why? Because we are HR; "human resource." We may fail to comprehend numbers, particularly sales quotas and production schedules, but we do perfectly understand human beings. Appropriately so, because we are HR. Not only do we carry out the mission of managing human resources, but we are THE mission. But why do some employees hate HR? (I'm equally irked upon reading the statement "All employees . . . hate HR" - perhaps some but definitely not all.) What are we supposed to do about it? I'm in total agreement to Sanjeev's statement here: "Employees hate HR, when they don't get solution for their problems; they don't get proper information; there is communication gap; (HR) fails to keep (its) words . . . (its) commitment." Many times HR professionals get buried in the myriad of things - paperwork and reports, administrative duties, and even disciplining employees which is supposed to be a line function. Oh by the way, for non-HR people reading this - if you still believe that employee discipline is an HR job, I suggest you attend a seminar on effective supervision to learn the what, why and how on employee motivation and discipline. There are lots of good training providers out there who are updated and equipped with the latest trends in people-handling, one of which is MaP Consulting Group. (Yes, it's my company, and I'm talking about the Basics of Effective Supervision Training.) These things comprise HR's "trivial many" and is more than enough to consume his time, taking away a more important aspect - the "critical few" should have's, which focus on relationship- building. Without knowing it, HR becomes oblivious to the real needs of the people, and failed to listen. Solution In the words of Sanjeev: "Of Course, 'Proper Communication' can solve many issues." When I see the word 'communication' used in a management article, I can't help but recall some offices with no doors, advocating "open-door policy" which literally means open communication. Some companies are doing this perfectly well with a management team who "walk their talk." Others however, are only as good as the open cubicles without knowing the real essence of the word, much less practice You Use Sun Protection on your Body – Shouldn't you Use Protection for your Business? are not machines. They have emotions, sentiments, different behaviour, different beliefs and culture. A part from that, we have Government, labour laws, and law enforcement body. Over and above that we have investors, management and board of directors. I don’t know, how you are expected to keep all these people happy?With the summer heat here and breaking records you are more aware of using sun block, wearing light colored clothing and drinking more water. You wouldn’t even think of sending your kids to the beach without sun protection on. So why are so many business owners running their business without protection?This is a classic mistake many new and small business owners make; you start a business that is focused on your product or service and don’t even think about credit terms, policies or payments. You write a business plan, a marketing plan but no credit policy.A business plan helps you finance your startup and keep things flowing smoothly. Your marketing plan ensures you have something going on to generate more sales and money for your bottom line. A credit policy ensures you have good paying customers that pay on time and are repeat customers.“For many their business is their “baby” but they don’t take the steps necessary to protect themselves and their business from bad debt, bad checks or slow or non-paying customers,” says Dunn. “In my 17 years of debt collection 9 out of 10 businesses did not have a credit policy in place; this is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.”Small and new business owners need to be aware that customers who have to fill out forms or credit applications when they set up an account may also take advantage of direct pay options, which lowers your receivables immediately and creates more sales for your business. Competencies in HR Professionals Certainly, even HR professionals need to change the way they work. “Proper Communication”, I repeat, “Proper Communication” can solve most of your problems and issues. To have proper communication, one should have proper information about the labour laws, about business, about policies and procedures of the company and about the industry. Most of the time…most of the HR professionals…don’t have this. Proper Communication also includes “Proper Listening” and that is also lacking in some of the HR-Professionals. “Understanding Human Behaviour” is another trait, which can help in addressing many problems. Why employees hate HR? Employees hate HR, when They don’t get solution for their problems. They don’t get proper information. There is communication gap. You fail to keep your words…your commitment. (Is there anything else that they expect from you?) Solution Of Course, “Proper Communication” can solve many issues. If there is any query, give “legally supported” and “logically correct” solution. I also feel that as we are growing...as there are more and more mediums of communications...we are not communicating properly and I tell you...proper communication can solve many problems both at personal and professional front. Those people, your employees are not duffers or dumb…don’t try to be over-smart. Don’t lie to them. The day they come to know that the information provided by you is false or fake…they will start hating you. Customer Centric Approach This is the best way to know…where you are wrong? Why they hate you? And what are