The Ecstasy and Agony of Working as an HR Professional in Organizations Today

Human Resource is the backbone of an organization. Human Resource or Human Capital has emerged as a game-changer in an organizations’ success or doom. With organizations realizing this aspect, enormous responsibility now rests on the shoulders of an HR professional. In most employees’ purview, HR is an easy going job, stress-free as most HR professionals are by and large happy-go-lucky. There is a fair blend of agony and ecstasy and I could certainly cite some based on personal experience.

HR is definitely one of the finest departments to work, especially if you are a people’s person. Here are some reasons to rejoice being an HR professional-

Have Your Finger on the Pulse of the Organization

An HR professional enjoys a unique position in the company. Not only do they understand the orgnizations’ priorities and challenges but are able to influence the future with the resources they add.

Adding Smiles and Changing Lives

Being an agony aunt or uncle by lending a sympathetic ear or helping with choices, an HR does it all. Thinking of employee welfare, happiness, and helping them achieving their goals is a significant part of an HR professional’s job.

Be a Mentor, a guiding light

A primary role of HR is on-boarding of new employees. Making a new employee acclimatize to the organizations’ climate is a challenge as the culture difference can be over whelming for an experienced employee and jittery for a newbie. Conducting the orientation and easing the stress a new employee is a very satisfying experience.

Extrovert’s Dream Come True

Let’s face it, we are born with our inherent nature, you either have or you don’t. For a naturally born extrovert, being an HR professional is the cherry on the cake. You get to do things that you love, that is being and interacting with people and getting paid for it!

Guiding Others in their Career

An important role of an HR professional is guiding entry-level employees into making right career choices. Not every new comer would have a clear plan for the career ahead and an HR can make a difference by educating on the various career options.

Each Day is Different

A fun aspect of being an HR professional is the mixed-bag of work. Since an HR juggles so many balls; each day is different. It may be on-boarding/ orientation on one day, while solving employee issues on another, tweaking the policies based on changes in legislature, the third and so on, the list grows.

Each coin has two sides. A pretty rose bush with exquisite flowers has hidden thorns similarly the HR profession is sprinkled with a dash of agony amidst the ecstasy. Here are some unpleasant sides of HR.

‘Disappointment’ Distributor

While recruiting, for every person recruited, close to ten people do not make the cut. It is the responsibility of the HR professional to crush the hopes of these people by conveying the news.

Cold Fish

HR often has inside knowledge of planned layoffs, people on the termination list, cut backs on healthcare plan, or outsourcing that may potentially wipe out an entire department. This warrants an HR professional to keep secrets, maybe sidestep the truth, thereby coming across as a cold/ aloof person who does not care.

Bearer of Bad News

An HR professional is responsible for conveying unpleasant news to the employees, be it their sudden termination from service or layoffs, or informing a powerful co-worker that a certain employ cannot be terminated without following proper procedures and giving the employee a chance to correct their ways.

Disliked for No Reason

Some employees in an organization may hold a grudge against HR based on prior unpleasant experience faced at another time with another HR. Besides, some weak spineless managers pass the buck by citing HR being the hurdle as HR determines pay, chalks job titles or sets policy for termination. This not only helps them to shift responsibility for their actions but undermines HR as well.

Can’t Keep Everyone Happy

In a perfect world, when one does their job with sincerity and passion, everyone adores them. Not in the real world though. No matter how friendly you are or how good you are at your job, some people will still hate you for your guts. Well, that is the reality. One needs to deal with it and move on!

However, a few simple steps can help one scale the agony hillock with ease.

• Always aim for respect and not approval from people

• Instead of out rightly saying “no”, provide multiple scenarios and options

• No place for revenge

• Adapt and change with changing times

Just as day is followed by night, similarly night is followed by day. HR like any other profession had its share of thrills, frustrations and limitations. There is both agony and ecstasy in HR; it depends on the HR professional which one dictates their professional life!

Submitted by

Name: Ms. Manisha Chakravarty

Contact No: +91 9845359904

E-mail: manisha.mediscribe@gmail.com

Designation: Manager-HR and Compliance

Company: Mediscribe India Pvt Ltd, Bangalore.