The Ecstasy and Agony of Working as an HR professional
Working as an HR professional is a roller coaster ride, Some days you bat for the organization; others from Employees’ side. The impression of HR function from a distance is all fun and play, Connecting with employees, planning engagement parties and celebrating employee birthday. I wish life in HR was so simple and nice, But there is always enough action to add some spice. From record keeping to being a gatekeeper, HR has truly evolved With a seat on the table, HR function is getting critical problems solved.
The difficult task of selecting the perfect candidate to come on-board, One who all the stakeholders equally adored. Promising the person a great environment and a challenging role, One that will help reach their long term goal.
Preparing an offer agreement and waiting the full notice period out, Only to find a no-show on the day of joining – what was all this about. After doing everything right, you start again from ground zero, Smiling through the agony, in search of your next hero.
The next key step is to set KPIs and goals for the year, HR along with managers make role expectations clear. Sales performance is easy to quantify, But is our incentive plan helping increase our share of pie?
Defining and measuring support functions performance is a different game, How do we rate people, working on different priorities – the same? Performance Management is undergoing a complete overhaul, Doing away with Bell curve – are we heralding a windfall for all?
Learning, Developing & Upskilling is another activity which we drive, This should be one place where creativity and innovation should thrive. You work hard on making arrangements and building content, On training day, you realize 90% participants are absent!
Build a great place to work they say, But keep all the manager effectiveness trainings at bay. I want to see a culture change by next engagement survey, Also create an action plan to make Glassdoor ratings sway!
A good organization design will help the business grow, Can you in HR, help identify the dysfunctional aspects of the current work flow. Off you go – to analyze current structures and systems to identify gaps, With organization interest at heart, you share the new plans and maps.
After getting all approvals in place, starts the execution phase, Change management needs constant communication to truly change our ways. You celebrate the success of implementing the change, While the next wave of transformation comes within range.
Amidst all this, there is also the bustle of Operational aspects, From HRIS management to payroll and benefits there are so many projects. Accuracy and timeliness are our key metrics to measure, Salary transfers and bonus payouts is what all employees treasure.
What really makes me love the work I do, Is along with serious work, you can create lasting impact too! With great power comes even greater responsibilities, We have the ability to touch lives of employees and their extended families.
The Fourth Industrial revolution will fundamentally alter how we work, HR Teams have an important responsibility that they cannot shirk. With all the functions driving business priorities, Keeping the HUMAN element alive in organizations is HR’s authority!