the areas of improvement? Treat them as your Customers and let the part of HR department behave as “Customer Service Centre”. Treat them the way you like to be treated when you are “Customer” and at the service centre of another service providers. As they say, “Don’t do what you don’t want other to do to you”…”Don’t serve the food that you don’t like to eat”. Conclusion and Love-Hate Equation I feel that it is one love-hate equation, where some people love you and some hates you. In a crowd of more than two people you cannot expect everyone to love you…everyone to agree with you. That has never happened and will never happen. There will always be few people who will love you and few to hate you. Only thing that you can do is that by your work…by your behaviour…by your attitude…you can have more people to love you…to love your profession and hate you and your profession. To tilt this equation, entirely depends on an individual, his style of working and his approach. Love-hate equation can be different in different company. No degree and no education can give you an assurance that all people will “Just” love you. You are MBA from Harvard, Oxford, London School of Business or IIM; you are certified by SHRM or CIPD; no institute can give you an assurance that your employee will always agree with you and will always love your work. As I said in one of my previous write-up…few people…just few people by their behaviour, work and attitude brings bad name for the organization, for the profession, for the community and for the country. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Analysis of the Article by Rey Misoles is CEO and Managing Director of MaP Consulting Group, a consulting and training outfit for developing managerial competence. He is author of "Self Improvement & Success: Your 7-Day Self-Improvement and Success Program" – a `How to do it' Several weeks ago I registered to be a member of HR-Philippines, a Yahoogroups network for HR professionals. I enjoyed the articles posted by the members, and learned from some of them. In fact, I also contributed an article or two from time to time. Just recently some articles published caught my attention - and one from an HR practitioner, Sanjeev Sharma from India really heightened my interest. He talked about, and the title of his article is, Making HR...The Most Lovable Profession. This all started after he read a comment from one HR-group which goes, "All employees in all organizations hate HR." Sanjeev, apparently irked, said, "This is the statement of a high profile professional (other than HR) employee... I didn't know if I should laugh on the immaturity of this person and should get angry on his attitude." I was touched in total agreement to Sanjeev's reply, which prompted me to share my thoughts with you today, anchored on salient points of Sanjeev's article. Challenges for HR Professionals: Human Resource Professionals deal with the most difficult part of any organization - "Human Beings." Accounting managers deal with numbers, no doubt about it. Sales managers deal with quotas, producing sales and nothing but sales. Manufacturing managers deal with production, tight schedules and meeting deadlines. No wonder they're in constant bickering with sales - the former promising clients that they will deliver, and the later complaining that they can't deliver what's being promised. Where does HR stand? In the middle of course, caught in the crossfire, most often eating up all the fire and silently enduring the cross. Why? Because we are HR; "human resource." We may fail to comprehend numbers, particularly sales quotas and production schedules, but we do perfectly understand human beings. Appropriately so, because we are HR. Not only do we carry out the mission of managing human resources, but we are THE mission. But why do some employees hate HR? (I'm equally irked upon reading the statement "All employees . . . hate HR" - perhaps some but definitely not all.) What are we supposed to do about it? I'm in total agreement to Sanjeev's statement here: "Employees hate HR, when they don't get solution for their problems; they don't get proper information; there is communication gap; (HR) fails to keep (its) words . . . (its) commitment." Many times HR professionals get buried in the myriad of things - paperwork and reports, administrative duties, and even disciplining employees which is supposed to be a line function. Oh by the way, for non-HR people reading this - if you still believe that employee discipline is an HR job, I suggest you attend a seminar on effective supervision to learn the what, why and how on employee motivation and discipline. There are lots of good training providers out there who are updated and equipped with the latest trends in people-handling, one of which is MaP Consulting Group. (Yes, it's my company, and I'm talking about the Basics of Effective Supervision Training.) These things comprise HR's "trivial many" and is more than enough to consume his time, taking away a more important aspect - the "critical few" should have's, which focus on relationship- building. Without knowing it, HR becomes oblivious to the real needs of the people, and failed to listen. Solution In the words of Sanjeev: "Of Course, 'Proper Communication' can solve many issues." When I see the word 'communication' used in a management article, I can't help but recall some offices with no doors, advocating "open-door policy" which literally means open communication. Some companies are doing this perfectly well with a management team who "walk their talk." Others however, are only as good as the open cubicles