People working in HR still face the not so good reputation of the field. Many people have bad experience with incompetent and untrustworthy HR professionals, which leads them to being skeptical about the entire HR. This issue was recently analyzed by Mike Spinale, HR Manager of Capsule - international company that develops IT solutions for healthcare - and a lecturer at the American Southern New Hampshire University. In his article on business2community.com aptly titled "How to ruin your reputation in Human Resources", he recommends taking several steps not to destroy your personal reputation in HR and so not to worsen the reputation of the entire field.
1. Don't be an old-school
Don't get stuck in the time when HR departments were good only for handling papers and had nothing to do with the actual management of the company. HR can no longer afford to sit in a closed office and only process the payroll. HR must understand the business of its company - customers, markets, finance, etc.
2. Don't limit yourself only to reprimanding
Your scope should be wider than just prosecution of employees for late arrivals, longer lunches or browsing social networks during working hours. If you automatically report any employee mistakes to managers, without having tried to offer advice or coaching, you can hardly expect employees to perceive you positively.
3. Don't plug your ears and mouth
An important trait of any person working in HR is empathy. An HR professional must be able to listen to both employees and managers, not just refer to corporate rules. He must also be able to communicate with his superiors and promote stuff he thinks is right.
4. Don't isolate yourself
HR professionals must socialize with employees and show their interest in employee development and satisfaction in the workplace. You can start, for example, by how comfortable your people feel in your company.
What do you think destroys the reputation of HR in companies the most?
-kk-