without knowing the real essence of the word, much less practic 10 Ways to Improving Your Client Relationships ate you? And what are the areas of improvement? Treat them as your Customers and let the part of HR department behave as “Customer Service Centre”. Treat them the way you like to be treated when you are “Customer” and at the service centre of another service providers. As they say, “Don’t do what you don’t want other to do to you”…”Don’t serve the food that you don’t like to eat”.10 Ways to Improving Your Client Relationships One thing is true for all consultants; if we have any work, we have clients! One of the most important parts of our work is maintaining and enhancing our relationships with our clients. Maintaining and growing these relationships makes the time spent on a project more enjoyable, satisfying and effective. Improved relationships also improves the chance that we will get referrals and future business. The following are ten things you can do to improve these important business relationships, and some suggestions on how to get started. 1. Have a clear contract with your client. This is the number one guideline for a successful client engagement. Without a clear contract neither you nor your client can be clear on roles and responsibilities, deadlines and deliverables, methodologies and measures. Beyond the importance of the contract to the project itself, a clear contract also is a great aid to a good working relationship. The goal of a contract is clarity, not legalese – as such; it is a great aid to improved client relationships. Your mutually agreed to contract should include the following as a minimum: • What the roles and responsibilities are for you – and members of the client organization• What methods you plan to use during the project• The project timeline• A description of success 2. Get to know your client better. All relationships are better when the individuals in the relationship take the time to get to know one another. Learn the client’s interests. You will likely spend many hours with and around the client during the project. Knowing that they like gourmet French food or exotic candies or Oakland Raiders football is information you should know. This is more important to some clients than others, but all of us like to have conversations with others about our inter Conclusion and Love-Hate Equation I feel that it is one love-hate equation, where some people love you and some hates you. In a crowd of more than two people you cannot expect everyone to love you…everyone to agree with you. That has never happened and will never happen. There will always be few people who will love you and few to hate you. Only thing that you can do is that by your work…by your behaviour…by your attitude…you can have more people to love you…to love your profession and hate you and your profession. To tilt this equation, entirely depends on an individual, his style of working and his approach. Love-hate equation can be different in different company. No degree and no education can give you an assurance that all people will “Just” love you. You are MBA from Harvard, Oxford, London School of Business or IIM; you are certified by SHRM or CIPD; no institute can give you an assurance that your employee will always agree with you and will always love your work. As I said in one of my previous write-up…few people…just few people by their behaviour, work and attitude brings bad name for the organization, for the profession, for the community and for the country. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Analysis of the Article by Rey Misoles is CEO and Managing Director of MaP Consulting Group, a consulting and training outfit for developing managerial competence. He is author of "Self Improvement & Success: Your 7-Day Self-Improvement and Success Program" – a `How to do it' Several weeks ago I registered to be a member of HR-Philippines, a Yahoogroups network for HR professionals. I enjoyed the articles posted by the members, and learned from some of them. In fact, I also contributed an article or two from time to time. Just recently some articles published caught my attention - and one from an HR practitioner, Sanjeev Sharma from India really heightened my interest. He talked about, and the title of his article is, Making HR...The Most Lovable Profession. This all started after he read a comment from one HR-group which goes, "All employees in all organizations hate HR." Sanjeev, apparently irked, said, "This is the statement of a high profile professional (other than HR) employee... I didn't know if I should laugh on the immaturity of this person and should get angry on his attitude." I was touched in total agreement to Sanjeev's reply, which prompted me to share my thoughts with you today, anchored on salient points of Sanjeev's article. Challenges for HR Professionals: Human Resource Professionals deal with the most difficult part of any organization - "Human Beings." Accounting managers deal with numbers, no doubt about it. Sales managers deal with quotas, producing sales and nothing but sales. Manufacturing managers deal with production, tight schedules and meeting deadlines. No wonder they're in constant bickering with sales - the former promising clients that they will deliver, and the later complaining that they can't deliver what's being promised. Where does HR stand? In the middle of course, caught in the crossfire, most often eating up all the fire and silently enduring the cross. Why? Because we are HR; "human resource." We may fail to comprehend numbers, particularly sales quotas and production schedules, but we do perfectly understand human beings. Appropriately so, because we are HR. Not only do we carry out the mission of managing human resources, but we are THE mission. But why do some employees hate HR? (I'm equally irked upon reading the statement "All employees . . . hate HR" - perhaps some but definitely not all.) What are we supposed to do about it? I'm in total agreement to Sanjeev's statement here: "Employees hate HR, when they don't get solution for their problems; they don't get proper information; there is communication gap; (HR) fails to keep (its) words . . . (its) commitment." Many times HR professionals get buried in the myriad of things - paperwork and reports, administrative duties, and even disciplining employees which is supposed to be a line function. Oh by the way, for non-HR people reading this - if you still believe that employee discipline is an HR job, I suggest you attend a seminar on effective supervision to learn the what, why and how on employee motivation and discipline. There are lots of good training providers out there who are updated and equipped with the latest trends in people-handling, one of which is MaP Consulting Group. (Yes, it's my company, and I'm talking about the Basics of Effective Supervision Training.) These things comprise HR's "trivial many" and is more than enough to consume his time, taking away a more important aspect - the "critical few" should have's, which focus on relationship- building. Without knowing it, HR becomes oblivious to the real needs of the people, and failed to listen. Solution In the words of Sanjeev: "Of Course, 'Proper Communication' can solve many issues." When I see the word 'communication' used in a management article, I can't help but recall some offices with no doors, advocating "open-door policy" which literally means open communication. Some companies are doing this perfectly well with a management team who "walk their talk." Others however, are only as good as the open cubicles without knowing the real essence of the word, much less practic Selling Landscape Services by Phone t'If you own a landscape service business you know that the more clientele you have and the more number of accounts you have; the more money and profits you will make. One way to get new clients is to call them on the telephone.For instance, if you are working in a neighborhood and you find that you have a number of clientele there it makes sense to stack your schedule with more clients close together in clusters. To sign these customers using the telephone is a very good way to do it.Even better is good to develop your telephone calling list from referrals that you have got from other customers and neighbors. Most neighbors have other neighbors phone numbers and if you do a good job and are liable then those customers will give you those other phone numbers for you to do cold calling for landscape services. You should make these calls and be polite with the utmost care.People who buy a landscape services and landscape maintenance services are becoming more and more particular about who is working on the crews. For instance, it is known that over 65% of all landscape maintenance crews are indeed illegal aliens or illegal immigrants and this bothers many people.Therefore when you are cold calling customers and discussing landscape services they need to be reassured that you are not hiring illegal aliens and this should be something that you should let them now straightaway. Please consider all this in 2006. Several weeks ago I registered to be a member of HR-Philippines, a Yahoogroups network for HR professionals. I enjoyed the articles posted by the members, and learned from some of them. In fact, I also contributed an article or two from time to time. Just recently some articles published caught my attention - and one from an HR practitioner, Sanjeev Sharma from India really heightened my interest. He talked about, and the title of his article is, Making HR...The Most Lovable Profession. This all started after he read a comment from one HR-group which goes, "All employees in all organizations hate HR." Sanjeev, apparently irked, said, "This is the statement of a high profile professional (other than HR) employee... I didn't know if I should laugh on the immaturity of this person and should get angry on his attitude." I was touched in total agreement to Sanjeev's reply, which prompted me to share my thoughts with you today, anchored on salient points of Sanjeev's article. Challenges for HR Professionals: Human Resource Professionals deal with the most difficult part of any organization - "Human Beings." Accounting managers deal with numbers, no doubt about it. Sales managers deal with quotas, producing sales and nothing but sales. Manufacturing managers deal with production, tight schedules and meeting deadlines. No wonder they're in constant bickering with sales - the former promising clients that they will deliver, and the later complaining that they can't deliver what's being promised. Where does HR stand? In the middle of course, caught in the crossfire, most often eating up all the fire and silently enduring the cross. Why? Because we are HR; "human resource." We may fail to comprehend numbers, particularly sales quotas and production schedules, but we do perfectly understand human beings. Appropriately so, because we are HR. Not only do we carry out the mission of managing human resources, but we are THE mission. But why do some employees hate HR? (I'm equally irked upon reading the statement "All employees . . . hate HR" - perhaps some but definitely not all.) What are we supposed to do about it? I'm in total agreement to Sanjeev's statement here: "Employees hate HR, when they don't get solution for their problems; they don't get proper information; there is communication gap; (HR) fails to keep (its) words . . . (its) commitment." Many times HR professionals get buried in the myriad of things - paperwork and reports, administrative duties, and even disciplining employees which is supposed to be a line function. Oh by the way, for non-HR people reading this - if you still believe that employee discipline is an HR job, I suggest you attend a seminar on effective supervision to learn the what, why and how on employee motivation and discipline. There are lots of good training providers out there who are updated and equipped with the latest trends in people-handling, one of which is MaP Consulting Group. (Yes, it's my company, and I'm talking about the Basics of Effective Supervision Training.) These things comprise HR's "trivial many" and is more than enough to consume his time, taking away a more important aspect - the "critical few" should have's, which focus on relationship- building. Without knowing it, HR becomes oblivious to the real needs of the people, and failed to listen. Solution In the words of Sanjeev: "Of Course, 'Proper Communication' can solve many issues." When I see the word 'communication' used in a management article, I can't help but recall some offices with no doors, advocating "open-door policy" which literally means open communication. Some companies are doing this perfectly well with a management team who "walk their talk." Others however, are only as good as the open cubicles without knowing the real essence of the word, much less practic Do-It-Yourself Workforce Development - When to Ask for Help , but we are THE mission.We have become a do-it-yourself obsessed society. You cannot surf past more than five channels on any cable TV provider without some expert showing us how easy it is to remodel our home, landscape our backyard, or prepare a gourmet meal in less than 30 minutes.There are entire sections in bookstores where we can teach ourselves how to design a website, fix our car, or get rich selling real estate. So, we think, why not raise this concept above the personal level and apply it to a corporate or organizational setting?After all, the basic concept of doing-it-yourself is the same regardless of the subject matter or location. It is the idea that, although there may be parts of your planned project that require the vision and creativity of a professional, there are many things we can do by ourselves to save a little money while giving us a tremendous sense of satisfaction (assuming it ends up as you expected, of course!)Here is an example. Last summer, my wife and I finally gave up on creating an attractive landscape design for our backyard. We had watched countless television shows where a variety of experts converted that week’s rock-filled, pot-holed, and weed infested plot of land into an attractive little garden with beautiful flowers, singing birds, and smiling homeowners.We spent a lot of time tearing pictures of landscapes we loved out of magazines and searching through plant nurseries and home-and-garden centers trying to bring those pictures of perfection to life in our yard.Finally, after spending a lot of time and money accumulating an eclectic assortment of decorative objects and expensive plants that still did not give us what we wanted in our yard, it eventually dawned on us that, while we were smart enough to follow a plan, we did not have the skills to create one.That was a simple fact of life we had forgotten: the ability to visualize someone’s dream and then design a plan to achie But why do some employees hate HR? (I'm equally irked upon reading the statement "All employees . . . hate HR" - perhaps some but definitely not all.) What are we supposed to do about it? I'm in total agreement to Sanjeev's statement here: "Employees hate HR, when they don't get solution for their problems; they don't get proper information; there is communication gap; (HR) fails to keep (its) words . . . (its) commitment." Many times HR professionals get buried in the myriad of things - paperwork and reports, administrative duties, and even disciplining employees which is supposed to be a line function. Oh by the way, for non-HR people reading this - if you still believe that employee discipline is an HR job, I suggest you attend a seminar on effective supervision to learn the what, why and how on employee motivation and discipline. There are lots of good training providers out there who are updated and equipped with the latest trends in people-handling, one of which is MaP Consulting Group. (Yes, it's my company, and I'm talking about the Basics of Effective Supervision Training.) These things comprise HR's "trivial many" and is more than enough to consume his time, taking away a more important aspect - the "critical few" should have's, which focus on relationship- building. Without knowing it, HR becomes oblivious to the real needs of the people, and failed to listen. Solution In the words of Sanjeev: "Of Course, 'Proper Communication' can solve many issues." When I see the word 'communication' used in a management article, I can't help but recall some offices with no doors, advocating "open-door policy" which literally means open communication. Some companies are doing this perfectly well with a management team who "walk their talk." Others however, are only as good as the open cubicles without knowing the real essence of the word, much less practice it. Easier said than done. But have you got a choice? Of course you do. And it is learning how to be an effective communicator using the verbal and non-verbal facility. Communication is a skill which needs to be studied and learned, spent time on, and practiced. My next question is; have you got the time? Or rather, are you willing to make this one of your priorities? I believe you should! After living the HR profession for more than two decades, I once thought I learned everything there is to learn. Then I came across a forum, an HR group composed of practitioners dedicated to help one another, and realized that my learning shouldn't stop. I was scared to think it almost did, and am happy to have recovered. Perhaps you'd be interested to join and keep yourself up. Who knows someday, you'll get to understand better the "Love-Hate Equation for HR Profession." _________________________________________________________________________________ And they shared their views on this Subject 1) Rajat Joshi from Mumbai (India) I credit you and would like to thank you personally for extending support and guiding HR professionals with your thought provoking articles. As Dr T V Rao mentioned in his book Future of HRD - that for HRD professionals in India - a challenge is to grow professionally and there should be more focus on self directed learning - this is where you have been helping us immensely. 2) Prof. Nivedita from Chandigarh (India) I appreciate your views. Very true, that we cannot make all the people happy, if you have a workforce of 100 people you can satisfy only 80-90 of them. This Love hate relationship is not with HR, it can be with any other department in the organisation as well. Thanks for sharing your wonderful thoughts. 3) Maya from Trivandrum (India) This was an excellent interpretation to the statement made. It makes perfect sense. The HR unfortunately is sometimes made the scape-goat for many organizational decisions that may not be taken well by the employees. We generally have to enforce these decisions. An HR has to balance the employees’ interest with that of the organization and consequentially end up with the "hatred" of many. Like you said communication and making people understand why things are done the way they are is the best way to reduce this feeling. However making such an absolute statement that too by a senior professional is very "unprofessional". 4) Govind Gadiyar from Mumbai Let me respond as follows: Kuchh To Log Kahenge, Logonka Kaam Hai Kehna... Need I say more for any HR Person... 5) Yashesh.Z from Mumbai (India) Why employees hate HR? Employees hate HR, when 1st of all HR don't have proper solution to any problem they just know how to push work on other shoulders. There is communication gap but also they don't know how to maintain relations with all levels of employees I have seen HR treating employees , they are good with higher post people but those who are on junior level, HR don't even look at them HR will never do increment on his own , employee has to do follow with HR for the same , and in return they say we are still observing your work, And if employee is on contract , than that employee should not keep any expectation from HR. Becoz for HR, employee who r on contract are equal to peon/office boy. HR only consider few cases if they come from top level. One good thing i can tell about HR that they play good politics 6) Samvedan from Pune (India) At the outset, let me state emphatically that all employees in all organizations do NOT hate HR. The sweeping generalization by the initiator of the thread, is extremely UNKIND to the HR community apart from being completely WRONG. Having said that, let me also state that every flock may (and usually has) black sheep. HR flock cannot claim to be an exception. HR is perceived "close to the management", "a power center", with access to confidential information in relation to the organization and to the employees. Handling an animate resource like Human Resource, the HR fraternity also is vulnerable to corruption by the feeling of power and of self importance! When this starts to happen, the anti HR feelings are born and start to grow. The role perception of an HR job needs to be carefully evolved. The stance is important. I recommend for everyone's consideration that the stance of every HR should be that of a "friend, philosopher and a guide" and the role to be that of a "facilitator". HR is knowledge and values based function. HR is the conscious keeper of the organization and must conduct itself always in an exemplary manner for all others to emulate! When some members of our community overlook these fundamental truths, such perceptions are generated. Yet, I state that the perception belongs to the unfortunate and a very small group who have not seen the right kind of HR! 7) R Devarajan from Chennai (India) Human wants both professionally and personally always multiples every day. No one cannot satisfy all the requirements at one time. Some wants cannot be satisfied at all. In HR one have to look into the overall performance only and not to look into the satisfaction of every individual. It is totally impossible to satisfy everything the employee needs. So all the other departments and staffs must realize this. as other departments we are not dealing with machines and money. We are dealing with humans and their mind, which is obviously very tough to read and react. Therefore, moulding an individual involves more ills and spills. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Think about it…and share your comments and feedback. With lots of Care and Affection...
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